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.

Tiny molecule may provide marker for depression

Levels of a small molecule found only in humans and in other primates are lower in the brains of depressed individuals, according to researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Institute.

9 Jun 2014

Gene networks may offer attractive targets for developing new autism drugs

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

6 Jun 2014

Brain networks supporting attention do not communicate correctly in children at risk for bipolar disorder

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

6 Jun 2014

Study: The brain controls cellular process that leads to glaucoma

Findings from a new study published in Translational Vision Science & Technology show the brain, not the eye, controls the cellular process that leads to glaucoma. The results may help develop treatments for one of the world's leading causes of irreversible blindness, as well as contribute to the development of future therapies for preserving brain function in other age-related disorders like Alzheimer's.

6 Jun 2014

Study sheds light on new potential treatment for heat stroke

Scientists in Taiwan have found that intravenous injections of stem cells derived from human exfoliated deciduous tooth pulp (SHED) have a protective effect against brain damage from heat stroke in mice. Their finding was safe and effective and so may be a candidate for successfully treating human patients by preventing the neurological damage caused by heat stroke.

6 Jun 2014

Sleep helps consolidate, strengthen new memories

In study published today in Science, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center show for the first time that sleep after learning encourages the growth of dendritic spines, the tiny protrusions from brain cells that connect to other brain cells and facilitate the passage of information across synapses, the junctions at which brain cells meet.

6 Jun 2014

Endocrine Society announces winners of Early Investigators Awards and FLARE Internship Awards

The Endocrine Society is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 Early Investigators Awards and the Future Leaders Advancing Research in Endocrinology Internship Awards.

6 Jun 2014

Brain circuit problem may contribute to auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified problems in a connection between brain structures that may predispose individuals to hearing the "voices" that are a common symptom of schizophrenia. The work appears in the June 6 issue of the journal Science.

6 Jun 2014

Healthy tissue grafted to brains of patients with Huntington's disease also develops signs of illness

A recent study published in Annals of Neurology reports that healthy human tissue grafted to the brains of patients with Huntington's disease in the hopes of treating the neurological disorder also developed signs of the illness, several years after the graft.

6 Jun 2014

SGC and CHDI Foundation collaborate to discover new drug targets for Huntington's disease

The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) and CHDI Foundation have entered into a unique open-access research collaboration to discover and characterize new drug targets for Huntington's disease (HD) using structural and chemical biology In this first partnership of its kind, SGC and CHDI have explicitly agreed not to file for patents on any of the collaborative research and to make all reagents and knowledge available without restriction to the wider research community, including pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic research groups.

6 Jun 2014

About MS booklet now available as a printed and online publication

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is pleased to announce that the newly published About MS booklet is now available as both a printed and online publication.

6 Jun 2014

Discovery may lead to relief for victims of range of neurological disorders

University of Toronto biologists leading an investigation into the cells that regulate proper brain function, have identified and located the key players whose actions contribute to afflictions such as epilepsy and schizophrenia.

6 Jun 2014

Researchers take step toward restoring natural, high-fidelity vision to blind people

In laboratory tests, researchers have used electrical stimulation of retinal cells to produce the same patterns of activity that occur when the retina sees a moving object. Although more work remains, this is a step toward restoring natural, high-fidelity vision to blind people, the researchers say.

6 Jun 2014

ImStem successfully treats animal model of multiple sclerosis using hESC

ImStem Biotechnology, Inc. (ImStem) announced today it has successfully treated an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) using human embryonic stem cells (hESC) derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), called hES-MSCs.

6 Jun 2014

Dopamine transporter availability predicts ICDs

Reduced striatal dopamine transporter availability is already present in patients with Parkinson’s disease who go on to develop impulse control disorders, a study shows.

5 Jun 2014

Naloxegol holds hope for opioid-induced constipation

Pain medicines often lead to constipation for patients seeking long-term pain relief, but an investigational once-daily drug may help, according to study led by the University of Michigan Health System.

5 Jun 2014

Edge Therapeutics commences enrollment in second cohort of EG-1962 Phase 1/2 NEWTON study for aSAH

Edge Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company that discovers, develops and seeks to commercialize novel, hospital-based therapies for acute, life-threatening neurological conditions, today announced that it has initiated patient enrollment in the second cohort of the NEWTON study, a multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label, Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the company's lead product candidate, EG-1962.

5 Jun 2014

Navigated brain stimulation system may help improve motor function for people recovering from stroke

Researchers at Shepherd Center are studying whether stimulating the brain before rehabilitation could yield greater gains in motor function for people recovering from stroke.

5 Jun 2014

$SAGE reports preliminary data from SAGE-547 Phase 1/2 clinical trial for super-refractory status epilepticus$

SAGE reports preliminary data from SAGE-547 Phase 1/2 clinical trial for super-refractory status epilepticus

SAGE Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines to treat life-threatening, rare central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced preliminary data from its ongoing open-label Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SAGE-547, an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, in patients with super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE).

5 Jun 2014

Novel diagnostic tool helps differentiate between dementia diseases

A new diagnostic tool helps clinicians to differentiate between Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Presented in the doctoral thesis of MD Miguel ángel Muñoz Ruiz at the University of Eastern Finland, the new method consists of a Disease State Index combining data from multiple sources, and of a Disease State Fingerprint showing the findings in a visual format.

5 Jun 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Tiny molecule may provide marker for depression

Gene networks may offer attractive targets for developing new autism drugs

Brain networks supporting attention do not communicate correctly in children at risk for bipolar disorder

Study: The brain controls cellular process that leads to glaucoma

Study sheds light on new potential treatment for heat stroke

Sleep helps consolidate, strengthen new memories

Endocrine Society announces winners of Early Investigators Awards and FLARE Internship Awards

Brain circuit problem may contribute to auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia

Healthy tissue grafted to brains of patients with Huntington's disease also develops signs of illness

SGC and CHDI Foundation collaborate to discover new drug targets for Huntington's disease

About MS booklet now available as a printed and online publication

Discovery may lead to relief for victims of range of neurological disorders

Researchers take step toward restoring natural, high-fidelity vision to blind people

ImStem successfully treats animal model of multiple sclerosis using hESC

Dopamine transporter availability predicts ICDs

Naloxegol holds hope for opioid-induced constipation

Edge Therapeutics commences enrollment in second cohort of EG-1962 Phase 1/2 NEWTON study for aSAH

Navigated brain stimulation system may help improve motor function for people recovering from stroke

SAGE reports preliminary data from SAGE-547 Phase 1/2 clinical trial for super-refractory status epilepticus

Novel diagnostic tool helps differentiate between dementia diseases

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

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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