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.

New preclinical approach can guide more efficient drug development for brain-related conditions

The development of drugs for brain-related conditions is not an efficient process; only 8% of candidate drugs that enter clinical trials gain FDA approval. A key reason for this low success rate is a lack of preclinical tests that accurately predict drug efficacy and detect unwanted side effects.

9 Aug 2011

Study shows how certain woodrats put themselves on diet to avoid poisoning

Life is tough for woodrats in deserts of the U.S. Southwest. There are few plants for food, and those plants produce poison to deter rodents, insects and other animals. A new University of Utah study shows how certain woodrats put themselves on a diet to avoid poisoning: They sample a smorgasbord of toxic plants, eat smaller meals, increase time between meals and drink more water if it is available.

9 Aug 2011

AFA to host National Brain Game Challenge on September 25

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) is calling on crossword buffs, novices up for a challenge and others in between to participate in its inaugural National Brain Game Challenge, an online game of skill created by one of the nation's most admired puzzle masters.

9 Aug 2011

Lexicon's second quarter revenues decrease 55% to $0.6 million

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated its drug development progress and reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011.

9 Aug 2011

NIH awards Jefferson $4.8M grant to study vaccine to clear rabies virus from central nervous system

Thomas Jefferson University received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) $4.8 million grant to test a new rabies vaccine with the potential to cure the virus infection, even after it has made its way into a person's central nervous system (CNS). Today, if an unvaccinated person is infected with rabies and it spreads to the brain, there is little chance for survival.

8 Aug 2011

American Shared Hospital Services first half 2011 revenues increase 4.0% to $8,573,000

AMERICAN SHARED HOSPITAL SERVICES, a leading provider of turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgical and radiation therapy services, today announced financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2011.

8 Aug 2011

Group Health study finds higher dementia risk with atrial fibrillation

The most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, is associated with a greater risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This discovery by scientists at Group Health Research Institute and their collaborators was published online in advance of print on August 1 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

8 Aug 2011

Masimo lifts voluntary product recall of Pronto-7 noninvasive finger sensor

Masimo announced today that it has lifted the voluntary product recall the company imposed on the noninvasive finger sensor of its Pronto-7 handheld device to improve the product's performance in low ambient temperatures. The Pronto-7 and new finger sensors are pending FDA 510(k) clearance in the U.S.

8 Aug 2011

Researchers discover gene variant linked to meningiomas

The causes of brain tumours have been hard to discern in most cases. But Umeå researchers have previously identified an inherited predisposition for brain tumours, and now, in an international collaboration, they have also discovered a genetic variation that increases the risk of a certain type of brain tumour, called meningiomas.

8 Aug 2011

Anisotropic encoding of three-dimensional space by place and grid cells

Animal's brains are only roughly aware of how high-up they are in space, meaning that in terms of altitude the brain's 'map' of space is surprisingly flat, according to new research.

8 Aug 2011

St. Jude hosts Sibling Star Day event for brothers and sisters of cancer patients

When a child is battling cancer or other serious illness, the entire family is affected, including siblings. Recognizing the important role brothers and sisters play in the healing process, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital recently hosted Sibling Star Day, an event dedicated to celebrating the brothers and sisters of St. Jude patients.

6 Aug 2011

Michigan Neurosport Concussion Program offers free online courses for high school coaches

Spencer Helgren was bawling his eyes out, but it was the fourth quarter and he wasn't going to sit down on the sidelines. He kept playing through the tears. It was the first of several head injuries on the football field for the junior from Westwood High school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. At the time, he just thought he'd had his bell rung and he'd be fine - despite the unusual crying spell.

6 Aug 2011

UAB Sports Medicine to open Concussion Clinic at Children's of Alabama

From the alluring smell of concession stand snacks to the sounds of the marching band, Friday nights in the fall are full of excitement surrounding an all-American tradition: football. But the sport has gained increasing attention in recent years more for the injuries it can cause than for the game itself.

6 Aug 2011

Simcyp extends application in areas of PD modelling and drug distribution within CNS

Simcyp Limited is pleased to announce significant additions to its flagship simulator in line with priorities established by the Simcyp Consortium of global pharmaceutical companies.

6 Aug 2011

Metallofullerene platform holds promise for treatment of brain tumors

A single compound with dual function - the ability to deliver a diagnostic and therapeutic agent - may one day be used to enhance the diagnosis, imaging and treatment of brain tumors, according to findings from Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech.

5 Aug 2011

Scientists identify small molecule inhibitors of cellular uptake

Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence led by biochemist Volker Haucke in collaboration with colleagues from Australia and the Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in Berlin have developed small molecules that inhibit the internalization of important signaling molecules but also of pathogenic organisms such as the immunodeficiency virus and bacteria into cells.

5 Aug 2011

Novel studies explore new targets to prevent spread of breast cancer

Research into new methods to prevent and slow metastatic breast cancer will be presented this week at the Era of Hope conference, a scientific meeting hosted by the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.

5 Aug 2011

Insulin pumps and other medical devices ‘hackable’

A diabetic security researcher has identified flaws that could allow an attacker to remotely control insulin pumps and alter the readouts of blood-sugar monitors. As a result, diabetics could get too much or too little insulin, a hormone they need for proper metabolism.

5 Aug 2011

Human brain cells created from skin cells: Potential for Alzheimer’s

This feat comes a year after researchers at Stanford University performed the same feat in mice, turning cells from the rodents' skin into neurons. The lab-created brain cells act the same as normal human brain cells, the researchers found. These cells have the same ability to send electric signals; they seem to express the same genes in the same ways; and they are able to communicate with other brain cells, as demonstrated in a lab dish and when implanted into mice.

5 Aug 2011

Scientists identify reasons behind why we are unable to recognise faces

The research, led by Dr Clea Warburton and Dr Gareth Barker in the University's School of Physiology and Pharmacology and published in the Journal of Neuroscience, has investigated why we can recognise faces much better if we have extra clues as to where or indeed when we encountered them in the first place.

5 Aug 2011