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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.

Left-handers more likely to suffer from psychotic disorders

Researchers have long studied the connections between hand dominance and different aspects of the human brain. A new study out today in SAGE Open finds that among those with mental illnesses, left-handers are more likely to suffer from psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia than mood disorders.

31 Oct 2013

Rat study shows compulsive gambling behaviours can be reduced in humans

With the help of a rat casino, University of British Columbia brain researchers have successfully reduced behaviours in rats that are commonly associated with compulsive gambling in humans.

31 Oct 2013

Dendrites multiply the brain's computing power

Dendrites, the branch-like projections of neurons, were once thought to be passive wiring in the brain. But now researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that these dendrites do more than relay information from one neuron to the next.

31 Oct 2013

Websites targeting veterans fail to provide information about risks of tobacco products

Studies have shown that U.S. military veterans smoke at a higher rate than civilians. Websites targeting veterans, however, fail to provide information about the risks of tobacco products and how to quit smoking, finds a new report in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

31 Oct 2013

Researchers highlight presence of specific antibodies that regulate appetite in obese patients

Obesity affects more than 15% of adults in France, and its constitutive mechanisms are still not completely explained. Normally, fine control of weight and food intake is coordinated by a specialised part of the brain (the hypothalamus).

31 Oct 2013

Researchers find more accurate method to screen for meningococcal infection

Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found a more accurate method to screen for bacterial meningococcal infection in its early stages, when it's hardest to detect. According to the researchers, the method for diagnosis could save lives by getting patients treatment earlier, when the infection is most treatable.

31 Oct 2013

Neuroscientist receives $1.7M NIH grant to continue groundbreaking visual perception research

A University of California, Riverside neuroscientist has been awarded a five-year, $1.7 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to continue groundbreaking research that may lead to new therapies for individuals with amblyopia (lazy eye), dry macular degeneration and cataracts.

31 Oct 2013

Scientists develop new therapeutic approach for treatment of type 2 diabetes

Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen and the Technische Universitaet Muenchen, together with scientists in the USA, have developed a new therapeutic approach for treatment of Type 2 diabetes. A novel single molecule hormone, which acts equally on the receptors of the insulin-stimulating hormones GLP-1 and GIP, was observed to reduce weight and improve blood sugar.

31 Oct 2013

Reduced SMG1 protein expression may contribute to neurological disorders

The absence of a protein called SMG1 could be a contributing factor in the development of Parkinson's disease and other related neurological disorders, according to a study led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

31 Oct 2013

Brain aging extends beyond schizophrenia

Accelerated brain aging may be a common feature of psychiatric disorders, say researchers.

30 Oct 2013

EZH2 protein may aid prognostication in resected NSCLC

A protein called “enhancer of zeste homolog-2” is frequently expressed in non-small-cell lung cancer and may have prognostic value following surgical resection, US researchers believe.

30 Oct 2013

Multidisciplinary team tests innovative heart failure therapy in global clinical trials

A multidisciplinary team of experts in heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, and neurosurgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital are now testing nerve stimulation in the neck as a novel therapy for heart failure patients to potentially help relieve their debilitating symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart arrhythmias, while reducing their hospitalizations.

30 Oct 2013

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor may inhibit glucose intolerance after cerebral ischemia

Interestingly, a recent study found that ischemic stress causes hyperglycemia and may worsen ischemic neuronal damage. In addition, decreased insulin sensitivity after ischemic stress seems to be involved in the development of post-ischemic glucose intolerance.

30 Oct 2013

Study suggests neural stem cells have tendency for malignant transformation

Although it is believed that glioma is derived from brain tumor stem cells, the source and molecular signal pathways of these cells are still unclear.

30 Oct 2013

Cvrx closes additional $12 million under its Series F financing

CVRx, Inc., a privately held medical device company, has closed on an additional $12 million under its Series F financing. This brings the total raised in the Series F financing to $42 million.

30 Oct 2013

NIH selects two leading researchers to chair panels at geroscience symposium

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has chosen two leading aging researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University to chair panels at the first symposium on "geroscience"-the study of how aging influences the onset of chronic diseases.

30 Oct 2013

USCB acquires ReMed Recovery Care Centers

US Community Behavioral, LLC ("USCB"), a leading multi-state provider of community-based residential and behavioral services, announced it has acquired ReMed Recovery Care Centers, LLC, a highly regarded provider of brain injury rehabilitation services based in Pennsylvania.

30 Oct 2013