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.

Intriguing links between Snf2l gene and brain developmental disorders

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have discovered that mice that lack a gene called Snf2l have brains that are 35 per cent larger than normal.

16 May 2012

Exendin-4 drug effectively suppresses craving for food

A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate.

16 May 2012

Mass. Eye and Ear announces recipients of 2012 Curing Kids Fund grants

The Mass. Eye and Ear Curing Kids fund has awarded grants for research projects that aim to help the brain locate sound, identify genes that cause congenital blindness, cure deafness through hair cell regeneration, and improve treatment for childhood eye cancer.

16 May 2012

Researchers find protein that controls neurotransmission: findings may lead to new drugs to treat neurological disorders

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that the single protein -- alpha 2 delta -- exerts a spigot-like function, controlling the volume of neurotransmitters and other chemicals that flow between the synapses of brain neurons. The study, published online in Nature, shows how brain cells talk to each other through these signals, relaying thoughts, feelings and action, and this powerful molecule plays a crucial role in regulating effective communication.

15 May 2012

First study to track movement of individuals with dementia until death

A new study from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University has found that, at time of death, individuals with dementia are more likely to be living at home than in a nursing home. This contradicts the commonly held view that most individuals with dementia in the United States eventually move to nursing homes and die there.

15 May 2012

Paediatric brain tumours preserve specific characteristics of normal cells from which they originate

Paediatric brain tumours preserve specific characteristics of the normal cells from which they originate - a previously unknown circumstance with ramifications for how tumour cells respond to treatment.

15 May 2012

CHDI, KineMed partner to investigate turnover rates of huntingtin protein

KineMed, Inc. and CHDI Foundation, Inc. announced today a collaboration to use KineMed's isotopic labeling and dynamic proteomics platform to investigate the turnover rates of huntingtin protein, a mutant form of which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD).

15 May 2012

CU scientist looks at reward circuits in the brain

Why does one person become anorexic and another obese? A study recently published by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher shows that reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women and desensitized in obese women.

15 May 2012

Latest research on caring for ischemic stroke patients

Following a stroke, factors as varied as blood sugar, body temperature and position in bed can affect patient outcomes, Loyola University Medical Center researchers report.

15 May 2012

HyStem-C effective in transplantation of heart muscle-derived cells for heart disease

BioTime, Inc. announced today the publication of a scientific paper demonstrating the effectiveness of HyStem-C in the transplantation of heart muscle-derived cells in an animal model of heart disease.

14 May 2012

FDA clears Bioness smaller leg cuff for use with L300 Foot Drop System

Bioness Inc. today announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a smaller leg cuff for use with the company's L300 Foot Drop System.

14 May 2012

Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE CT system improves detection of acute stroke

Kaleida Health's Gates Stroke Center (GSC) at the Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., a world-class neurological and stroke care center, recently completed the second phase of its study analyzing the patient and fiscal benefits of using Toshiba America Medical System, Inc.'s Aquilion ONE CT system in diagnosing acute stroke.

14 May 2012

Phase II trial to examine effects of resveratrol on individuals with mild to moderate dementia

A national, phase II clinical trial examining the effects of resveratrol on individuals with mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's disease has begun as more than two dozen academic institutions recruit volunteers in the coming months. R. Scott Turner, M.D., Ph.D., director of Georgetown University Medical Center's Memory Disorders Program, is the lead investigator for the national study.

14 May 2012

New clinical trial to evaluate effectiveness of ABMT for PTSD

At Ease USA, a Nebraska organization dedicated to providing confidential post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care for military families, has launched a clinical trial of a promising new therapeutic intervention at Creighton University.

14 May 2012

Researchers uncover new way to stimulate activity of immune cell opiate receptors

Researchers at Rutgers University have uncovered a new way to stimulate activity of immune cell opiate receptors, leading to efficient tumor cell clearance.

14 May 2012

Findings reveal racial disparities in pre-hospital care for cardiac arrest

Black cardiac arrest victims who are stricken outside hospitals are less likely to receive bystander CPR and defibrillation on the scene than white patients, according to research that will be presented by a research team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania today at the annual meeting of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

14 May 2012

Even mild head injuries can cause abnormalities in brain function

Even mild head injuries can cause significant abnormalities in brain function that last for several days, which may explain the neurological symptoms experienced by some individuals who have experienced a head injury associated with sports, accidents or combat, according to a study by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers.

14 May 2012

New system may help restore vision in eye diseases

Using tiny solar-panel-like cells surgically placed underneath the retina, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a system that may someday restore sight to people who have lost vision because of certain types of degenerative eye diseases.

14 May 2012

Mild head injuries can cause structural disruption of axons in the brain

11 May 2012

Anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital stunts neuronal growth

A brain study in infant rats demonstrates that the anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital stunts neuronal growth, which could prompt new questions about using the first-line drug to treat epilepsy in human newborns.

11 May 2012