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.

Biologists discover how nerve cells recycle tiny vesicles

University of Utah and German biologists discovered how nerve cells recycle tiny bubbles or "vesicles" that send chemical nerve signals from one cell to the next. The process is much faster and different than two previously proposed mechanisms for recycling the bubbles.

5 Dec 2013

St. Jude Medical evaluates effectiveness of PNfS and SCS for chronic low back and leg pain

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, has launched a clinical study to evaluate the combination of peripheral nerve field stimulation, and spinal cord stimulation, to determine whether the two therapies together offer more effective management of chronic low back and leg pain than SCS alone. The first patient in the SENSE Subcutaneous and Epidural Neuromodulation System Evaluation study was enrolled by Dr. Thomas Yearwood, an interventional pain physician at Comprehensive Pain & Rehabilitation in Pascagoula, Miss.

5 Dec 2013

Neurosurgery in Parkinson's disease: Social adjustment, quality of life and coping strategies

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation can significantly improve the motor features of the Parkinson's disease in carefully selected patients. However, effects of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on the social adjustment, coping strategies and mental health-related quality of life of these patients remain unclear.

5 Dec 2013

Researchers present new method of wirelessly recharging medical device batteries with ultrasound

Human beings don't come with power sockets, but a growing numbers of us have medical implants that run off electricity. To keep our bionic body parts from powering down, a group of Arizona researchers is developing a safe, noninvasive, and efficient means of wireless power transmission through body tissue.

5 Dec 2013

Tongue twisters can open windows into the brain's speech-planning processes

Tongue twisters are not just fun to say; it turns out that these sound-related slip-ups can also open windows into the brain's speech-planning processes. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will report new insights gleaned from a comparison of two types of tongue twisters at the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), held Dec. 2-6, 2013, in San Francisco, Calif

5 Dec 2013

TB vaccine may help prevent multiple sclerosis

A vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis in other parts of the world may help prevent multiple sclerosis in people who show the beginning signs of the disease, according to a new study published in the December 4, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

5 Dec 2013

Stomach circadian clock limits food intake to specific times of day

University of Adelaide researchers have discovered the first evidence that the nerves in the stomach act as a circadian clock, limiting food intake to specific times of the day.

5 Dec 2013

Scientists receive $4M grant to identify biomarker for secondary injuries associated with brain

In an effort to lower medical costs, identify patients at risk for injury, and speed patient recovery, scientists will attempt to identify a molecular signal that indicates severity of brain-injury during a $4 million, five-year federal grant to Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix Children's Hospital and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

5 Dec 2013

Research highlights value of fathers in both neurobiology and behavior of offspring

Even with today's technology, it still takes both a male and a female to make a baby. But is it important for both parents to raise that child? Many studies have outlined the value of a mother, but few have clearly defined the importance of a father, until now.

5 Dec 2013

Blocking Cdh1 protein could accelerate development of new therapies targeting cancer

The laboratory of Marcos Malumbres, who is head of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre's (CNIO) Cell Division & Cancer Group, working alongside Isabel Fari-as' team from the University of Valencia, shows, in a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, how in mice the elimination of the Cdh1 protein -a sub-unit of the APC/C complex, involved in the control of cell division-prevents cellular proliferation of rapidly dividing cells.

5 Dec 2013

Researchers discover how PC7 protein affects certain types of cognitive performance

A team of Montr-al researchers at the IRCM led by Dr. Nabil G. Seidah, in collaboration with Dr. William C. Wetsel's team at Duke University in the United States, discovered that the protein PC7 plays a critical role in the brain by affecting certain types of cognitive performance such as anxiety, learning and emotional memory. Their results, recently published in the scientific journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and Nature, could have a significant impact on regulating behaviour related to anxiety disorders and trauma.

4 Dec 2013

Depression during pregnancy may affect child's mental health

Depression is a serious mental illness that has many negative consequences for sufferers. But depression among pregnant women may also have an impact on their developing babies.

4 Dec 2013

Diversity essential for brain's ability to localize sounds

The ability to localize the source of sound is important for navigating the world and for listening in noisy environments like restaurants, an action that is particularly difficult for elderly or hearing impaired people.

4 Dec 2013

Researchers analyze protective effects of mild hypothermia on CNS injuries

There are few data on the effectiveness and mechanism underlying mild hypothermia in the treatment of central nervous system injuries. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the potentially beneficial effects of mild hypothermia on central nervous system injuries.

4 Dec 2013

Philanthropist pledges $5M to fund new endowed chair in Alzheimer's disease research at Keck School

Los Angeles residents Selim Zilkha and Mary Hayley are raising the stakes in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot currently be prevented, cured or slowed.

4 Dec 2013

Western University research points to promising avenue for PTSD treatment

Pioneering research conducted at Western University (London, Canada) points to a promising avenue for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: utilising neurofeedback training to alter the plasticity of brain networks linked to the condition.

4 Dec 2013

Missing inhibitory connection in brain can trigger social phobias

Fear, at the right level, can increase alertness and protect against dangers. Disproportionate fear, on the other hand, can disrupt the sensory perception, be disabling, reduce happiness and therefore become a danger in itself.

4 Dec 2013

Combining neuroimaging and neuropsychology improves detection of Alzheimer's disease

By combining brain imaging analysis with a neuropsychological assessment, Sylvie Belleville achieved remarkable sensitivity and specificity. The level of accuracy of this classification system is the major breakthrough of the study. "When used individually, neuroimaging and neuropsychology are effective but only up to a certain point. It is when combining and analyzing the results from both methods that we could achieve such an exceptional level of accuracy," explained Sylvie Belleville.

4 Dec 2013

Researchers take important step towards development of future drugs for brain diseases

A successful joint collaboration between researchers at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem and the startup company TyrNovo may lead to a potential treatment of brain diseases. The researchers found that TyrNovo's novel and unique compound, named NT219, selectively inhibits the process of aging in order to protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases, without affecting lifespan. This is a first and important step towards the development of future drugs for the treatment of various neurodegenerative maladies.

4 Dec 2013

Research: Omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross blood brain barrier in Alzheimer's patients

New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross the blood brain barrier in people with Alzheimer's disease, affecting known markers for both the disease itself and inflammation.

4 Dec 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Biologists discover how nerve cells recycle tiny vesicles

St. Jude Medical evaluates effectiveness of PNfS and SCS for chronic low back and leg pain

Neurosurgery in Parkinson's disease: Social adjustment, quality of life and coping strategies

Researchers present new method of wirelessly recharging medical device batteries with ultrasound

Tongue twisters can open windows into the brain's speech-planning processes

TB vaccine may help prevent multiple sclerosis

Stomach circadian clock limits food intake to specific times of day

Scientists receive $4M grant to identify biomarker for secondary injuries associated with brain

Research highlights value of fathers in both neurobiology and behavior of offspring

Blocking Cdh1 protein could accelerate development of new therapies targeting cancer

Researchers discover how PC7 protein affects certain types of cognitive performance

Depression during pregnancy may affect child's mental health

Diversity essential for brain's ability to localize sounds

Researchers analyze protective effects of mild hypothermia on CNS injuries

Philanthropist pledges $5M to fund new endowed chair in Alzheimer's disease research at Keck School

Western University research points to promising avenue for PTSD treatment

Missing inhibitory connection in brain can trigger social phobias

Combining neuroimaging and neuropsychology improves detection of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers take important step towards development of future drugs for brain diseases

Research: Omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross blood brain barrier in Alzheimer's patients

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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