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.

Subtle changes in gene can predict how brain reacts to stress

Scientists studying depression in teens have discovered that subtle changes in a gene can predict how the brain reacts to stress, which can cause such health issues as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and obesity.

5 Aug 2014

Eating baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain

Eating baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain, regardless of how much omega-3 fatty acid it contains, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

5 Aug 2014

Risk-glorying video games can increase high-risk behavior in teens

Previous studies show that violent video games increase adolescent aggressiveness, but new Dartmouth research finds for the first time that teen-agers who play mature-rated, risk-glorifying video games are more likely subsequently to engage in a wide range of deviant behaviors beyond aggression, including alcohol use, smoking cigarettes, delinquency and risky sex.

4 Aug 2014

Research results in new insights into clinical depression

Research led by the University of Adelaide has resulted in new insights into clinical depression that demonstrate there cannot be a "one-size-fits-all" approach to treating the disease.

4 Aug 2014

Study shows new potential mechanism to better understand AD in African Americans

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine report that two rare variants in the AKAP9 gene significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in African-Americans.

4 Aug 2014

Neuralstem doses final patient with NSI-566 stem cells in Phase II trial

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that the final patient was treated in its Phase II trial using NSI-566 spinal cord-derived neural stem cells in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

4 Aug 2014

Researchers at NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology achieve breakthrough biological results

FEI is pleased to announce that researchers at the NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology have achieved breakthrough biological results, using FEI’s Titan Krios™ transmission electron microscope (TEM), to elucidate the structural mechanism by which glutamate receptors participate in the transmission of signals between neurons in the brain. Their work is described in Nature, “Structural Mechanism of Glutamate Receptor Activation and Desensitization,” by Meyerson, et al., (DOI: 10.1038/nature13603), http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13603.html .

From Thermo Fisher Scientific – Electron Microscopy Solutions 4 Aug 2014

FDA clears ElMindA's BNA Analysis System for assessment of brain function

ElMindA Ltd. announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration has cleared the company's BNA Analysis System for the assessment of brain function. Brain Network Activity (BNA) combines non-invasive, multi-channel EEG technology with sophisticated signal processing and analysis algorithms to measure patterns of brain networks activated during specific brain processes and deliver both quantitative and qualitative insights into brain functionality.

4 Aug 2014

Epigenetic control of serotonin transporter predicts human brain function

The tiny addition of a chemical mark atop a gene that is well known for its involvement in clinical depression and posttraumatic stress disorder can affect the way a person's brain responds to threats, according to a new study by Duke University researchers.

4 Aug 2014

New information on limitations and potential for development of transcranial ultrasound therapy

A recent study completed at the University of Eastern Finland provides new information on the limitations and potential new directions for the future development of transcranial ultrasound therapy.

4 Aug 2014

Findings shed light on why PPARγ activators have side effect of promoting weight gain

The brain plays a central role in regulating appetite and whole-body metabolism. A protein known as PPARγ is important in the brain's control of food intake and body weight, but the identity of the neurons regulating this process has been unclear.

4 Aug 2014

Study shows that mice can identify specific odors amid complex olfactory environments

For many animals, making sense of the clutter of sensory stimuli is often a matter or literal life or death. Exactly how animals separate objects of interest, such as food sources or the scent of predators, from background information, however, remains largely unknown.

4 Aug 2014

Bacteria that aid in digestion help keep intestinal lining intact

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that bacteria that aid in digestion help keep the intestinal lining intact.

4 Aug 2014

Researchers uncover 3D structure of neuroreceptor

Neurons are the cells of our brain, spinal cord, and overall nervous system. They form complex networks to communicate with each other through electrical signals that are carried by chemicals.

4 Aug 2014

UC Davis researcher receives NSSEFF grant to advance new work on learning and memory

Professor Charan Ranganath of the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology has received a National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Defense.

3 Aug 2014

Study: Spicy capsaicin can reduce risk of colorectal tumors

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that dietary capsaicin - the active ingredient in chili peppers - produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors.

3 Aug 2014