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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.

Genzyme granted Priority Review for Cerdelga investigational oral therapy for Gaucher disease

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a six-month Priority Review designation to its New Drug Application (NDA) for Cerdelga™ (eliglustat), an investigational oral therapy for adult patients with Gaucher disease type 1.

11 Dec 2013

UTHealth starts clinical trial to study two forms of stem cell treatments for children with CP

A first-of-its-kind clinical trial studying two forms of stem cell treatments for children with cerebral palsy has begun at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School.

10 Dec 2013

Biosimulation and epilepsy treatments: an interview with Dr. Serge Bischoff, CEO of Rhenovia and RHENEPI program director

The need for biosimulation is primarily to do with the very high attrition rate in drug development and especially in the development of drugs for the central nervous system.

10 Dec 2013

Researchers use popular music to help severely brain-injured patients recall personal memories

In the first study of its kind, two researchers have used popular music to help severely brain-injured patients recall personal memories. Amee Baird and Séverine Samson outline the results and conclusions of their pioneering research in the recent issue of the journal Neuropsychological Rehabilitation.

10 Dec 2013

Studies expose high prevalence of epilepsy and other neurological disorders in US Veterans

Three studies coming out of the American Epilepsy Society's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington DC expose the high prevalence of epilepsy and other neurological disorders in US Veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The research conducted from these studies indicate that veterans are at a particularly high risk for traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, psychological non-epileptic seizures and epileptic seizure diagnoses.

10 Dec 2013

Private contractors who worked in conflict environments struggle from depression, PTSD

Private contractors who worked in Iraq, Afghanistan or other conflict environments over the past two years report suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression more often than military personnel who served in recent conflicts, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

10 Dec 2013

Concussive brain injuries can lead to depressive behaviors later in life

A head injury can lead immune-system brain cells to go on "high alert" and overreact to later immune challenges by becoming excessively inflammatory - a condition linked with depressive complications, a new animal study suggests.

10 Dec 2013

Athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions

A new study shows that high school athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions than those closer to sea-level, a phenomenon attributed to physiological changes in the brain causing it to fit more tightly in the skull.

9 Dec 2013

RTMS safe and effective for hallucination in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation uses a non-invasive and relatively painless tool to stimulate the human brain in vivo using very strong, pulsed magnetic fields. It is also used to explore and elucidate neocortical functions and treat neuropsychiatric disorders.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers develop new technique to cure human diseases caused by misfolded protein molecules

A team led by a longtime Oregon Health & Science University researcher has demonstrated in mice what could be a revolutionary new technique to cure a wide range of human diseases - from cystic fibrosis to cataracts to Alzheimer's disease - that are caused by "misfolded" protein molecules.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers evaluate effect of zinc supplementation on aluminum-induced neurotoxicity

Studies have shown that aluminum neurotoxicity can likely affect learning and memory function, and a diet containing 100-200 mg/kg zinc is adequate for maintaining learning and memory function in rats.

9 Dec 2013

Shifts in zinc's location could be exploited for early diagnosis of prostate cancer

Zinc, an essential nutrient, is found in every tissue in the body. The vast majority of the metal ion is tightly bound to proteins, helping them to perform biological reactions. Tiny amounts of zinc, however, are only loosely bound, or "mobile," and thought to be critical for proper function in organs such as the brain, pancreas, and prostate gland. Yet the exact roles the ion plays in biological systems are unknown.

9 Dec 2013

Study offers new insight into benefits of vitamin D in people with multiple sclerosis

In mice with a rodent form of multiple sclerosis (MS), vitamin D appears to block damage-causing immune cells from migrating to the central nervous system, offering a potential explanation for why the so-called "sunshine vitamin" may prevent or ease symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease, according to results of a study at Johns Hopkins.

9 Dec 2013

ART safe and effective for treating combat-related symptoms of PTSD among veterans

Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART, is a brief, safe, and effective treatment for combat-related symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans and U.S. service members, researchers at University of South Florida College of Nursing report in a new study. They found this newer treatment -- a combination of evidence-based psychotherapies and use of eye movements -- was shorter and more likely to be completed, than conventional therapies formally endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration.

9 Dec 2013

New computational model explains how brain maintains balance between plasticity, stability

To learn new motor skills, the brain must be plastic: able to rapidly change the strengths of connections between neurons, forming new patterns that accomplish a particular task. However, if the brain were too plastic, previously learned skills would be lost too easily.

9 Dec 2013

TAU researchers discover gene that may predict human responses to specific antidepressants

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, but they don't work for everyone. What's more, patients must often try several different SSRI medications, each with a different set of side effects, before finding one that is effective.

9 Dec 2013

Research explores epigenetic effects that contribute to psychiatric disorders in offspring

Advanced paternal age has been associated with greater risk for psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. With an increase in paternal age, there is a greater frequency of certain types of mutations that contribute to these disorders in offspring.

9 Dec 2013

Prana completes treatment phase of IMAGINE Alzheimer’s Disease clinical trial

Prana Biotechnology, a developer of best-in-class treatments for neurodegenerative disease, today announced the completion of the treatment phase of its IMAGINE Alzheimer’s Disease clinical trial.

9 Dec 2013

New form of gene therapy shows promising outcomes for "bubble boy" disease

Researchers reported promising outcomes data for the first group of boys with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID-X1), a fatal genetic immunodeficiency also known as "bubble boy" disease, who were treated as part of an international clinical study of a new form of gene therapy. The mechanism used to deliver the gene therapy is designed to prevent the serious complication of leukemia that arose a decade ago in a similar trial in Europe, when one-quarter of boys treated developed the blood cancer.

9 Dec 2013

Penn researchers identify protein that could clear Alzheimer's plaques

The body is structured to ensure that any invading organisms have a tough time reaching the brain, an organ obviously critical to survival. Known as the blood-brain barrier, cells that line the brain and spinal cord are tightly packed, making it difficult for anything besides very small molecules to cross from the bloodstream into the central nervous system. While beneficial, this blockade also stands in the way of delivering drugs intended to treat neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's.

9 Dec 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Genzyme granted Priority Review for Cerdelga investigational oral therapy for Gaucher disease

UTHealth starts clinical trial to study two forms of stem cell treatments for children with CP

Biosimulation and epilepsy treatments: an interview with Dr. Serge Bischoff, CEO of Rhenovia and RHENEPI program director

Researchers use popular music to help severely brain-injured patients recall personal memories

Studies expose high prevalence of epilepsy and other neurological disorders in US Veterans

Private contractors who worked in conflict environments struggle from depression, PTSD

Concussive brain injuries can lead to depressive behaviors later in life

Athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions

RTMS safe and effective for hallucination in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Researchers develop new technique to cure human diseases caused by misfolded protein molecules

Researchers evaluate effect of zinc supplementation on aluminum-induced neurotoxicity

Shifts in zinc's location could be exploited for early diagnosis of prostate cancer

Study offers new insight into benefits of vitamin D in people with multiple sclerosis

ART safe and effective for treating combat-related symptoms of PTSD among veterans

New computational model explains how brain maintains balance between plasticity, stability

TAU researchers discover gene that may predict human responses to specific antidepressants

Research explores epigenetic effects that contribute to psychiatric disorders in offspring

Prana completes treatment phase of IMAGINE Alzheimer’s Disease clinical trial

New form of gene therapy shows promising outcomes for "bubble boy" disease

Penn researchers identify protein that could clear Alzheimer's plaques

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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