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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.

Curcumin can help prevent clumping of proteins in Parkinson's

Curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, is proving effective at preventing clumping of a protein involved in Parkinson's disease, says a Michigan State University researcher.

21 Mar 2012

Study tests new method of sound simulation for treating tinnitus

A new clinical trial is to test whether a pocket-sized device that uses sound simulation to reboot faulty 'wiring' in the brain could cure people with the debilitating hearing disorder tinnitus.

21 Mar 2012

Lexicon receives FDA Orphan Drug designation for telotristat etiprate to treat carcinoid syndrome

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its request for Orphan Drug designation for telotristat etiprate (LX1032) for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome.

21 Mar 2012

Obesity gene mutation identified in mice

A new study has found why a mutation in a particular gene can lead to obesity. Mouse experiments suggested the body's message to “stop eating” was blocked if the animals had the mutation. The study, published in Nature Medicine, said the brain's response to appetite hormones was being disrupted.

20 Mar 2012

Synthetic marijuana use among teenagers raises concerns

According to reports three U.S. teenagers ended up in the emergency department with altered mental states and seriously elevated heart rates after smoking synthetic marijuana.

20 Mar 2012

Electroconvulsive therapy and how it works in severe depression: Study

Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, has been used in severely and persistently depressed patients from their disabling mood state for more than seven decades. Researchers have searched for the reason why this technique sometimes works in these patients.

20 Mar 2012

“Meth” babies more at risk of behavioral problems: Study

A new study shows methamphetamine's potential lasting behavioral effects on kids of mothers who used meth during pregnancy. The behavior differences — anxiety, depression, moodiness — weren't huge, but lead researcher Linda LaGasse called them “very worrisome.”

20 Mar 2012

Study identifies function of GlialCAM gene in brain edema

A study of the pathophysiology of this rare disease has uncovered one mechanism that destabilizes the homeostatic balance of brain cells causing edema.

20 Mar 2012

Scientists investigate molecular mechanism of memory encoding in neurons

University of Alberta led research may have discovered how memories are encoded in our brains. Scientists understand memory to exist as strengthened synaptic connections among neurons. However components of synaptic membranes are relatively short-lived and frequently re-cycled while memories can last a lifetime.

20 Mar 2012

Mayo Clinic researchers train mouse immune systems to eradicate skin cancer from within

Mayo Clinic researchers have trained mouse immune systems to eradicate skin cancer from within, using a genetic combination of human DNA from melanoma cells and a cousin of the rabies virus. The strategy, called cancer immunotherapy, uses a genetically engineered version of the vesicular stomatitis virus to deliver a broad spectrum of genes derived from melanoma cancer cells directly into tumors.

20 Mar 2012

Heptares exercises exclusive option to license new A2A antagonist for CNS disorders

Heptares Therapeutics, the leading GPCR drug discovery company, announces that an operating company of Shire PLC, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has exercised its exclusive option to license a novel adenosine A2A antagonist discovered by Heptares that is currently in preclinical development.

20 Mar 2012

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery publishes new sudden hearing loss guideline

The first national treatment guideline for sudden hearing loss, a frightening condition that sends thousands in the U.S. to the emergency room each year, was published this month in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

20 Mar 2012

Gilenya - pill for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis recommended by NICE

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) issued new draft guidance recommending fingolimod (brand name Gilenya) on the NHS for some patients with a form of MS. The new drug can help reduce the number of relapses in adults with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), which is characterized by periods when symptoms worsen and then improve.

19 Mar 2012

Technique developed to identify rogue clustering proteins in brain diseases

Australian researchers have developed a novel technique that tracks proteins “behaving badly” and may have found a way that leads to new treatments for brain disease. The team believes the discovery could help in the development of drugs to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's.

19 Mar 2012

Novel technique rapidly identifies and tracks location of diseased proteins inside cells

A research team led by the University of Melbourne, Australia, has developed a novel technique that tracks diseased proteins behaving badly by forming clusters in brain diseases such as Huntington's and Alzheimer's.

19 Mar 2012

FDA panel to review Cameron Health S-ICD System PMA application

Cameron Health, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Circulatory System Devices Panel will review the Premarket Approval (PMA) application of the S-ICD System on April 26, 2012.

19 Mar 2012

Largest ever academic-industry research project to find new drugs for ASD

An international consortium of scientists, led by Roche, King's College London, and Autism Speaks, is collaborating on one of the largest ever academic-industry research projects to find new methods for the development of drugs for autism spectrum disorder.

From CSL Ltd 19 Mar 2012

Paper describes results of BMT in models of Rett Syndrome

A paper published online today in Nature describes the results of using bone marrow transplant (BMT) to replace faulty immune system cells in models of Rett Syndrome. The procedure arrested many severe symptoms of the childhood disorder, including abnormal breathing and movement, and significantly extended the lifespan of Rett mouse models.

19 Mar 2012

Study reveals how Bdnf gene mutation contributes to severe obesity

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have revealed how a mutation in a single gene is responsible for the inability of neurons to effectively pass along appetite suppressing signals from the body to the right place in the brain. What results is obesity caused by a voracious appetite.

19 Mar 2012

Klf4 protein an important regulator of inflammation: HNK study

Microglia are the first line defence of the brain and are constantly looking for infections to fight off. Overactive microglia can cause uncontrolled inflammation within the brain, which can in turn lead to neuronal damage. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Journal of Neuroinflammation shows that, honokiol (HNK) is able to down-regulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory enzymes in activated microglia via Klf4, a protein known to regulate DNA.

19 Mar 2012