Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Study: Socialization emerges as relative strength in boys with fragile X

Standard scores measuring "adaptive behavior" in boys with fragile X syndrome tend to decline during childhood and adolescence, the largest longitudinal study of the inherited disorder to date has found.

30 Jul 2014

Alterations to single gene could predict risk of suicide attempt

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered a chemical alteration in a single human gene linked to stress reactions that, if confirmed in larger studies, could give doctors a simple blood test to reliably predict a person's risk of attempting suicide.

30 Jul 2014

Five-year $10.7M grant to study control, prevention of sexually-transmitted infections

The University of Maryland Schools of Dentistry (UM SOD) and Medicine (UM SOM) jointly announced today that they have received a five-year $10.7 million grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health to study the causes, prevention and treatment of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs).

30 Jul 2014

New electrical pattern in brains predicts how well individual animals fare in stressful situations

Some people can handle stressful situations better than others, and it's not all in their genes: Even identical twins show differences in how they respond.

30 Jul 2014

Brains of autistic kids are relatively inflexible at switching from rest to task performance

The brains of children with autism are relatively inflexible at switching from rest to task performance, according to a new brain-imaging study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

30 Jul 2014

EMD Serono begins MSB0010718C Phase II study in mMCC patients

EMD Serono, Inc., a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced the initiation of an international Phase II study designed to assess the efficacy and safety of MSB0010718C, an investigational fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1).

29 Jul 2014

Little-known supportive cells in brain may play major role in cognitive function

When you're expecting something-like the meal you've ordered at a restaurant-or when something captures your interest, unique electrical rhythms sweep through your brain.

29 Jul 2014

PLXNA4 gene may increase risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine report variants in a new gene, PLXNA4, which may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The discovery of this novel genetic association may lead to new drug treatment options that target PLXNA4 specifically.

28 Jul 2014

Lifestyle impacts likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome in childhood cancer survivors

A St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study found that 73 percent of adult survivors of childhood cancer more than doubled their risk of developing metabolic syndrome and related health problems by failing to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle. The results appear in the current issue of the journal Cancer.

28 Jul 2014

Neuroscientists analyze imaging data using new technologies

In an age of "big data," a single computer cannot always find the solution a user wants. Computational tasks must instead be distributed across a cluster of computers that analyze a massive data set together.

27 Jul 2014

Parallel brain circuits associated with opposing emotional reactions

People choosing between two or more equally positive outcomes experience paradoxical feelings of pleasure and anxiety, feelings associated with activity in different regions of the brain, according to research led by Amitai Shenhav, an associate research scholar at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute at Princeton University.

27 Jul 2014

Melatonin has protective effects on traumatic brain injury-induced cerebral cortex

Traumatic brain injury can cause post-traumatic neurodegenerations with an increase in reactive oxygen species and reactive oxygen species-mediated lipid peroxidation. Melatonin, a non-enzymatic antioxidant and neuroprotective agent, has been shown to counteract oxidative stress-induced pathophysiologic conditions like cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, neuronal excitotoxicity and chronic inflammation.

26 Jul 2014

Neuroscientists shed new light on how the brain works

Neuroscientists in Bonn and Heidelberg have succeeded in providing new insights into how the brain works. Researchers at the DZNE and the German Cancer Research Center analyzed tissue samples from mice to identify how two specific proteins, ‘CKAMP44’ and ‘TARP Gamma-8’, act upon the brain’s memory center.

26 Jul 2014

Xbp1s protein plays key role in brain regions to regulate metabolism

A protein that controls when genes are switched on or off plays a key role in specific areas of the brain to regulate metabolism, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

26 Jul 2014

Pediatrician currently utilizes Quotient ADHD test on patients

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood condition characterized by more than normal difficulty with focus, behavior control, impulsivity and hyperactivity.

26 Jul 2014

Massage therapy can alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis

An estimated 2.3 million people worldwide live with multiple sclerosis (MS) each day, a debilitating disease that can often cause severe pain, muscle spasms, poor circulation, anxiety, stress and clinical depression.

26 Jul 2014

Montefiore-Einstein investigators to present new findings from eight abstracts at IFHNOS 2014

Clinicians and researchers from Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University will present new findings from eight abstracts at the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies World Congress being held July 26 - July 30 in New York.

26 Jul 2014

GW researcher awarded SFARI grant for autism research

The link between autism and disrupted brain development is an essential part of the puzzle of the disease, and is largely unknown. However, thanks to funding from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, George Washington University researcher Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, Ph.D. may be able to offer truly integrative and in-depth answers to these key questions in the field of autism research.

26 Jul 2014

Hamlin Dental Group provides easy and comfortable teeth straightening treatment

It's easy to feel self-conscious if you're suffering from crooked teeth but, for many, the thought of having uncomfortable metallic braces obscuring your smile is even less appealing.

26 Jul 2014

Discovery could lead to new therapies for treating Type 2 diabetes, obesity

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified neural pathways that increase understanding of how the brain regulates body weight, energy expenditure, and blood glucose levels - a discovery that can lead to new therapies for treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

26 Jul 2014