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.

Child cancer survival: an interview with Prof Kathy Pritchard-Jones, University College London

Back in the early 1960s, just before chemotherapy really started to be used, only about 30% of children survived cancer. That was mainly because they had cancers that were amenable to surgery.

24 Jul 2013

FMC acquires all shares of Epax for $345 million

FMC Corporation today announced that it has acquired all of the shares of Epax Nutra Holding III AS (Norway) and Epax UK Holding III AS (United Kingdom) (together, "Epax"), a leading manufacturer of high purity, premium grade Omega-3 fatty acid concentrates that are used in nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and food.

24 Jul 2013

Diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking can show fiber bundles in human brain

Diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking with reliable tracking orientation and flexible step size can show white matter fiber bundles in the healthy corpus callosum.

24 Jul 2013

Family and friends' fears of recurrence impact on patient's recovery after SAH

Researchers from Durham University and Kings College London (United Kingdom) and the University of Erlangen-N-rnberg (Germany) found that patients who have suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may not recover psychosocially as well as expected if their significant other is excessively fearful about the possibility of SAH recurrence.

24 Jul 2013

AANS, CNS commend House committee efforts to repeal Medicare's flawed SGR payment formula

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons joined 11 other medical societies in commending the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for its bipartisan efforts to repeal and replace Medicare's flawed sustainable growth rate payment formula.

24 Jul 2013

Report shows that fatal rabies virus is transmitted through transplanted kidney

An investigation into the source of a fatal case of raccoon rabies virus exposure indicates the individual received the virus via a kidney transplant 18 months earlier, findings suggesting that rabies transmitted by this route may have a long incubation period, and that although solid organ transplant transmission of infectious encephalitis is rare, further education to increase awareness is needed, according to a study in the July 24/31 issue of JAMA.

24 Jul 2013

3-D hydrogel approach to study aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer

Human glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most common, aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer, is notoriously difficult to study. Scientists have traditionally studied cancer cells in petri dishes, which have none of the properties of the brain tissues in which these cancers grow, or in expensive animal models.

24 Jul 2013

Study: Cannabis has no effect in slowing course of progressive multiple sclerosis

The first large non-commercial clinical study to investigate whether the main active constituent of cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) is effective in slowing the course of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), shows that there is no evidence to suggest this; although benefits were noted for those at the lower end of the disability scale.

24 Jul 2013

Research reveals how brains pick out important sounds from noisy world

New research reveals how our brains are able to pick out important sounds from the noisy world around us. The findings, published online today in the journal eLife, could lead to new diagnostic tests for hearing disorders.

24 Jul 2013

International Consortium receives grant to examine genetic reasons of schizophrenia in deletion syndrome patients

Today, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) will host a two day International Brain and Behaviour Consortium meeting on Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS).

24 Jul 2013

Genentech announces that Phase III CLL11 study meets primary endpoint

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced positive results from the Phase III CLL11 study. At a pre-planned interim analysis, an independent data monitoring committee determined that the study met its primary endpoint showing that GA101 plus chlorambucil helped people live significantly longer without their disease worsening (progression-free survival; PFS) compared to Rituxan (rituximab) plus chlorambucil.

24 Jul 2013

Astrocytes can protect brain tissue and reduce disability due to stroke

One of regenerative medicine's greatest goals is to develop new treatments for stroke. So far, stem cell research for the disease has focused on developing therapeutic neurons - the primary movers of electrical impulses in the brain - to repair tissue damaged when oxygen to the brain is limited by a blood clot or break in a vessel. New UC Davis research, however, shows that other cells may be better suited for the task.

24 Jul 2013

Digital versions of standard molecular biology tool to detect common tumor-associated mutation in CSF

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers and their colleagues have used digital versions of a standard molecular biology tool to detect a common tumor-associated mutation in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with brain tumors. In their report being published in the open-access journal Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids, the investigators describe using advanced forms of the gene-amplification technology polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to analyze bits of RNA carried in membrane-covered sacs called extracellular vesicles for the presence of a tumor-associated mutation in a gene called IDH1.

24 Jul 2013

New approaches provide lifetime support for individuals with ASD

More than 300 parents, healthcare providers and educators from across the U.S. and around the world, will come together July 26 through July 27, 2013 at the second annual national conference for families and professionals, "Treating the Whole Person with Autism: Care Across the Lifespan." The conference — sponsored by Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism and advocacy organization, with our educational partners at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the U.S.

24 Jul 2013

Research: No association between pre-natal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors

The potential impact of exposure to low levels of mercury on the developing brain - specifically by women consuming fish during pregnancy - has long been the source of concern and some have argued that the chemical may be responsible for behavioral disorders such as autism.

24 Jul 2013

NYCEDC declares Innovate Health Tech NYC winners

New York City Economic Development Corporation today announced the winners of Innovate Health Tech NYC, a competition designed to promote innovation within New York City's health technology sector.

23 Jul 2013

Fibromyalgia diagnosis: an interview with Dr. Bruce Gillis, CEO of EpicGenetics

Presently, it is a diagnosis of exclusion. Patients end up spending, according to what’s been published in the medical literature, as many as 3 - 5 years going from doctor to doctor seeking a diagnosis because they tend to have nonspecific symptoms of a subjective nature.

23 Jul 2013