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.

Practice makes more efficient generation of neuronal activity in brain’s motor cortex

Not only does practice make perfect, it also makes for more efficient generation of neuronal activity in the primary motor cortex, the area of the brain that plans and executes movement, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

5 Aug 2013

Affymetrix introduces new OncoScan FFPE Assay Kit

Affymetrix, Inc. announced the launch of the new OncoScan™ FFPE Assay Kit, a whole-genome copy number assay for highly degraded FFPE solid tumor samples, at the Cancer Cytogenomics Microarray Consortium conference being held in Chicago this week.

5 Aug 2013

Researchers reveal how the brain remains focused on long-term goals

Cambridge-- As anyone who has traveled with young children knows, maintaining focus on distant goals can be a challenge. A new study from MIT suggests how the brain achieves this task, and indicates that the neurotransmitter dopamine may signal the value of long-term rewards.

5 Aug 2013

Disruption to TOP3B gene increases susceptibility to schizophrenia and a learning disorder

A team of researchers have shown that schizophrenia and a disorder associated with autism and learning difficulties share a common biological pathway. This is one of the first times that researchers have uncovered genetic evidence for the underlying causes of schizophrenia.

5 Aug 2013

Sleeping patterns of baby birds are similar to that of baby humans, find researchers

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Lausanne have discovered that the sleeping patterns of baby birds are similar to that of baby mammals. What is more, the sleep of baby birds appears to change in the same way as it does in humans.

5 Aug 2013

Study opens door to possible treatments for variety of mitochondrial diseases

By borrowing a tool from bacteria that infect plants, scientists have developed a new approach to eliminate mutated DNA inside mitochondria-the energy factories within cells. Doctors might someday use the approach to treat a variety of mitochondrial diseases, including the degenerative eye disease Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. The research, published online today in Nature Medicine, was funded by the National Eye Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

5 Aug 2013

Vanderbilt University scientists discover new approach to treating mood, anxiety disorders

Chemically modified inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme relieve anxiety behaviors in mice by activating natural "endocannabinoids" without gastrointestinal side effects, Vanderbilt University scientists will report next week.

5 Aug 2013

Necrostatin-1: A substance which counteracts several of aluminum's neurotoxic effects

New Studies in Mice Support Toxic Role of Aluminum in Neurodegenerative Conditions, According to Report in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience

3 Aug 2013

Alcohol use increases risk of dopamine response in brain pathway

Research from McGill University suggests that people who are vulnerable to developing alcoholism exhibit a distinctive brain response when drinking alcohol, according to a new study by Prof. Marco Leyton, of McGill University's Department of Psychiatry.

3 Aug 2013

Researchers exploit Japanese supercomputer to achieve largest general neuronal network simulation

By exploiting the full computational power of the Japanese supercomputer, K Computer, researchers from the RIKEN HPCI Program for Computational Life Sciences, the Okinawa Institute of Technology (OIST) in Japan and Forschungszentrum J-lich in Germany have carried out the largest general neuronal network simulation to date.

3 Aug 2013

Plymouth researcher awarded Young Investigator Award by Children's Tumor Foundation

Dr. Lu Zhou, a member of a team of researchers at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry whose area of expertise is brain tumours, has been awarded a fellowship by the Children's Tumor Foundation.

3 Aug 2013

HTR3 variants associated with effectiveness of ondansetron treatment for alcohol dependence

An experimental treatment for alcohol dependence works better in individuals who possess specific combinations of genes that regulate the function and binding of serotonin, a brain chemical affected by the treatment, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. A report of the finding appears online in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

3 Aug 2013

New findings could enable development of effective drugs for addiction with fewer side effects

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have described findings that could enable the development of more effective drugs for addiction with fewer side effects.

3 Aug 2013

Video games boost player's visual skills but reduce ability to inhibit impulsive behavior

A person playing a first-person shooter video game like Halo or Unreal Tournament must make decisions quickly. That fast-paced decision-making, it turns out, boosts the player's visual skills but comes at a cost, according to new research: reducing the person's ability to inhibit impulsive behavior.

3 Aug 2013

Castle Biosciences to present DecisionDx-Melanoma test data at Summer Academy Meeting of AAD

Castle Biosciences Inc. announced that data from studies of its DecisionDx-Melanoma test are being presented today at the Summer Academy Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. The validation data confirm previous studies showing that the gene expression profile test is a strong independent predictor for classifying which Stage I or II non-metastatic cutaneous melanoma patients will likely recur.

2 Aug 2013

Keeping Alzheimer's disease in check

The future is looking good for drugs designed to combat Alzheimer's disease. EPFL scientists have unveiled how two classes of drug compounds currently in clinical trials work to fight the disease. Their research suggests that these compounds target the disease-causing peptides with high precision and with minimal side-effects.

2 Aug 2013

Protein linked to learning induces cocaine addiction, say researchers

A team of researchers says it has solved the longstanding puzzle of why a key protein linked to learning is also needed to become addicted to cocaine. Results of the study, published in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Cell, describe how the learning-related protein works with other proteins to forge new pathways in the brain in response to a drug-induced rush of the “pleasure” molecule dopamine.

2 Aug 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Practice makes more efficient generation of neuronal activity in brain’s motor cortex

Affymetrix introduces new OncoScan FFPE Assay Kit

Researchers reveal how the brain remains focused on long-term goals

Disruption to TOP3B gene increases susceptibility to schizophrenia and a learning disorder

Sleeping patterns of baby birds are similar to that of baby humans, find researchers

Study opens door to possible treatments for variety of mitochondrial diseases

Vanderbilt University scientists discover new approach to treating mood, anxiety disorders

Necrostatin-1: A substance which counteracts several of aluminum's neurotoxic effects

Alcohol use increases risk of dopamine response in brain pathway

Researchers exploit Japanese supercomputer to achieve largest general neuronal network simulation

Plymouth researcher awarded Young Investigator Award by Children's Tumor Foundation

HTR3 variants associated with effectiveness of ondansetron treatment for alcohol dependence

New findings could enable development of effective drugs for addiction with fewer side effects

Video games boost player's visual skills but reduce ability to inhibit impulsive behavior

Castle Biosciences to present DecisionDx-Melanoma test data at Summer Academy Meeting of AAD

Keeping Alzheimer's disease in check

Protein linked to learning induces cocaine addiction, say researchers

Duke Medicine researchers identify a protein critical to TMJD pain

Understanding how brain networks function

Researchers find a crucial on-off switch in visual development

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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