Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Research findings suggest possible novel strategies to prevent SUDEP

Patients with epilepsy and, in particular, those with severe syndromic forms of the disorder, harbor a risk of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy, or SUDEP. Cardiac arrhythmias are a proposed cause. In a test of this theory, researchers have demonstrated that mice harboring a human SCN1A gene mutation that results in Dravet Syndrome, a severe and intractable genetic epilepsy, have electrical disturbances in the heart that culminate in ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death.

9 Dec 2013

Prolonged febrile seizures can affect pediatric patients

A long-standing hypothesis holds that prolonged febrile (fever induced) seizures, the most common form of childhood convulsive status epilepticus, cause mesial temporal sclerosis. CSE is a single seizure, or two or more seizures between which consciousness is not regained, lasting for more than 30 minutes.

9 Dec 2013

NIST develops prototype calibration tools for experimental medical imaging technique

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed prototype calibration tools for an experimental medical imaging technique that offers new advantages in diagnosing and monitoring of certain cancers and possibly other medical conditions.

9 Dec 2013

MRI-guided SLA surgery proves safe and shows adequate efficacy for seizure control

MRI-Guided Stereotactic Laser Ablation of the hippocampus to control seizures in people with temporal lobe epilepsy may result in seizure control that approaches that from anterior temporal lobectory or selective amygdalohippocampectomy and better cognitive outcomes than any of the standard open resections, according to a study presented at the American Epilepsy Society's 67th Annual Meeting in Washington DC.

9 Dec 2013

Majority of epilepsy surgery patients satisfied with results in improving psychological and social well-being

The majority of epilepsy patients who have brain surgery to treat their disorder are satisfied with the results in reducing epilepsy-related seizures and improving their psychological and social well-being.

9 Dec 2013

Study demonstrates safety and efficacy of NeuroPace RNS System in adults with intractable seizures

Researchers present the findings from a 2-year multicenter randomized double blinded controlled clinical study and a 7 year long-term treatment study of the NeuroPace RNS System at the American Epilepsy Society's 67th Annual Meeting.

9 Dec 2013

Research roundup: 'Substantial' Medicare savings from avoiding ERs; new ways for primary care; trends in kids' fast food consumption

Some Medicare beneficiaries who place 911 calls to request an ambulance might safely be cared for in settings other than the emergency department at lower cost. Using 2005–09 Medicare claims data and a validated algorithm, we estimated that 12.9–16.2 percent of Medicare-covered 911 emergency medical services transports involved conditions that were probably nonemergent or primary care treatable.

9 Dec 2013

Underlying loss of awareness during partial seizures is same as deep sleep

Epilepsy patients with complex partial seizures have impaired consciousness during seizure episodes and typically have no memory of the event. However, the mechanisms of seizure unconsciousness are unclear.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers find how olfactory receptor variation impacts human odor perception

According to Gertrude Stein, "A rose is a rose is a rose," but new research indicates that might not be the case when it comes to the rose's scent. Researchers from the Monell Center and collaborating institutions have found that as much as 30 percent of the large array of human olfactory receptor differs between any two individuals. This substantial variation is in turn reflected by variability in how each person perceives odors.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers investigate effect of epilepsy surgery on patients lives

Resective surgery is an effective treatment for dug-resistant epilepsy. To investigate the effect of epilepsy surgery on patients lives, researchers from the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit conducted a long-term retrospective follow up of surgical patients and correlated post-surgical psychosocial outcomes with seizure outcome and brain area surgically treated.

9 Dec 2013

Increased levels of protein HSET linked with worse breast cancer outcomes in African-Americans

Among African-American women with breast cancer, increased levels of the protein HSET were associated with worse breast cancer outcomes, according to results presented here at the Sixth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Dec. 6-9.

9 Dec 2013

Bonn researchers use reprogrammed neurons for drug testing in Alzheimer patients

Why do certain Alzheimer medications work in animal models but not in clinical trials in humans? A research team from the University of Bonn and the biomedical enterprise LIFE & BRAIN GmbH has been able to show that results of established test methods with animal models and cell lines used up until now can hardly be translated to the processes in the human brain.

9 Dec 2013

Scientists receive 2013 Horwitz Prize for discoveries on how brain calculates location, navigation

Edvard and May-Britt Moser of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and John O'Keefe, from University College London have been awarded the 2013 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for discoveries that have illuminated how the brain calculates location and navigation.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers identify mechanism implicated in brain cancer and drug that decreases brain tumor growth

Researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) have made a discovery that could lead to better treatment for patients suffering from brain cancer.

9 Dec 2013

NIH scientists film early concussion damage and describe brain's response to injury

There is more than meets the eye following even a mild traumatic brain injury. While the brain may appear to be intact, new findings reported in Nature suggest that the brain's protective coverings may feel the brunt of the impact.

9 Dec 2013

Scientists recommend testing for Pearson syndrome in patients with congenital anemia

Some babies diagnosed with and treated for a bone marrow failure disorder, called Diamond Blackfan Anemia, may actually be affected by a very rare anemia syndrome that has a different disease course and treatment, say scientists from Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

8 Dec 2013

PKM2 protein controls mitosis, saving cancer cells from death and promoting brain tumor growth

Researchers have caught a protein they previously implicated in a variety of cancer-promoting roles performing a vital function in cell division, survival and development of brain tumors.

8 Dec 2013

Researchers may have figured out ways to attack Meniere's disease

Researchers at University of Colorado School of Medicine may have figured out what causes Meniere's disease and how to attack it. According to Carol Foster, MD, from the department of otolaryngology and Robert Breeze, MD, a neurosurgeon, there is a strong association between Meniere's disease and conditions involving temporary low blood flow in the brain such as migraine headaches.

7 Dec 2013

New guide offers employers online and interactive toolkit to help support employees with cancer

A new guide developed by The National Business Group on Health and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network offers employers an online and interactive toolkit to help address the growing impact of cancer in the workplace.

6 Dec 2013

Brain network disruption crosses psychosis diagnostic boundaries

Disruption of cortical information processing occurs in patients with psychosis regardless of whether they have a psychotic or affective diagnosis, research shows.

6 Dec 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Research findings suggest possible novel strategies to prevent SUDEP

Prolonged febrile seizures can affect pediatric patients

NIST develops prototype calibration tools for experimental medical imaging technique

MRI-guided SLA surgery proves safe and shows adequate efficacy for seizure control

Majority of epilepsy surgery patients satisfied with results in improving psychological and social well-being

Study demonstrates safety and efficacy of NeuroPace RNS System in adults with intractable seizures

Research roundup: 'Substantial' Medicare savings from avoiding ERs; new ways for primary care; trends in kids' fast food consumption

Underlying loss of awareness during partial seizures is same as deep sleep

Researchers find how olfactory receptor variation impacts human odor perception

Researchers investigate effect of epilepsy surgery on patients lives

Increased levels of protein HSET linked with worse breast cancer outcomes in African-Americans

Bonn researchers use reprogrammed neurons for drug testing in Alzheimer patients

Scientists receive 2013 Horwitz Prize for discoveries on how brain calculates location, navigation

Researchers identify mechanism implicated in brain cancer and drug that decreases brain tumor growth

NIH scientists film early concussion damage and describe brain's response to injury

Scientists recommend testing for Pearson syndrome in patients with congenital anemia

PKM2 protein controls mitosis, saving cancer cells from death and promoting brain tumor growth

Researchers may have figured out ways to attack Meniere's disease

New guide offers employers online and interactive toolkit to help support employees with cancer

Brain network disruption crosses psychosis diagnostic boundaries

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

Latest News