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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.

Drug used for treating breast cancer also kills fungal disease

Tamoxifen, a drug currently used to treat breast cancer, also kills a fungus that causes a deadly brain infection in immunocompromised patients. The findings, which could lead to new treatments for a disease that kills more HIV/AIDS patients than tuberculosis, appear in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM.)

11 Feb 2014

TGen study reveals genetic origins of breast cancer that spreads to brain

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has uncovered possible genetic origins of breast cancer that spreads to the brain, according to a first-of-its-kind study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

11 Feb 2014

Transcendental meditation technique shows significant reduction in PTSD in just 10 days

African civilians in war-torn countries have experienced the threat of violence or death, and many have witnessed the abuse, torture, rape and even murder of loved ones. Many Congolese living in Ugandan refugee camps are suffering from severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

11 Feb 2014

Going on a double date may be more effective at reigniting passion in own relationship, says study

Going on a double date may be more effective at reigniting passion in your own relationship than the classic candlelit dinner for two. According to new research, striking up a friendship with another couple in which you discuss personal details of your life will bring you closer to your own partner.

11 Feb 2014

Long-distance signaling molecules tell brain to produce anti-viral interferon

The brain contains a defense system that prevents at least two unrelated viruses-and possibly many more-from invading the brain at large. The research is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Virology.

11 Feb 2014

Caution against over-intensive BP control in diabetes patients

Very intensive control of blood pressure in patients with Type 2 diabetes does not prevent cognitive decline and may even be counterproductive, suggest findings from the ACCORD MIND substudy.

10 Feb 2014

UCLA researchers awarded $6M grant to explore new therapies for spinal-cord injuries

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering has awarded UCLA researchers Dr. Daniel Lu (Brentwood) and Dr. Reggie Edgerton (Bel Air) a $6 million, five-year grant to explore new therapies for the approximately 273,000 Americans living with spinal-cord injuries. Some 12,000 Americans suffer such injuries each year.

10 Feb 2014

New research aims for better monitoring, treatment for chronic kidney disease

Detailed structural and functional 'maps' of the human kidney made using advanced scanning technology are to be developed by scientists at The University of Nottingham.

10 Feb 2014

Pancreatic stellate cells help pancreatic cancer grow and spread in cell hijack method

Pancreatic stellate cells, which normally aid tissue repair, unwittingly help pancreatic cancer grow and spread in a method of 'cell hijack' only seen before in brain and breast cancer, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London.

10 Feb 2014

Targacept completes patient recruitment in TC-5214 Phase 2b study for treatment of overactive bladder

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics, today announced that it has completed recruitment of patients in its Phase 2b clinical study of TC-5214 as a treatment for overactive bladder (OAB).

10 Feb 2014

e-Therapeutics initiates Phase I clinical trial with oral formulation of ETS2101 anti-cancer compound

e-Therapeutics plc (AIM:ETX) announced today that it has dosed the first healthy volunteer in a newly initiated Phase I clinical trial with an oral formulation of its anti-cancer compound, ETS2101.

10 Feb 2014

Riverside lab’s video receives honorable mention in International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge

A video produced by the lab of Zhenbiao Yang, a professor of cell biology at the University of California, Riverside, has received an honorable mention in a challenge - the highly acclaimed International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge - given by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the journal Science.

10 Feb 2014

Researchers to highlight biomedical breakthroughs, new discoveries at Biophysical Society Meeting

Ask a question about how the human immune system fights a tropical disease, or how viruses like HIV use genetic tricks to resist drugs, or how plant cells capture light, or how Alzheimer's takes hold in the brain, or how we can better fight diseases like cancer, or why some sperm cells are fertile while others are not, and you may have to narrow your gaze to the nanoscale to find answers.

10 Feb 2014

Optogenetics technique allows scientists to control neurons' electrical activity

Optogenetics is a technique that allows scientists to control neurons' electrical activity with light by engineering them to express light-sensitive proteins. Within the past decade, it has become a very powerful tool for discovering the functions of different types of cells in the brain.

10 Feb 2014

Researchers examine link between gender and genetic disorder

A genetic disorder that affects about 1 in every 2,500 births can cause a bewildering array of clinical problems, including brain tumors, impaired vision, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, heart defects and bone deformities. The symptoms and their severity vary among patients affected by this condition, known as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).

9 Feb 2014

Prions and their shadow proteins: an interview with Dr Jiri Safar, Co-Director of the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center

The prion diseases were originally discovered by Dr Gajdusek and Dr Gibbs. The first disease discovered was Kuru, which was affecting native tribes in the Papua New Guinea highlands in the 1950s.

9 Feb 2014

New study provides important understanding of what drives appetite

While the function of eating is to nourish the body, this is not what actually compels us to seek out food. Instead, it is hunger, with its stomach-growling sensations and gnawing pangs that propels us to the refrigerator - or the deli or the vending machine. Although hunger is essential for survival, abnormal hunger can lead to obesity and eating disorders, widespread problems now reaching near-epidemic proportions around the world.

9 Feb 2014

BGSU's Olivucci leverages OSC systems to study retina's melanopsin pigment

Researchers have found that the melanopsin pigment in the eye is potentially more sensitive to light than its more famous counterpart, rhodopsin, the pigment that allows for night vision.

9 Feb 2014

Researchers identify protein that promotes growth of brain cells damaged by MS

Vittorio Gallo, PhD, Director of the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children's National Health System, and other researchers have found a "potentially novel therapeutic target" to reduce the rate of deterioration and to promote growth of brain cells damaged by multiple sclerosis (MS). Current therapies can be effective in patients with relapsing MS, but have little impact in promoting tissue growth.

9 Feb 2014

Infection contributes to higher risk of stroke death among blacks

Infection is a stronger trigger of stroke death in African- Americans than in whites, a University of Michigan study shows.

9 Feb 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Drug used for treating breast cancer also kills fungal disease

TGen study reveals genetic origins of breast cancer that spreads to brain

Transcendental meditation technique shows significant reduction in PTSD in just 10 days

Going on a double date may be more effective at reigniting passion in own relationship, says study

Long-distance signaling molecules tell brain to produce anti-viral interferon

Caution against over-intensive BP control in diabetes patients

UCLA researchers awarded $6M grant to explore new therapies for spinal-cord injuries

New research aims for better monitoring, treatment for chronic kidney disease

Pancreatic stellate cells help pancreatic cancer grow and spread in cell hijack method

Targacept completes patient recruitment in TC-5214 Phase 2b study for treatment of overactive bladder

e-Therapeutics initiates Phase I clinical trial with oral formulation of ETS2101 anti-cancer compound

Riverside lab’s video receives honorable mention in International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge

Researchers to highlight biomedical breakthroughs, new discoveries at Biophysical Society Meeting

Optogenetics technique allows scientists to control neurons' electrical activity

Researchers examine link between gender and genetic disorder

Prions and their shadow proteins: an interview with Dr Jiri Safar, Co-Director of the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center

New study provides important understanding of what drives appetite

BGSU's Olivucci leverages OSC systems to study retina's melanopsin pigment

Researchers identify protein that promotes growth of brain cells damaged by MS

Infection contributes to higher risk of stroke death among blacks

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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