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.

New therapeutic interventions could render addiction into manageable disease

Neuroscientists agree that abuse of drugs hijacks circuits in the brain that are crucial for decision-making, but society as a whole tends to stigmatize addicted people for lacking self-control.

10 Jun 2014

MRI shows signs of brain injury in moderate and late preterm babies

Babies born 32 to 36 weeks into gestation may have smaller brains and other brain abnormalities that could lead to long-term developmental problems, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

10 Jun 2014

Chronic sleep loss can cause certain neurotoxic molecules to permeate into brain tissue

The longer the insomnia, junctions of cerebral blood vessels begin to degrade. In search of the answer to why do we sleep, research conducted at the Mexican Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM) revealed that chronic sleep loss can cause certain neurotoxic molecules, which normally circulate in the blood, to be transported to the central nervous system and interfere with the function of neurons.

10 Jun 2014

REM sleep disorder: A sign of impending neurodegenerative disease

How many millions of people suffer from sleep disturbance? One sleep disorder in particular, called REM behavior disorder, could be a sign of impending neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson's and dementia, say scientists presenting their research at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2014 Annual Meeting.

10 Jun 2014

Researchers move closer to establishing link between GAD65 protein and type 1 diabetes

Researchers are a step closer to establishing the link between a protein with a split personality and type 1 diabetes.

10 Jun 2014

Late-life depression could become major risk factor for developing Alzheimer's

Many people develop depression in the latest stages of life, but until now doctors had no idea that it could point to a build up of a naturally occurring protein in the brain called beta-amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

10 Jun 2014

Sleep may enhance memory formation

Sleep could play a major role in our ability to form long-term memories, suggest study findings.

9 Jun 2014

BP history affects late-life brain pathology

The relationship between late-life blood pressure and damage to the brain is modified by midlife hypertension history, research shows.

9 Jun 2014

International leaders redefine phenotypes of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis manifests itself in many different ways and different courses. A recent effort to fine-tune descriptions - or phenotypes -- of MS was undertaken by an international team of leaders in MS research and clinical care.

9 Jun 2014

Researchers tap rhythm of memories as they occur in real time in human brain

University of Oregon researchers have tapped the rhythm of memories as they occur in near real time in the human brain.

9 Jun 2014

NIDA review offers new insights into the negative health effects of marijuana

The current state of science on the adverse health effects of marijuana use links the drug to several significant adverse effects including addiction, a review reports.

9 Jun 2014

Scientific images of blood, brain, bacteria are on display at Washington Dulles International Airport

Stunning scientific images of blood, brain, bacteria, viruses and more, enlarged by as much as 50,000 times, are on display in an exhibit called "Life: Magnified," on view through November 2014 at Washington Dulles International Airport's Gateway Gallery.

9 Jun 2014

National Institutes of Health awards $3.4M grant for Alzheimer's disease research

As part of its ongoing research to better understand the complexities of the human brain, the Allen Institute for Brain Science is embarking on the first effort to map connectivity patterns across the whole brain in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, through its recent award of a $3.4 million grant over five years from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.

9 Jun 2014

New class of genetic switches gives clues on stem cell development

Case Western Reserve researchers have discovered landmarks within pluripotent stem cells that guide how they develop to serve different purposes within the body.

9 Jun 2014

New mathematical models seem to explain processing in medial temporal lobes

When it comes to familiarity, a slew of memories including seemingly unrelated ones can come flooding into the brain, according to mathematical theories called global similarity models.

9 Jun 2014

Kids at risk for mental disorders experience communication breakdown in brain networks

Attention deficits are central to psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and are thought to precede the presentation of the illnesses.

9 Jun 2014

Probiotics effectively prevent hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis of the liver

Probiotics are effective in preventing hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. Hepatic encephalopathy is a deterioration of brain function that is a serious complication of liver disease.

9 Jun 2014

Cellular blockages in nerve cells of insect's brain can form and dissolve in 30 seconds

Motorists in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other gridlocked cities could learn something from the fruit fly.

9 Jun 2014

Gene variants that lead to longer telomeres boost brain cancer risk

New genomic research led by UC San Francisco scientists reveals that two common gene variants that lead to longer telomeres, the caps on chromosome ends thought by many scientists to confer health by protecting cells from aging, also significantly increase the risk of developing the deadly brain cancers known as gliomas.

9 Jun 2014

Researchers uncover several gene networks with potentially important roles in autism

A large new analysis of DNA from thousands of patients has uncovered several underlying gene networks with potentially important roles in autism.

9 Jun 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

New therapeutic interventions could render addiction into manageable disease

MRI shows signs of brain injury in moderate and late preterm babies

Chronic sleep loss can cause certain neurotoxic molecules to permeate into brain tissue

REM sleep disorder: A sign of impending neurodegenerative disease

Researchers move closer to establishing link between GAD65 protein and type 1 diabetes

Late-life depression could become major risk factor for developing Alzheimer's

Sleep may enhance memory formation

BP history affects late-life brain pathology

International leaders redefine phenotypes of multiple sclerosis

Researchers tap rhythm of memories as they occur in real time in human brain

NIDA review offers new insights into the negative health effects of marijuana

Scientific images of blood, brain, bacteria are on display at Washington Dulles International Airport

National Institutes of Health awards $3.4M grant for Alzheimer's disease research

New class of genetic switches gives clues on stem cell development

New mathematical models seem to explain processing in medial temporal lobes

Kids at risk for mental disorders experience communication breakdown in brain networks

Probiotics effectively prevent hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis of the liver

Cellular blockages in nerve cells of insect's brain can form and dissolve in 30 seconds

Gene variants that lead to longer telomeres boost brain cancer risk

Researchers uncover several gene networks with potentially important roles in autism

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

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Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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