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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Two UCSD professors of psychiatry honored for schizophrenia research

Two professors of psychiatry at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have been honored by the New York City-based Brain & Behavior Research Foundation for their work studying the genetics, dysfunction and treatment of schizophrenia, a chronic and severe brain disorder affecting roughly 1 percent of the general population or approximately 3 million people.

8 Oct 2014

Researchers demonstrate involvement of ClpB protein in eating disorders

Eating disorders (ED) such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder affect approximately 5-10% of the general population, but the biological mechanisms involved are unknown. Researchers at Inserm Unit 1073, "Nutrition, inflammation and dysfunction of the gut-brain axis" (Inserm/University of Rouen) have demonstrated the involvement of a protein produced by some intestinal bacteria that may be the source of these disorders.

7 Oct 2014

Clot-buster shows promise in treating less severe forms of traumatic brain injury

The only drug currently approved for treatment of stroke's crippling effects shows promise, when administered as a nasal spray, to help heal similar damage in less severe forms of traumatic brain injury.

7 Oct 2014

First three recipients of inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships named

Harry Winston, Inc. and the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute have named the first three recipients of the inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships.

7 Oct 2014

Study identifies six new genetic variants associated with habitual coffee drinking

A new, large-scale study has identified six new genetic variants associated with habitual coffee drinking. The genome-wide meta-analysis, led by Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers, helps explain why a given amount of coffee or caffeine has different effects on different people and provides a genetic basis for future research exploring the links between coffee and health.

7 Oct 2014

Kessler Foundation's Guang Yue to study impact of high-effort training on muscle weakness

Guang Yue, PhD, of Kessler Foundation has been awarded an NIH grant for$1,962,767 to study the impact of high-effort training on the muscle weakness that impairs quality life among many individuals with cancer.

7 Oct 2014

Researchers launch landmark new program to explore potential impact of medical marijuana

Thanks to a $500,000 gift from international best-selling author and mental health advocate Patricia Cornwell, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers will launch a landmark new program that will more fully explore the potential impact of medical marijuana on cognition, brain structure and function.

7 Oct 2014

Groundbreaking study tracks precise path of rabies to the central nervous system

Rabies causes acute inflammation of the brain, producing psychosis and violent aggression. The virus, which paralyzes the body's internal organs, is always deadly for those unable to obtain vaccines in time. Some 55,000 people die from rabies every year.

7 Oct 2014

U-M scientists launch $11.5 million effort to better understand cause of Parkinson's disease

Deep in the brains of the million Americans with Parkinson's disease, changes to their brain cells put them at high risk of dangerous falls -- a problem that resists even the most modern treatments.

7 Oct 2014

Vesicles play significant role in the functioning of neurons

Tiny vesicles containing protective substances which they transmit to nerve cells apparently play an important role in the functioning of neurons. As cell biologists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have discovered, nerve cells can enlist the aid of mini-vesicles of neighboring glial cells to defend themselves against stress and other potentially detrimental factors.

7 Oct 2014

Allen Institute for Brain Science receives $8.7 million NIH grant to explore synapses

The Allen Institute for Brain Science, in a project led by Stephen Smith, Ph.D., Senior Investigator, has been awarded an $8.7 million, five-year Transformative Research Award from the National Institutes of Health to lead the creation of a publicly accessible model of synapse populations in mouse and human brains.

6 Oct 2014

John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser win 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded with one half to John O'Keefe and the other half jointly to May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser "for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain".

6 Oct 2014

Care lags for people who have stroke in hospital, study finds

At the first sign of a stroke, time is of the essence. For every minute of delay in treatment, people typically lose almost two million brain cells. Yet a new study presented at the Canadian Stroke Congress reveals that those delays - in getting the right tests and the right drugs - can be longer when people experience a stroke in a hospital.

6 Oct 2014

Researchers find potential new way to better control immune-mediated diseases

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that T-cells - a type of white blood cell that learns to recognize and attack microbial pathogens - are activated by a pain receptor.

6 Oct 2014

Scientists shed new light on how LAMR1 and Gal-3 proteins can cause meningitis, septicaemia

Previously undiscovered secrets of how human cells interact with a bacterium which causes a serious human disease have been revealed in new research by microbiologists at The University of Nottingham.

5 Oct 2014

CTRC researcher receives special $1.62 million orphan disease grant from FDA

A researcher at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center is the leader on a study receiving a special $1.62 million orphan disease grant from the Food & Drug Administration.

5 Oct 2014

Damage to right frontal-subcortical network may cause ipsilateral spatial neglect

Stroke researchers have confirmed that damage to the right frontal-subcortical network may cause ipsilateral spatial neglect. Among individuals with ipsilateral neglect, a much greater proportion had frontal subcortical damage than anticipated by the investigators - 83% vs the expected 27%.

5 Oct 2014

Kessler Foundation, NJHF partner to advance biomedical research

The signing of a formal affiliation agreement that allows Kessler Foundation and New Jersey Health Foundation to work together to advance biomedical research, education and patient care programs has been announced by Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation and James M. Golubieski, president of New Jersey Health Foundation.

5 Oct 2014

LA BioMed researchers report that THC may help protect the brain of traumatic brain injury patients

Surveying patients with traumatic brain injuries, a group of Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute researchers reported today that they found those who tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, were more likely to survive than those who tested negative for the illicit substance.

3 Oct 2014

Blackflies infected with Onchocerca volvulus parasite may spread nodding syndrome

Despite decades of research, scientists have yet to pinpoint the exact cause of nodding syndrome (NS), a disabling disease affecting African children. A new report suggests that blackflies infected with the parasite Onchocerca volvulus may be capable of passing on a secondary pathogen that is to blame for the spread of the disease. New research is presented in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

3 Oct 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Two UCSD professors of psychiatry honored for schizophrenia research

Researchers demonstrate involvement of ClpB protein in eating disorders

Clot-buster shows promise in treating less severe forms of traumatic brain injury

First three recipients of inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships named

Study identifies six new genetic variants associated with habitual coffee drinking

Kessler Foundation's Guang Yue to study impact of high-effort training on muscle weakness

Researchers launch landmark new program to explore potential impact of medical marijuana

Groundbreaking study tracks precise path of rabies to the central nervous system

U-M scientists launch $11.5 million effort to better understand cause of Parkinson's disease

Vesicles play significant role in the functioning of neurons

Allen Institute for Brain Science receives $8.7 million NIH grant to explore synapses

John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser win 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Care lags for people who have stroke in hospital, study finds

Researchers find potential new way to better control immune-mediated diseases

Scientists shed new light on how LAMR1 and Gal-3 proteins can cause meningitis, septicaemia

CTRC researcher receives special $1.62 million orphan disease grant from FDA

Damage to right frontal-subcortical network may cause ipsilateral spatial neglect

Kessler Foundation, NJHF partner to advance biomedical research

LA BioMed researchers report that THC may help protect the brain of traumatic brain injury patients

Blackflies infected with Onchocerca volvulus parasite may spread nodding syndrome

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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