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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.

Scientists use RNAi technology to reveal genes responsible for treating Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to reveal dozens of genes which may represent new therapeutic targets for treating Parkinson's disease. The findings also may be relevant to several diseases caused by damage to mitochondria, the biological power plants found in cells throughout the body.

24 Nov 2013

Steroid injections given before premature birth may increase child's mental health risks

Steroid injections given to pregnant women before premature birth may increase the child's risk of later behavioural and emotional difficulties, a study has found.

23 Nov 2013

Study suggests that attractive or unattractive faces can make time fly or drag

The common expression 'time flies when you're having fun' suggests that people's perception of duration is moderated by the impact of their emotions and the activities they are performing; in other words, emotions such as fear or sadness affect people's perception of time. Now, a study among female students suggests that visual stimuli, such as attractive or unattractive faces, can make time fly or drag.

22 Nov 2013

Study may shed light on neural regrowth in mammals after spinal cord injury

Fish, unlike humans, can regenerate nerve connections and recover normal mobility following an injury to their spinal cord. Now, University of Missouri researchers have discovered how the sea lamprey, an eel-like fish, regrows the neurons that comprise the long nerve "highways" that link the brain to the spinal cord.

22 Nov 2013

Scientists hope to find new treatments for traumatic brain injury

In the most wide-reaching project of its kind, scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch are expanding their research on traumatic brain injury, examining its progressive, chronic effects on the body in hopes of treating its immediate and long-term consequences. The project is funded by a three-year, $9 million grant from The Moody Foundation of Galveston.

22 Nov 2013

Inhibition of parvalbumin-expressing prefrontal interneurons triggers fear behaviours

Using an approach combining in vivo recordings and optogenetic manipulations in mice, the researchers succeeded in showing that the inhibition of parvalbumin-expressing prefrontal interneurons triggers a chain reaction resulting in fear behaviour. Conversely, activation of these parvalbumin interneurons significantly reduces fear responses in rodents.

22 Nov 2013

New targeted treatments for autism may be possible

Finding major new clues to the origins of autism, a Yale-led team of researchers has pinpointed which cell types and regions of the developing human brain are affected by gene mutations linked to autism. They report their findings in the Nov. 21 issue of the journal Cell.

22 Nov 2013

Studies link hundreds of gene mutations in the brain to increased autism risk

Pity the poor autism researcher. Recent studies have linked hundreds of gene mutations scattered throughout the brain to increased autism risk. Where do you start?

22 Nov 2013

Neurosurgeons use novel technique to visualize the brain's delicate anatomy prior to surgery

Neurosurgeons at UC San Diego Health System are using a new approach to visualize the brain's delicate anatomy prior to surgery. The novel technique allows neurosurgeons to see the brain's nerve connections thus preserving and protecting critical functions such as vision, speech and memory. No needles, dyes or chemicals are needed to create the radiology scan. The main imaging ingredient? Water.

22 Nov 2013

High knowledge about HIV and risky sexual activity does not make teens more likely to get tested for HIV

Having high knowledge about HIV and engaging in risky sexual activity do not make high-school-aged teens more likely to get tested for HIV. Those are the findings of a new study by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

22 Nov 2013

MEMREHAB Trial shows significant effect for cognitive rehabilitation in MS

Kessler Foundation researchers published the results of the MEMREHAB Trial in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, providing the first Class I evidence for the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis. The article, Chiaravalloti N, Moore NB, Nikelshpur OM, DeLuca D: An RCT to treat learning impairment in MS. Neurology 2013(81), was released as an epub ahead of print on November 8

22 Nov 2013

Study reveals how obesity alters our relationship to food

Obesity may alter the way we taste at the most fundamental level: by changing how our tongues react to different foods.

22 Nov 2013

Researchers identify a group of 39 genes linked with alcoholism

There is good evidence from studies of families and twins that genetics plays an important role in the development of alcoholism. However, hundreds of genes likely are involved in this complex disorder, with each variant contributing only a very small effect. Thus, identifying individual risk genes is difficult.

21 Nov 2013

Attractants prevent maturing nerve cells from migrating into brain

A vision is to implant nerve precursor cells in the diseased brains of patients with Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, whereby these cells are to assume the function of the cells that have died off.

21 Nov 2013

Study reveals benefits of bright light in treating anxiety

The bright light headset maker Valkee today announced the results of a new groundbreaking bright light study, showing statistically significant positive results in acutely alleviating anxiety symptoms. The world's first randomized, fully sham-controlled double blind trial of bright light treatment administered via ear canals brings sought-after new data to support the bright light studies carried out internationally since the 1980s.

21 Nov 2013

Kennedy Krieger Institute researchers find therapeutic benefits of virtual sailing

Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today the results of a pilot study demonstrating use of a virtual therapeutic sailing simulator as an important part of rehabilitation following a spinal cord injury. Published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, findings show that using a hands-on sailing simulator over a 12-week period helped participants safely learn sailing skills in a controlled environment, ultimately improving their quality of life by gaining the ability to participate in a recreational sport.

21 Nov 2013

Safest way to manage brain AVM is to treat patient's symptoms only

Patients with a condition that causes blood vessels in the brain to form an abnormal tangle could be helped by the findings of new research.

21 Nov 2013

Vagus nerve stimulation-tone therapy safe for treating tinnitus, say UT Dallas researchers

UT Dallas researchers have demonstrated that treating tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, using vagus nerve stimulation-tone therapy is safe and brought significant improvement to some of the participants in a small clinical trial.

21 Nov 2013

Cedars-Sinai study presents new insights into mechanisms underlying the symptoms of autism

In what are believed to be the first studies of their kind, Cedars-Sinai researchers recording the real-time firing of individual nerve cells in the brain found that a specific type of neuron in a structure called the amygdala performed differently in people who suffer from autism spectrum disorder than in those who do not.

21 Nov 2013

Henry Ford offers electric stimulation of brain using FDA-approved device for hard-to-treat epilepsy cases

Because of its participation in a pivotal trial, Henry Ford Hospital will be the first in Michigan to offer electric stimulation of the brain using a newly FDA-approved device for hard-to-treat epilepsy cases.

21 Nov 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists use RNAi technology to reveal genes responsible for treating Parkinson's disease

Steroid injections given before premature birth may increase child's mental health risks

Study suggests that attractive or unattractive faces can make time fly or drag

Study may shed light on neural regrowth in mammals after spinal cord injury

Scientists hope to find new treatments for traumatic brain injury

Inhibition of parvalbumin-expressing prefrontal interneurons triggers fear behaviours

New targeted treatments for autism may be possible

Studies link hundreds of gene mutations in the brain to increased autism risk

Neurosurgeons use novel technique to visualize the brain's delicate anatomy prior to surgery

High knowledge about HIV and risky sexual activity does not make teens more likely to get tested for HIV

MEMREHAB Trial shows significant effect for cognitive rehabilitation in MS

Study reveals how obesity alters our relationship to food

Researchers identify a group of 39 genes linked with alcoholism

Attractants prevent maturing nerve cells from migrating into brain

Study reveals benefits of bright light in treating anxiety

Kennedy Krieger Institute researchers find therapeutic benefits of virtual sailing

Safest way to manage brain AVM is to treat patient's symptoms only

Vagus nerve stimulation-tone therapy safe for treating tinnitus, say UT Dallas researchers

Cedars-Sinai study presents new insights into mechanisms underlying the symptoms of autism

Henry Ford offers electric stimulation of brain using FDA-approved device for hard-to-treat epilepsy cases

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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