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.

In dynamic mind-body interaction, brain recruits cells from immune system to promote anxiety

New research shows that in a dynamic mind-body interaction during the interpretation of prolonged stress, cells from the immune system are recruited to the brain and promote symptoms of anxiety.

22 Aug 2013

LBDA creates two LBD symptom checklists for physicians and patients

The Lewy Body Dementia Association announced today the launch of new resources for physicians and their patients. LBDA created two new LBD symptom checklists; an abbreviated checklist to assist in the reporting of LBD diagnostic symptoms and a more comprehensive checklist to help people already diagnosed with LBD or their caregivers to report new or concerning LBD symptoms as the disease progresses.

22 Aug 2013

Study: Mother's mitochondrial DNA seems to influence our own aging

As we age, our cells change and become damaged. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging have shown that aging is determined not only by the accumulation of changes during our lifetime but also by the genes we acquire from our mothers.

22 Aug 2013

Research reveals that brain circuits can help reduce anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders, which include posttraumatic stress disorder, social phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder, affect 40 million American adults in a given year. Currently available treatments, such as antianxiety drugs, are not always effective and have unwanted side effects.

22 Aug 2013

Researchers report overall increase in use of tPA to dissolve clots blocking arteries

Use of the "clot-busting" drug tissue plasminogen activator to treat patients with strokes caused by a blockage of blood flow nearly doubled between 2003 and 2011.

22 Aug 2013

Video games help brain to improve strategic thinking

Certain types of video games can help to train the brain to become more agile and improve strategic thinking, according to scientists from Queen Mary University of London and University College London (UCL).

22 Aug 2013

Psychotic symptoms in people with schizophrenia caused by faulty 'switch' within brain

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have shown that psychotic symptoms experienced by people with schizophrenia could be caused by a faulty 'switch' within the brain.

22 Aug 2013

Biomedical spectroscopy suggests excess copper may be neurotoxic in Alzheimer's patients

Metals such as iron, copper, and zinc are important for many biological processes. In recent years, studies have shown that these nutritionally-essential metals are elevated in human Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains and some animal models of AD. Scientists are now exploring whether these metals are causing the neurodegeneration seen in AD or are indicative of other ongoing pathologic processes.

22 Aug 2013

Three University of Sydney research teams win NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence

World-changing collaborative research in the areas of youth mental health, metabolic health and sleep medicine have seen three research teams at the University of Sydney funded for five years as NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence.

21 Aug 2013

CO diffusion across gypsum wallboard may explain at least some instances of CO poisoning

"Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a significant U.S. health problem, responsible for approximately 500 accidental deaths annually, and a risk of 18 percent to 35 percent for cognitive brain injury 1 year after poisoning.

21 Aug 2013

RTI International takes initiatives to understand long-term effects of TBI in military members, veterans

As part of a federal initiative to better understand traumatic brain injuries suffered by the nation's military service members and veterans, researchers at RTI International will join a consortium led by Virginia Commonwealth University to better understand the long-term effects of chronic mild brain injuries, or concussions.

21 Aug 2013

New technique to accommodate challenges inherent in brain-implantation technology

On August 20, JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments will publish a technique from the Capadona Lab at Case Western Reserve University to accommodate two challenges inherent in brain-implantation technology, gauging the property changes that occur during implantation and measuring on a micro-scale.

21 Aug 2013

NIH awards grant to FDA-approved clinical trial of auditory brainstem implant in children

House Research Institute (HRI) and Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital) announced today final approval of grant funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Deafness and Communications Disorders (NIDCD) for a major five-year, FDA-approved clinical trial of the auditory brainstem implant (ABI) in children.

21 Aug 2013

Risk factors linked to death may be reversible in severe encephalitis patients

People with severe encephalitis - inflammation of the brain - are much more likely to die if they develop severe swelling in the brain, intractable seizures or low blood platelet counts, regardless of the cause of their illness, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

21 Aug 2013

Montana researcher receives $1M army grant to develop drug that limits damage caused by TBI

The U.S. Army has awarded University of Montana researcher Dave Poulsen a $1 million grant to further develop a drug that limits damage caused by traumatic brain injuries.

21 Aug 2013

UCLA study suggests third possible cause for AD: Iron accumulation

Alzheimer's disease has proven to be a difficult enemy to defeat. After all, aging is the No. 1 risk factor for the disorder, and there's no stopping that.

21 Aug 2013

Scientists report possible basis for why food-restricted animals show susceptibility to drugs of abuse

Scientists today reported a possible basis for why food-restricted animals show increased susceptibility to drugs of abuse. This association has puzzled researchers since it was first observed more than three decades ago.

21 Aug 2013

New insights on cochlea may help develop better hearing devices

A healthy ear is much better at detecting and transmitting sound than even the most advanced hearing aid. But now researchers reporting in the August 20 issue of the Biophysical Journal, a Cell Press publication, have uncovered new insights into how the ear -- in particular, the cochlea -- processes and amplifies sound.

21 Aug 2013

Genetics may play role in how people's taste receptors send signals

Genetics may play a role in how people's taste receptors send signals, leading to a wide spectrum of taste preferences, according to Penn State food scientists. These varied, genetically influenced responses may mean that food and drink companies will need a range of artificial sweeteners to accommodate different consumer tastes.

21 Aug 2013

Study shows how brain integrates inputs from different senses in complex circuits of nerve cells

A new publication in the top-ranked journal Neuron sheds new light onto the unknown processes on how the brain integrates the inputs from the different senses in the complex circuits formed by molecularly distinct types of nerve cells. The work was led by new Ume- University associate professor Paolo Medini.

21 Aug 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

In dynamic mind-body interaction, brain recruits cells from immune system to promote anxiety

LBDA creates two LBD symptom checklists for physicians and patients

Study: Mother's mitochondrial DNA seems to influence our own aging

Research reveals that brain circuits can help reduce anxiety disorders

Researchers report overall increase in use of tPA to dissolve clots blocking arteries

Video games help brain to improve strategic thinking

Psychotic symptoms in people with schizophrenia caused by faulty 'switch' within brain

Biomedical spectroscopy suggests excess copper may be neurotoxic in Alzheimer's patients

Three University of Sydney research teams win NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence

CO diffusion across gypsum wallboard may explain at least some instances of CO poisoning

RTI International takes initiatives to understand long-term effects of TBI in military members, veterans

New technique to accommodate challenges inherent in brain-implantation technology

NIH awards grant to FDA-approved clinical trial of auditory brainstem implant in children

Risk factors linked to death may be reversible in severe encephalitis patients

Montana researcher receives $1M army grant to develop drug that limits damage caused by TBI

UCLA study suggests third possible cause for AD: Iron accumulation

Scientists report possible basis for why food-restricted animals show susceptibility to drugs of abuse

New insights on cochlea may help develop better hearing devices

Genetics may play role in how people's taste receptors send signals

Study shows how brain integrates inputs from different senses in complex circuits of nerve cells

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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