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.

Men better than women at visuo-spatial and auditory-spatial tasks

Differences in male and female behaviour are often subject to study. Women are known to be more verbally fluent, have better manual dexterity and are better at noticing things (like a new haircut). Men on the other hand often take less time parking their cars and have less trouble than women in navigating in a new city.

1 Jul 2011

Two defective genes may cause telomere elongations in cancer cells: Study

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have provided more clues to one of the least understood phenomena in some cancers: why the "ends caps" of cellular DNA, called telomeres, lengthen instead of shorten.

1 Jul 2011

Research sheds light on well-documented 'other-race effect'

Northwestern University researchers have provided new biological evidence suggesting that the brain works differently when memorizing the face of a person from one's own race than when memorizing a face from another race.

1 Jul 2011

Erratic investment responses can make a smart portfolio richer

Playing the stock market can be a risky game. And when the market behaves unpredictably, public fear can lead to erratic investment responses and market chaos.

1 Jul 2011

First ever clinical study using Brainwave Optimization technology to treat insomnia

Insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disorder, affecting up to 50 percent of the adult population in the United States on a weekly basis.

1 Jul 2011

Avastin for breast cancer still covered by Medicare despite FDA indecision

The Medicare will continue to cover Avastin for breast cancer treatment even if U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Peggy Hamburg decides to withdraw Avastin for such use, according to Don McLeod, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. McLeod said, in his statement, “The FDA decision, when it comes, does not affect CMS.”

1 Jul 2011

Study reveals unique pattern of brain activity when false memories are formed

How easy is it to falsify memory? New research at the Weizmann Institute shows that a bit of social pressure may be all that is needed. The study, which appears Friday in Science, reveals a unique pattern of brain activity when false memories are formed - one that hints at a surprising connection between our social selves and memory.

1 Jul 2011

Panel advises FDA to reject Avastin as breast cancer drug

The unanimous recommendation by this committee of cancer experts increases the likelihood that the drug will no longer be widely available for the treatment of breast cancer. Avastin, however, will continue to have the Food and Drug Adminstration's approval for use in treating certain other cancers.

1 Jul 2011

Researchers identify altered expression of endogenous retroviruses in BSE-infected macaques

Prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle are transmissible neurodegenerative diseases linked to the aggregation of the prion protein in the central nervous system.

1 Jul 2011

Nicotine receptors play crucial role in social interaction

If you think nicotine receptors are only important to smokers trying to kick the tobacco habit, think again. New research published in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) suggests that these receptors also play an important role in social interaction and the ability to choose between competing motivations.

1 Jul 2011

Tranexamic acid effective for patients with head injury

New research has suggested that tranexamic acid has the potential to prevent people dying from head injuries.

1 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Abortion law debates; Medicare cost examinations; state reform building blocks

The Susan B. Anthony List's Pro-Life Leadership Pledge has garnered praise from a number of Republican presidential candidates, including Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty, each of whom has signed the pledge. It has also faced some misinformed criticism, however, not only from the media but from other presidential candidates who refuse to sign on to the pledge's four basic principles.

30 Jun 2011

Positive topline results from Alkermes ALKS 9070 phase 1b study for schizophrenia

Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive topline results from a phase 1b, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of ALKS 9070 in patients with schizophrenia.

30 Jun 2011

Researchers predict human's desired movements using brain signals

Bringing the real world into the brain scanner, researchers at The University of Western Ontario from The Centre for Brain and Mind (http://www.uwo.ca/its/brain/) can now determine the action a person was planning, mere moments before that action is actually executed.

30 Jun 2011

Exposure to mobile phone derived electromagnetic fields can influence learning processes

High frequency non-ionizing radiation, emitted by mobile phones, is redundantly matter of discussions. The effects of high frequency electromagnetic fields derived from mobile phones have been discussed since the 1950's.

30 Jun 2011

Researchers discover Foxj1 genetic 'conductor' responsible for new brain cell production

A team of North Carolina State University researchers has discovered more about how a gene connected to the production of new brain cells in adults does its job. Their findings could pave the way to new therapies for brain injury or disease.

30 Jun 2011

Brain stem cells shown to generate multiple new brain stem cells

A Johns Hopkins team has discovered in young adult mice that a lone brain stem cell is capable not only of replacing itself and giving rise to specialized neurons and glia – important types of brain cells – but also of taking a wholly unexpected path: generating two new brain stem cells.

30 Jun 2011

Serum-free media with growth factors can improve MSCs' cell fate regulation

Mensenchymal stem cells (MSCs), multipotent cells identified in bone marrow and other tissues, have been shown to be therapeutically effective in the immunosuppression of T-cells, the regeneration of blood vessels, assisting in skin wound healing, and suppressing chronic airway inflammation in some asthma cases.

30 Jun 2011

MR-guided focused ultrasound effective for treating essential tremor

The last ten years have been challenging for Billy R. Williams of Fort Valley, Virginia. The former Pentagon employee, who survived the 9/11 terrorist attack, has suffered from essential tremor, a progressive and debilitating neurological disorder.

30 Jun 2011

Sensitivity of bladder cancer cells linked to chemotherapy and expression of miR-34a gene

Researchers at the UC Davis Cancer Center have discovered a way of sensitizing muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells so that they succumb to the toxic effects of chemotherapy. The finding adds to mounting evidence that tiny strands of RNA - called microRNA - play key roles in some of the deadliest types of cancer.

30 Jun 2011