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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.

Just one drink can affect driving abilities of older drivers

You may have only had one glass of wine with dinner, but if you're 55 or older, that single serving may hit you hard enough to make you a dangerous driver.

10 Mar 2014

Inherited Alzheimer's neuronal damage begins 10 to 20 years before symptoms appear

In a paper published in the prestigious journal Science Translational Medicine, Professor Colin Masters from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and University of Melbourne - and colleagues in the UK and US - have found rapid neuronal damage begins 10 to 20 years before symptoms appear.

10 Mar 2014

Exposure to UV light may exacerbate melanoma cells to creep outside blood vessels

Based on the pioneering work of Dr. Claire Lugassy and Dr. Raymond Barnhill at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, a new study provides additional support for a process by which melanoma cells, a deadly form of skin cancer, can spread throughout the body by creeping like tiny spiders along the outside of blood vessels without ever entering the blood stream, and that this process is exacerbated by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.

10 Mar 2014

FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumor-killing activity against glioblastoma

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumor-killing activity against the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer, glioblastoma. The finding was published in this week's online edition of Oncotarget.

8 Mar 2014

National clinical trial to test new avenue for tinnitus treatment

UT Southwestern Medical Center will take part in a national clinical trial to test a device that could provide relief for people suffering from tinnitus, a persistent buzzing or ringing sound in the ears. The device uses nervous system stimuli to rewire parts of the brain, in hopes of significantly reducing or removing tinnitus.

7 Mar 2014

BWH researchers explore newer approaches to treat Alzheimer's disease

A team of Alzheimer's disease (AD) researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has been able to study the underlying causes of AD and develop assays to test newer approaches to treatment by using stem cells derived from related family members with a genetic predisposition to (AD).

7 Mar 2014

Neuroscientist hopes to paint fuller picture of minds and bodies in Neuroscape lab

How does an autistic child take in information when he sits in a classroom abuzz with social activity? How long does it take someone with multiple sclerosis, which slows activity in the brain, to process the light bouncing off the windshield while she drives?

7 Mar 2014

Ohr Pharmaceutical partners with CSHL to develop trodusquemine and related analogs

Ohr Pharmaceutical, a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for large unmet medical needs, and leading global cancer research center Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) today announced the establishment of DepYmed Inc., a new joint venture to develop trodusquemine and related analogs.

6 Mar 2014

Inflammation and stress combine in bipolar and schizophrenia subtypes

Researchers have found that some individuals with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia have combined stress response and immune dysfunctions.

6 Mar 2014

Study investigates possible links between sleep and omega-3 DHA fatty acid status in healthy children

A randomised placebo-controlled study by the University of Oxford suggests that higher levels of omega-3 DHA, the group of long-chain fatty acids found in algae and seafood, are associated with better sleep.

6 Mar 2014

Alkermes initiates pivotal clinical development program for treatment of MDD

Alkermes plc today announced the initiation of the pivotal clinical development program for ALKS 5461, a once-daily, oral investigational medicine with a novel mechanism of action for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

6 Mar 2014

Research to identify exact mechanisms behind preterm birth and fetal brain injury

An inflammatory protein that triggers a pregnant mouse's immune response to an infection or other disease appears to cause brain injury in her fetus, but not the premature birth that was long believed to be linked with such neurologic damage in both rodents and humans, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests.

6 Mar 2014

Scientists describes new advantageous way to detect different immune cells in the blood

When a person becomes sick or is exposed to an unwelcome substance, the body mobilizes specific proportions of different immune cells in the blood. Methods of discovering and detecting those profiles are therefore useful both clinically and in research. In a new paper in the journal Genome Biology, a team of scientists describes a new and uniquely advantageous way to detect them.

6 Mar 2014

Tips to ease daylight saving time transition

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, bringing more sunshine in the evenings at the price of an hour of sleep. Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center specialist Kelly Brown, M.D., says a little extra planning can alleviate that groggy feeling that often accompanies the time change.

6 Mar 2014

Alzheimer's disease may contribute to close to as many deaths as heart disease

A new study suggests that Alzheimer's disease may contribute to close to as many deaths in the United States as heart disease or cancer. The research is published in the March 5, 2014, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: Obama's budget punts on entitlements; Medicaid debate rankles states

There is a lesson in this unexpected juxtaposition nevertheless: No nation can safely base its tax and spending plans on inflexible commitments. Political life, both domestic and international, is too unpredictable. Yet U.S. government spending is mostly on autopilot. The government is scheduled to lay out $3.8 trillion this fiscal year - 70 percent of which will go to mandatory-spending programs, chiefly Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and interest on the federal debt. Mr. Obama's plan for fiscal 2015 does not change this; it would increase overall spending slightly, paying for it with selected tax increases, while shifting money among priorities here and there. But these tweaks would take place within the same 30 percent of discretionary spending that the current budget contains (3/4).

6 Mar 2014

Scientists reveal how a genetic code variation results in devastating brain diseases

New findings reveal how a mutation, a change in the genetic code that causes neurodegeneration, alters the shape of DNA, making cells more vulnerable to stress and more likely to die.

6 Mar 2014

Prehospital stroke alerts can shorten time to emergency treatment

Prehospital stroke alerts by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel can shorten the time to effective treatment with "clot-busting" drugs for patients with stroke, according to a report in the March issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

6 Mar 2014

New study uses Lumosity games to detect subtle cognitive impairments in patients with cirrhosis

A new study from the University of Washington has found that performance on Lumosity games can distinguish between patients with cirrhosis of the liver, pre-cirrhotic patients, and healthy controls. The study used Lumosity games as psychometric tests to detect subtle cognitive impairments in patients with cirrhosis. The study is published in the March issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

6 Mar 2014

Agenus reports net loss attributable to common stockholders of $5.8 million for Q4 2013

Agenus Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of immuno-oncology candidates, including checkpoint modulators (CPMs), heat shock protein vaccines and adjuvants, today announced its financial results and business highlights for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013.

5 Mar 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Just one drink can affect driving abilities of older drivers

Inherited Alzheimer's neuronal damage begins 10 to 20 years before symptoms appear

Exposure to UV light may exacerbate melanoma cells to creep outside blood vessels

FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumor-killing activity against glioblastoma

National clinical trial to test new avenue for tinnitus treatment

BWH researchers explore newer approaches to treat Alzheimer's disease

Neuroscientist hopes to paint fuller picture of minds and bodies in Neuroscape lab

Ohr Pharmaceutical partners with CSHL to develop trodusquemine and related analogs

Inflammation and stress combine in bipolar and schizophrenia subtypes

Study investigates possible links between sleep and omega-3 DHA fatty acid status in healthy children

Alkermes initiates pivotal clinical development program for treatment of MDD

Research to identify exact mechanisms behind preterm birth and fetal brain injury

Scientists describes new advantageous way to detect different immune cells in the blood

Tips to ease daylight saving time transition

Alzheimer's disease may contribute to close to as many deaths as heart disease

Viewpoints: Obama's budget punts on entitlements; Medicaid debate rankles states

Scientists reveal how a genetic code variation results in devastating brain diseases

Prehospital stroke alerts can shorten time to emergency treatment

New study uses Lumosity games to detect subtle cognitive impairments in patients with cirrhosis

Agenus reports net loss attributable to common stockholders of $5.8 million for Q4 2013

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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