Brain News and Research

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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.

Scientists alter emotional associations of specific memories

By manipulating neural circuits in the brain of mice, scientists have altered the emotional associations of specific memories.

28 Aug 2014

Young adults who experienced depression have hyper-connected networks in the brain

Depression may be better predicted and understood now that University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have discovered that young adults who previously experienced the mental illness have hyper-connected emotional and cognitive networks in the brain.

28 Aug 2014

New MS treatment found safe, tolerable in phase I clinical trials

A new treatment under investigation for multiple sclerosis (MS) is safe and tolerable in phase I clinical trials, according to a study published August 27, 2014, in Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, a new online-only, freely accessible, specialty medical journal.

28 Aug 2014

New evidence puts into doubt the long-held depression belief

New evidence puts into doubt the long-standing belief that a deficiency in serotonin - a chemical messenger in the brain - plays a central role in depression. In the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, scientists report that mice lacking the ability to make serotonin in their brains (and thus should have been "depressed" by conventional wisdom) did not show depression-like symptoms.

28 Aug 2014

THC may slow or halt progression of Alzheimer's disease

Extremely low levels of the compound in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study from neuroscientists at the University of South Florida shows.

28 Aug 2014

Brain's motor cortex can directly turn down hearing

When we want to listen carefully to someone, the first thing we do is stop talking. The second thing we do is stop moving altogether. This strategy helps us hear better by preventing unwanted sounds generated by our own movements.

28 Aug 2014

UW researchers develop smartphone app that detects newborn jaundice within minutes

University of Washington engineers and physicians have developed a smartphone application that checks for jaundice in newborns and can deliver results to parents and pediatricians within minutes. It could serve as a screening tool to determine whether a baby needs a blood test - the gold standard for detecting high levels of bilirubin.

28 Aug 2014

Study provides neural explanation for why some skills are easier to learn than others

Learning is easier when it only requires nerve cells to rearrange existing patterns of activity than when the nerve cells have to generate new patterns, a study of monkeys has found. The scientists explored the brain's capacity to learn through recordings of electrical activity of brain cell networks.

27 Aug 2014

Researchers help to gain greater insight into biological clock that sets pace for daily life

Casey Diekman, assistant professor of mathematical sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), is helping to gain greater insight into the biological clock that sets the pace for daily life.

27 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 27, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about Kevin Counihan, the person who take on the challenge of running healthcare.gov.

27 Aug 2014

Continuous positive airway pressure treatment effective for older patients with OSA

Continuous positive airway pressure is effective at treating sleep apnoea in older people, a new study has found.

27 Aug 2014

EPO administered to preterm infants linked with reduced risk of brain injury

High-dose erythropoietin (EPO; a hormone) administered within 42 hours of birth to preterm infants was associated with a reduced risk of brain injury, as indicated by magnetic resonance imaging, according to a study in the August 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Aug 2014

Scientists find that lack of naturally occurring protein linked to early signs of dementia

Scientists at the University of Warwick have provided the first evidence that the lack of a naturally occurring protein is linked to early signs of dementia.

27 Aug 2014

Cognitive impairment communication: an interview with Marc Wortmann, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)

Cognitive impairment is the loss of brain functions like short and long term memory, the ability to plan ahead or conduct more complicated intellectual tasks.

27 Aug 2014

TOBI project aims to improve quality of life for people with serious physical disabilities

People with serious physical disabilities are unable to do the everyday things that most of us take for granted despite having the will - and the brainpower - to do so. This is changing thanks to European projects such as TOBI (Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction). People with limited mobility can write emails and even regain control of paralysed limbs through thought alone.

26 Aug 2014

Auriculotherapy may help in managing chronic constipation

Nearly 1 in 6 adults worldwide may suffer from chronic constipation and, over time, the disorder can cause serious complications. Auriculotherapy, a form of acupuncture that involves stimulating targeted points on the outer ear, may help in managing constipation.

26 Aug 2014

Use of VISIUS iMRI in brain tumor surgery results in complete tumor removal

IMRIS Inc. today announced that a recently published article in the journal Neurosurgery is the highest level clinical evidence to show that the use of VISIUS® intraoperative MRI in brain tumor surgery results in complete tumor removal in more patients with glioma tumors.

26 Aug 2014

Balance board accessory can help people with MS reduce risk of accidental falls

A balance board accessory for a popular video game console can help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) reduce their risk of accidental falls, according to new research published online in the journal Radiology.

26 Aug 2014

Zebrafish and virus help scientists map the living brain

A virus and a zebrafish are helping scientists map the living brain. "You can kinda draw a diagram and see how cells within it are connected in a functioning brain," said Dr. Albert Pan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

26 Aug 2014

Repurposing anti-depressant medication to target new pathway may help combat medulloblastoma

An international research team reports in Nature Medicine a novel molecular pathway that causes an aggressive form of medulloblastoma, and suggests repurposing an anti-depressant medication to target the new pathway may help combat one of the most common brain cancers in children.

26 Aug 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists alter emotional associations of specific memories

Young adults who experienced depression have hyper-connected networks in the brain

New MS treatment found safe, tolerable in phase I clinical trials

New evidence puts into doubt the long-held depression belief

THC may slow or halt progression of Alzheimer's disease

Brain's motor cortex can directly turn down hearing

UW researchers develop smartphone app that detects newborn jaundice within minutes

Study provides neural explanation for why some skills are easier to learn than others

Researchers help to gain greater insight into biological clock that sets pace for daily life

First Edition: August 27, 2014

Continuous positive airway pressure treatment effective for older patients with OSA

EPO administered to preterm infants linked with reduced risk of brain injury

Scientists find that lack of naturally occurring protein linked to early signs of dementia

Cognitive impairment communication: an interview with Marc Wortmann, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)

TOBI project aims to improve quality of life for people with serious physical disabilities

Auriculotherapy may help in managing chronic constipation

Use of VISIUS iMRI in brain tumor surgery results in complete tumor removal

Balance board accessory can help people with MS reduce risk of accidental falls

Zebrafish and virus help scientists map the living brain

Repurposing anti-depressant medication to target new pathway may help combat medulloblastoma

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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