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.

NIH-funded study explores how thalamic reticular nucleus influences consciousness

Ever wonder why it's hard to focus after a bad night's sleep? Using mice and flashes of light, scientists show that just a few nerve cells in the brain may control the switch between internal thoughts and external distractions.

16 Aug 2014

Illness-linked genetic variation affects connections among neurons in the developing brain

A genetic variation linked to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression wreaks havoc on connections among neurons in the developing brain, a team of researchers reports.

16 Aug 2014

New x-ray imaging system helps monitor effectiveness of treatment for cystic fibrosis

Scientists have developed an x-ray imaging system that enables researchers to see 'live' how effective treatments are for cystic fibrosis.

16 Aug 2014

Assessing stroke survivors for medication self-administration ability may predict memory disorder

Kessler stroke researchers and colleagues have identified an association between over-optimistic estimation of one's own ability to take medications accurately, and memory loss among stroke survivors.

16 Aug 2014

Findings may help identify teens who are at risk for dangerous behaviors in the future

According to the CDC, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for adolescents. Compared to the two leading causes of death for all Americans, heart disease and cancer, a pattern of questionable decision-making in dire situations comes to light in teen mortality.

16 Aug 2014

Anti-EphA3 antibody has anti-tumour effects against solid cancers

An international team of scientists has shown that an antibody against the protein EphA3, found in the micro-environment of solid cancers, has anti-tumour effects.

16 Aug 2014

New therapeutic strategy to combat common genetic risk factor for ALS, FTD

A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic and The Scripps Research Institute in Florida have developed a new therapeutic strategy to combat the most common genetic risk factor for the neurodegenerative disorders amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

15 Aug 2014

FDA approves BELSOMRA® (suvorexant) for the treatment of insomnia

Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BELSOMRA® (suvorexant) for adults with insomnia who have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep. BELSOMRA (pronounced bell-SOM-rah) is a highly selective antagonist for orexin receptors.

15 Aug 2014

Paediatric PAH treatment goals identified

Researchers from the Netherlands have identified three baseline variables that may qualify as treatment goals in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

14 Aug 2014

Mortality predictors REVEALed for PAH in systemic sclerosis

Elderly men and patients with low baseline systolic blood pressure are among those at a particularly high risk of death from pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic sclerosis, a US study has found.

14 Aug 2014

Modified C. novyi-NT bacterium produces precisely targeted anti-tumor response

A modified version of the Clostridium novyi (C. novyi-NT) bacterium can produce a strong and precisely targeted anti-tumor response in rats, dogs and now humans, according to a new report from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers.

14 Aug 2014

Elsevier launches new open access journal, Neurobiology of Stress

Elsevier, world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the launch of a new open access journal: Neurobiology of Stress.

14 Aug 2014

Even with no explicit memory of childhood trauma, PTSD can develop in adulthood

There are many forms of memory and only some of these may be critical for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reports a new study by researchers at the University at Albany and the University of California Los Angeles.

14 Aug 2014

Researchers develop artificial connection from brain to legs by bypassing with computer interface

Gait disturbance in individuals with spinal cord injury is attributed to the interruption of neural pathways from brain to the spinal locomotor center, whereas neural circuits locate below and above the lesion maintain most of their functions.

14 Aug 2014

Injections of anaerobic bacteria can shrink tumors in rats, dogs and human

Deep within most tumors lie areas that remain untouched by chemotherapy and radiation. These troublesome spots lack the blood and oxygen needed for traditional therapies to work, but provide the perfect target for a new cancer treatment using bacteria that thrive in oxygen-poor conditions.

14 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Medicaid's good deal; Medicare hospital errors; CBO on exchange coverage

If the governor and the legislature refuse to accept the federal deal [for Medicaid expansion] - as 24 states have so far - they in effect vote against one of the most fantastic cash-flow deals ever offered them. ... And it gets worse.

14 Aug 2014

Scientists identify gene that regulates sleep and wake rhythms

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a gene that regulates sleep and wake rhythms.

14 Aug 2014

Health institutions tackle high rate of preterm birth

An estimated 15 million babies are born preterm every year and more than one million die within the first 30 days after birth.

14 Aug 2014

Reducing brain levels of tau protein effectively blocks development of childhood epilepsy

Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes have shown that reducing brain levels of the protein tau effectively blocks the development of disease in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, a severe intractable form of childhood epilepsy.

14 Aug 2014

iTAKL study receives $3.8 million NIH grant to examine effects of head impacts in youth league football

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has received a $3.8 million, five-year grant from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health, to continue studying the effects of head impacts in youth league football.

13 Aug 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

NIH-funded study explores how thalamic reticular nucleus influences consciousness

Illness-linked genetic variation affects connections among neurons in the developing brain

New x-ray imaging system helps monitor effectiveness of treatment for cystic fibrosis

Assessing stroke survivors for medication self-administration ability may predict memory disorder

Findings may help identify teens who are at risk for dangerous behaviors in the future

Anti-EphA3 antibody has anti-tumour effects against solid cancers

New therapeutic strategy to combat common genetic risk factor for ALS, FTD

FDA approves BELSOMRA® (suvorexant) for the treatment of insomnia

Paediatric PAH treatment goals identified

Mortality predictors REVEALed for PAH in systemic sclerosis

Modified C. novyi-NT bacterium produces precisely targeted anti-tumor response

Elsevier launches new open access journal, Neurobiology of Stress

Even with no explicit memory of childhood trauma, PTSD can develop in adulthood

Researchers develop artificial connection from brain to legs by bypassing with computer interface

Injections of anaerobic bacteria can shrink tumors in rats, dogs and human

Viewpoints: Medicaid's good deal; Medicare hospital errors; CBO on exchange coverage

Scientists identify gene that regulates sleep and wake rhythms

Health institutions tackle high rate of preterm birth

Reducing brain levels of tau protein effectively blocks development of childhood epilepsy

iTAKL study receives $3.8 million NIH grant to examine effects of head impacts in youth league football

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd 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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