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.

Brain iron levels offer potential biomarker in the diagnosis of ADHD

Brain iron levels offer a potential biomarker in the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and may help physicians and parents make better informed treatment decisions, according to new research published online in the journal Radiology.

18 Jun 2014

Study analyses link between childhood maltreatment and volume of cerebral grey matter

An international study has analysed the association between childhood maltreatment and the volume of cerebral grey matter, responsible for processing information.

18 Jun 2014

Researchers explore role of stem cells in treating neuroinjury and neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers at the University of Florida, USA, led by Dr. K. Wang have demonstrated that inhibition of Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) and subsequent cofilin dephosphorylation is mediating neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells.

18 Jun 2014

New technology to control specific protein functions in living cells by using lights

Researchers at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea have succeeded in developing the world's first technology to control specific protein functions in living cells by using lights, which may be useful in future cancer cell research.

18 Jun 2014

U-M researchers detail new discoveries about basic biology of dystonia

Twist and hold your neck to the left. Now down, and over to the right, until it hurts. Now imagine your neck - or arms or legs - randomly doing that on their own, without you controlling it.

18 Jun 2014

New study on transmitophagy process may help treat diverse disorders

It's broadly assumed that cells degrade and recycle their own old or damaged organelles, but researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute have discovered that some neurons transfer unwanted mitochondria - the tiny power plants inside cells - to supporting glial cells called astrocytes for disposal.

18 Jun 2014

Study shows similar outcomes between blast and nonblast-related brain injuries

Explosions are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. A new study shows that military personnel with mild brain trauma related to such blasts had outcomes similar to those with mild brain injury from other causes, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

18 Jun 2014

Failing dopamine pump damages brain cells of patients with Parkinson's disease

A study group at the Medical University of Vienna's Centre for Brain Research has investigated the function of an intracellular dopamine pump in Parkinson's patients compared to a healthy test group.

18 Jun 2014

UT Southwestern launches regional brain tissue collection program

To promote greater understanding of autism, UT Southwestern Medical Center has launched a regional brain tissue collection program that will support research on this condition, which affects an estimated one in 68 children.

18 Jun 2014

New studies shed light on the mechanism of childhood obesity

With the increase in childhood obesity and the associated increase in type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents, there is growing interest in how children's bodies process the foods they eat and how obesity and diabetes begin to develop at early ages.

18 Jun 2014

Increase in protein helps store dopamine and protects from Parkinson's disease

Researchers from Emory's Rollins School of Public Health discovered that an increase in the protein that helps store dopamine, a critical brain chemical, led to enhanced dopamine neurotransmission and protection from a Parkinson's disease-related neurotoxin in mice.

18 Jun 2014

Scottsdale Healthcare, TGen initiate AG-120 clinical trial in patients with solid tumors

The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute are studying the safety and effectiveness of a new drug, AG-120, for treatment of patients with solid tumors, especially those with brain tumors and gallbladder bile duct cancer.

18 Jun 2014

Study reveals possible biological link between musical training and improved brain executive functioning

A controlled study using functional MRI brain imaging reveals a possible biological link between early musical training and improved executive functioning in both children and adults, report researchers at Boston Children's Hospital.

18 Jun 2014

Stress may accelerate cognitive decline later in life

A new study published in the June 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience adds to a body of evidence suggesting stress may accelerate cognitive decline later in life.

18 Jun 2014

Evolution of multiple sclerosis treatments: an interview with Mike Panzara, Head of MS & Neurology Clinical Development, Genzyme

The last 20 years have been defined by progress and innovation in the multiple sclerosis (MS) field, with now 10 approved treatment options available for people living with relapsing MS, the most common form of the disease.

17 Jun 2014

Scientists examine correlation between moon phases and human sleep

Popular beliefs about the influence of the moon on humans widely exist. Many people report sleeplessness around the time of full moon.

17 Jun 2014

New hope for people suffering from depression

There is new hope for people suffering from depression. Researchers have identified a compound, hydroxynorketamine (HNK), that may treat symptoms of depression just as effectively and rapidly as ketamine, without the unwanted side effects associated with the psychoactive drug, according to a study in the July issue of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists- (ASA-).

17 Jun 2014