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.

Alexion Pharma's replacement therapy gets FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for MoCD Type A

Alexion Pharma International Sàrl, a subsidiary of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a Breakthrough Therapy designation to cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate (cPMP, or ALXN1101), an enzyme co-factor replacement therapy for the treatment of patients with molybdenum cofactor deficiency type A, a severe and life-threatening, ultra-rare, genetic metabolic disorder that causes catastrophic and irreversible neurologic damage within the first weeks of life.

24 Oct 2013

Type 1 diabetes modifies communication between central nervous system and bone marrow

A new University of Sydney study has found that having Type 1 diabetes alters the normal communication between the human central nervous system and bone marrow, causing inflammatory effects and further disease.

24 Oct 2013

LCSB researchers publish current knowledge about the genetic, molecular causes of PD

Parkinson's disease continues to puzzle physicians and biologists alike - even though it is well-established that symptoms like muscle tremors, rigidity, and, during the final stages, immobility can all be traced back to the death of a certain type of brain cell called a dopaminergic neuron. The underlying cause of this cellular death is a complex web of interrelated genetic molecular processes as well as external factors, most of the details of which are well-known. But how the various factors correlate and influence each other continues to elude the scientific community.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers discover potential method to identify TBI using positron PET scans

Accurately diagnosing traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and concussions is difficult, as standard CT or MRI scans can't see most changes to the brain caused by these injuries.

24 Oct 2013

Study shows plant sterols appear to prevent onset of Alzheimer's disease

It's no secret that many of the phytochemicals in fruit and vegetables have a positive effect on our health. For instance, plant sterols (also known as phytosterols) help to lower cholesterol levels. According to a new study by researchers at Saarland University, they also appear to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

24 Oct 2013

CDC and NIH collaborate to create Sudden Death in Young Registry

A registry of deaths in young people from conditions such as heart disease and epilepsy is being created to help researchers define the scope of the problem and set future research priorities. The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are collaborating to create the Sudden Death in the Young Registry.

24 Oct 2013

New Centre for Stratified Medicine opened in Ireland

The University of Ulster has opened a new Centre for Stratified Medicine. The only Centre of its kind in Ireland, £11.5m research facility in Derry~Londonderry puts the University at the forefront of medical research into chronic degenerative diseases.

24 Oct 2013

Neuropsychoanalysis Association to host conference on depression

The Neuropsychoanalysis Association is hosting a conference for researchers and clinicians on depression, "Towards a Real Understanding of Depression: Lessons from the Treatment Battlefeld and New Research," on Friday, November 1, 2013 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, The Bonnie and Kenneth Davis Auditorium, 1470 Madison Avenue (between 101st and 102nd Streets) in New York City.

24 Oct 2013

Scientists find disparities in regulation of transposons between humans and non-human primate cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have, for the first time, taken chimpanzee and bonobo skin cells and turned them into induced pluripotent stem cells, a type of cell that has the ability to form any other cell or tissue in the body.

24 Oct 2013

Older people with diabetes more likely to develop cognitive deterioration and Alzheimer's disease

Diabetes and dementia are rising dramatically in the United States and worldwide. In the last few years, epidemiological data has accrued showing that older people with diabetes are significantly more likely to develop cognitive deterioration and increased susceptibility to onset of dementia related to Alzheimer's disease.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers reveal why sleep deprivation increases risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes

The fact that sleep deprivation has an impact on the function of the human immune system is well known. In their latest study, the University of Helsinki research group Sleep Team has now discovered new biological links between sleep loss and the immune system. The results provide at least a partial explanation of why sleep deprivation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

24 Oct 2013

People with higher blood sugar levels more likely to have memory problems

Even for people who don't have diabetes or high blood sugar, those with higher blood sugar levels are more likely to have memory problems, according to a new study published in the October 23, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Oct 2013

UTHealth researchers investigate clot-buster for children with acute ischemic stroke

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are part of a multi-center, international study investigating the safety and best dosage of a clot-buster for children with acute ischemic stroke.

24 Oct 2013

Case Western oral pain expert encourages people with persistent mouth pain to check for BMS

Oral pain that feels like a scalded mouth and can last for months has baffled dental researchers since the 1970s, when burning oral sensations were linked to mucosal, periodontal, and restorative disorders and mental or emotional causes.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers describe why current medications only moderately reduce Fragile X symptoms

When you experience something, neurons in the brain send chemical signals called neurotransmitters across synapses to receptors on other neurons. How well that process unfolds determines how you comprehend the experience and what behaviors might follow. In people with Fragile X syndrome, a third of whom are eventually diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, that process is severely hindered, leading to intellectual impairments and abnormal behaviors.

24 Oct 2013

Specific antibody patterns predict schizophrenia risk

The presence of antibodies to multiple foods and infectious agents is a risk marker for new-onset schizophrenia, a case-control study suggests.

23 Oct 2013

Scientists to converge at nation's first conference on computational psychiatry

More than 70 scientists from around the world and from a range of intellectual traditions will convene in Miami this week for what is believed to be the nation's first conference on computational psychiatry, an emerging field in neuroscience.

23 Oct 2013

Newly discovered proteins in spinal fluid can serve as markers for Alzheimer's disease

23 Oct 2013

Researchers uncover mechanism for improving song learning in juvenile zebra finches

Most songbirds learn their songs from an adult model, mostly from the father. However, there are relatively large differences in the accuracy how these songs are copied.

23 Oct 2013

New technological approach may help improve stem cell-based neurodegenerative diseases

An international research group has successfully tested the use of a new type of porous material for the efficient delivery of key molecules to transplanted cells derived from stem cells. These results can lead to improvements in the way stem cell-based neurodegenerative diseases are treated.

23 Oct 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Alexion Pharma's replacement therapy gets FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for MoCD Type A

Type 1 diabetes modifies communication between central nervous system and bone marrow

LCSB researchers publish current knowledge about the genetic, molecular causes of PD

Researchers discover potential method to identify TBI using positron PET scans

Study shows plant sterols appear to prevent onset of Alzheimer's disease

CDC and NIH collaborate to create Sudden Death in Young Registry

New Centre for Stratified Medicine opened in Ireland

Neuropsychoanalysis Association to host conference on depression

Scientists find disparities in regulation of transposons between humans and non-human primate cells

Older people with diabetes more likely to develop cognitive deterioration and Alzheimer's disease

Researchers reveal why sleep deprivation increases risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes

People with higher blood sugar levels more likely to have memory problems

UTHealth researchers investigate clot-buster for children with acute ischemic stroke

Case Western oral pain expert encourages people with persistent mouth pain to check for BMS

Researchers describe why current medications only moderately reduce Fragile X symptoms

Specific antibody patterns predict schizophrenia risk

Scientists to converge at nation's first conference on computational psychiatry

Newly discovered proteins in spinal fluid can serve as markers for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers uncover mechanism for improving song learning in juvenile zebra finches

New technological approach may help improve stem cell-based neurodegenerative diseases

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st 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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