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.

SHY hypothesis challenges theory that sleep strengthens brain connections

Why do animals ranging from fruit flies to humans all need to sleep? After all, sleep disconnects them from their environment, puts them at risk and keeps them from seeking food or mates for large parts of the day.

10 Jan 2014

Teens with a history of concussions more likely to suffer from depression

Teens with a history of concussions are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression as teens who have never had a concussion, finds a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

10 Jan 2014

Biologists discover new pathway for repairing nerve cells

Penn State University molecular biologists have discovered a brand-new pathway for repairing nerve cells that could have implications for faster and improved healing. The researchers describe their findings in a paper titled "Dendrite injury triggers DLK-independent regeneration," which will be published in the 30 January 2014 issue of the journal Cell Reports.

10 Jan 2014

Researchers discover key step to stem bleeding, reduce obstruction in blood flow during clot formation

Red blood cells are the body's true shape shifters, perhaps the most malleable of all cell types, transforming - among many other forms -- into compressed discs capable of going through capillaries with diameters smaller than the blood cell itself.

10 Jan 2014

New study gives hope for novel glioblastoma multiforme treatment

A new study is giving researchers hope that novel targeted therapies can be developed for glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and most aggressive form of brain cancer, after demonstrating for the first time that a gene known as melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syntenin (mda-9/syntenin) is a driving force behind the disease's aggressive and invasive nature.

9 Jan 2014

Study questions widely used method of diagnosing acute mountain sickness

A study led by University of British Columbia scientists calls into question a widely used method of diagnosing acute mountain sickness.

9 Jan 2014

Antipsychotic medication can actively combat cells of difficult-to-treat form of ALL

In a prime example of finding new uses for older drugs, studies in zebrafish show that a 50-year-old antipsychotic medication called perphenazine can actively combat the cells of a difficult-to-treat form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The drug works by turning on a cancer-suppressing enzyme called PP2A and causing malignant tumor cells to self-destruct.

9 Jan 2014

UCSB psychology professor finds that weight-stigmatizing messages may have the opposite effect

If you're one of the millions of people who count losing weight among their top New Year's resolutions, you might want to pay careful attention to some new findings by UC Santa Barbara psychology professor Brenda Major.

9 Jan 2014

Research findings suggest possible blood test to identify cancer-related DNA defects

Some surprising research findings from scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggest it's possible a simple blood test could be developed to determine whether gene mutations associated with pancreatic cancer exist without the need of locating and testing tumor tissue. This appears possible following the discovery that tiny particles the size of viruses called 'exosomes,' which are shed by cancer cells into the blood, contain the entire genetic blueprint of cancer cells. By decoding this genomic data and looking for deletions and mutations associated with cancer, the research team believes this discovery could be translated into a test that helps physicians detect cancer and treat patients.

9 Jan 2014

Globus Medical acquires Excelsius Surgical

Globus Medical, Inc., a leading musculoskeletal implant manufacturer, today announced that it has acquired Excelsius Surgical. Excelsius Surgical is developing a next generation surgical robotic positioning platform for spine, brain and therapeutic markets.

9 Jan 2014

Researchers use stem cells to study bone disorders from patients afflicted with genetic bone disease

Researchers have developed a new way to study bone disorders and bone growth, using stem cells from patients afflicted with a rare, genetic bone disease.

9 Jan 2014

Montreal researchers identifies two specific key players in growth of GBM

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and deadly form of primary malignant brain cancer accounting for approximately 15% of all brain tumours and occurring mostly in adults between the ages of 45 and 70.

9 Jan 2014

Weill Cornell Medical College received a $75M grant to expand, enhance cancer research, care programs

Weill Cornell Medical College announced today that it has received a $75 million gift from Sandra and Edward Meyer and the Sandra and Edward Meyer Foundation to expand and enhance the medical college's distinguished cancer research and care programs.

9 Jan 2014

Research: New target for treating Huntington's and Parkinson's disease

Research from Western University (London, Canada) has revealed a possible new target for treating movement disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease. Stephen Ferguson, PhD, a scientist at Western's Robarts Research Institute, and Fabiola Ribeiro, PhD, of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil found a definite improvement in motor behaviors in a HD mouse model when one of the major neurotransmitters in the brain, called Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 (mGluR5) was deleted.

9 Jan 2014

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals initiates RX-3117 Phase Ib trial in cancer patients with solid tumors

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today the initiation of a Phase Ib clinical trial to study the safety and efficacy of RX-3117 in cancer patients with solid tumors.

9 Jan 2014

Study shows that anticoagulant medicine appears to protect patients against stroke

Heart palpitations. Shortness of breath. Tiredness. More and more people can recognise the symptoms of atrial fibrillation, which is one of the most common types of heart disease.

9 Jan 2014

NYSCF and ISMMS scientists successfully generate stem cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute in collaboration with scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai successfully generated a stem cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease.

8 Jan 2014

Epilepsy drug taken during pregnancy not linked with development problems for preschoolers

A new study finds that the epilepsy drug levetiracetam appears not to be associated with thinking, movement and language problems for preschool children born to mothers who took the drug during pregnancy, although the drug valproate was associated with some difficulties in preschoolers.

8 Jan 2014

Hebrew University research could lead to efficient and fast-acting antidepressant drugs

The World health Organization calls depression "the leading cause of disability worldwide," causing more years of disability than cancer, HIV/AIDS, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases combined.

8 Jan 2014

Nociceptin in brain naturally moderates effects of stress

Collaborating scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Camerino in Italy have published new findings on a system in the brain that naturally moderates the effects of stress.

8 Jan 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

SHY hypothesis challenges theory that sleep strengthens brain connections

Teens with a history of concussions more likely to suffer from depression

Biologists discover new pathway for repairing nerve cells

Researchers discover key step to stem bleeding, reduce obstruction in blood flow during clot formation

New study gives hope for novel glioblastoma multiforme treatment

Study questions widely used method of diagnosing acute mountain sickness

Antipsychotic medication can actively combat cells of difficult-to-treat form of ALL

UCSB psychology professor finds that weight-stigmatizing messages may have the opposite effect

Research findings suggest possible blood test to identify cancer-related DNA defects

Globus Medical acquires Excelsius Surgical

Researchers use stem cells to study bone disorders from patients afflicted with genetic bone disease

Montreal researchers identifies two specific key players in growth of GBM

Weill Cornell Medical College received a $75M grant to expand, enhance cancer research, care programs

Research: New target for treating Huntington's and Parkinson's disease

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals initiates RX-3117 Phase Ib trial in cancer patients with solid tumors

Study shows that anticoagulant medicine appears to protect patients against stroke

NYSCF and ISMMS scientists successfully generate stem cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease

Epilepsy drug taken during pregnancy not linked with development problems for preschoolers

Hebrew University research could lead to efficient and fast-acting antidepressant drugs

Nociceptin in brain naturally moderates effects of stress

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st 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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