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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.

Community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, find researchers

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, diagnosing HIV, and connecting those who test positive with medical care quickly. The study is in the August issue of the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs.

7 Aug 2013

Researchers identify specific genetic mutations that contribute to disorders of brain development

A collaborative team of researchers including scientists from UCLA has uncovered evidence that a specific genetic alteration appears to contribute to disorders of brain development, including schizophrenia. They also found that schizophrenia shares a common biological pathway with Fragile X mental retardation syndrome, a disorder associated with both intellectual impairment and autism.

7 Aug 2013

UC Berkeley study sheds new light on connection between poor sleep and obesity

A sleepless night makes us more likely to reach for doughnuts or pizza than for whole grains and leafy green vegetables, suggests a new study from UC Berkeley that examines the brain regions that control food choices. The findings shed new light on the link between poor sleep and obesity.

7 Aug 2013

Observation time in ER is associated with reduced CT rates for children at risk of TBI

The longer a child with minor blunt head trauma is observed in the emergency department, the less likely the child is to require computed tomography (CT) scan, according to the results of a study published online Friday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Impact of the Duration of Emergency Department Observation on Computed Tomography Use in Children with Minor Blunt Head Trauma").

7 Aug 2013

UCLA researchers combine cellular and gene therapies to develop treatment for breast cancer

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have successfully combined cellular therapy and gene therapy in a mouse-model system to develop a viable treatment strategy for breast cancer that has spread to a patient's brain.

7 Aug 2013

Academics, healthcare experts to roll out cervical cancer screening to all women in Uganda by 2020

Academics and healthcare professionals from Manchester and London will travel to Uganda this week (6 August) to push on with ambitious plans to try to help the country's Ministry of Health roll out cervical cancer screening to all women by 2020.

6 Aug 2013

New studies in mice support toxic role of aluminum in neurodegenerative conditions

Investigators have linked aluminum accumulation in the brain as a possible contributing factor to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. A new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience sheds light on the mechanism underlying aluminum-induced neuronal cell death and identifies necrostatin-1 as a substance which counteracts several of aluminum's neurotoxic effects.

6 Aug 2013

Discovery brings scientists one step closer to understanding challenges linked to mercury cleanup

More forms of mercury can be converted to deadly methylmercury than previously thought, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Geoscience. The discovery provides scientists with another piece of the mercury puzzle, bringing them one step closer to understanding the challenges associated with mercury cleanup.

6 Aug 2013

Electronic communication unlikely to be widely adopted by physician practices

Patients like it and so do health organizations, but electronic communications in clinical care will likely not be widely adopted by primary care physicians unless patient workloads are reduced or they are paid for the time they spend phoning and emailing patients, both during and after office hours.

6 Aug 2013

Pupil responses allow communication in locked-in syndrome

Patients who are otherwise completely unable to communicate can answer yes or no questions within seconds with the help of a simple system-consisting of just a laptop and camera-that measures nothing but the size of their pupils.

6 Aug 2013

Study looks at correlation between reading ability and brain structure

A combination of brain scans and reading tests has revealed that several regions in the brain are responsible for allowing humans to read.

6 Aug 2013

Study reveals nearly 40% of tumors are caused by viruses

The results of a large-scale analysis of the association between DNA viruses and human malignancies suggest that many of the most common cancers are not associated with DNA viruses.

6 Aug 2013

Virginia Tech addiction expert receives $3.2 million grant to help smokers quit cigarettes

Warren Bickel, an internationally recognized addiction expert at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, recently received a $3.2-million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for research on improving self-control in smokers seeking to quit cigarettes. The grant will provide Bickel's team with $573,000 to $716,000 a year over five years to develop innovative new ways to enhance the smokers' ability to abstain from acting on their nicotine cravings.

6 Aug 2013

Chinese meditation can reduce smoking

By using a type of meditation developed in China, smokers can reduce their tobacco use even when they don't intend to do so, according to new research done by Texas Tech University and the University of Oregon.

6 Aug 2013

Researchers identify new type of cell in brain that helps people to keep track of their relative location

Using direct human brain recordings, a research team from Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA and Thomas Jefferson University has identified a new type of cell in the brain that helps people to keep track of their relative location while navigating an unfamiliar environment.

6 Aug 2013

Study shows role of love hormone in promoting social and parental bonding

In a loud, crowded restaurant, having the ability to focus on the people and conversation at your own table is critical. Nerve cells in the brain face similar challenges in separating wanted messages from background chatter.

6 Aug 2013

Signaling protein involved in inflammation also promotes tumor resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy

A team of scientists, led by Napoleone Ferrara, MD, has shown for the first time that a signaling protein involved in inflammation also promotes tumor resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy.

6 Aug 2013

Columbia researchers identify 18 new genes that drive glioblastoma multiforme

A team of researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center has identified 18 new genes responsible for driving glioblastoma multiforme, the most common-and most aggressive-form of brain cancer in adults. The study was published August 5, 2013, in Nature Genetics.

6 Aug 2013

Study: Children who were breastfed in infancy more likely to recover from stuttering

A study of 47 children who began stuttering at an early age found that those who were breastfed in infancy were more likely to recover from stuttering and return to fluent speech.

6 Aug 2013

Mothers who breastfeed may have lower risk of Alzheimer's

The report, newly published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, suggests that the link may be to do with certain biological effects of breastfeeding. For example, breastfeeding restores insulin tolerance which is significantly reduced during pregnancy, and Alzheimer's is characterised by insulin resistance in the brain.

6 Aug 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Community-based pharmacies can be effective locations for offering rapid HIV testing, find researchers

Researchers identify specific genetic mutations that contribute to disorders of brain development

UC Berkeley study sheds new light on connection between poor sleep and obesity

Observation time in ER is associated with reduced CT rates for children at risk of TBI

UCLA researchers combine cellular and gene therapies to develop treatment for breast cancer

Academics, healthcare experts to roll out cervical cancer screening to all women in Uganda by 2020

New studies in mice support toxic role of aluminum in neurodegenerative conditions

Discovery brings scientists one step closer to understanding challenges linked to mercury cleanup

Electronic communication unlikely to be widely adopted by physician practices

Pupil responses allow communication in locked-in syndrome

Study looks at correlation between reading ability and brain structure

Study reveals nearly 40% of tumors are caused by viruses

Virginia Tech addiction expert receives $3.2 million grant to help smokers quit cigarettes

Chinese meditation can reduce smoking

Researchers identify new type of cell in brain that helps people to keep track of their relative location

Study shows role of love hormone in promoting social and parental bonding

Signaling protein involved in inflammation also promotes tumor resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy

Columbia researchers identify 18 new genes that drive glioblastoma multiforme

Study: Children who were breastfed in infancy more likely to recover from stuttering

Mothers who breastfeed may have lower risk of Alzheimer's

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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