Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Young patient survives deadly virus with minimal neurological deficits

Rhode Island Hospital successfully treated a 21-year-old patient with severe neuroinvasive Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), minimizing neurological deficits and resulting in a very positive outcome. The findings from this treatment are published online in advance of print in the journal Neurocritical Care.

9 Jul 2013

Providers search for new tests, smartphone apps to diagnose and treat mental illness

Health care providers are trying to find tests and create new smartphone and tablet apps to better diagnose and treat mental illness.

9 Jul 2013

A few clinics are focused on helping pregnant women with prescription drug addictions

The Wall Street Journal examines the growing number of women addicted to pain killers and efforts to help them through pregnancies.

9 Jul 2013

Researchers discover potential biomarkers that track progression of neurodegenerative disease

A hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's is that by the time symptoms appear, significant brain damage has already occurred-and currently there are no treatments that can reverse it.

9 Jul 2013

vOICe sensory device: An alternative to invasive treatment for blind people

A device that trains the brain to turn sounds into images could be used as an alternative to invasive treatment for blind and partially-sighted people, researchers at the University of Bath have found.

9 Jul 2013

Multimodal neuroimaging approach helps study structural and functional abnormalities in brain

Major depressive disorder is associated with a dysregulation of brain regions including the prefrontal cortex and limbic system. The relationship between structural and functional abnormalities in these brain regions in depressed patients is far from clear. However, both types of changes are assumed to underlie the symptoms of this disorder.

9 Jul 2013

Early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be detected years before diagnosis, say researchers

Early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be detected years before diagnosis, according to researchers at Birmingham City University. The study found that sufferers of a specific type of cognitive impairment have an increased loss of cells in certain parts of the brain, which can be vital in detecting which patients will progress to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

9 Jul 2013

Penumbra announces launch of 5MAX ACE device for acute ischemic stroke treatment

Today, Penumbra, Inc. announced the launch and wide availability of the 5MAX ACE, a next generation clot extraction device that uses aspiration alone to engage and remove blood clots causing an acute ischemic stroke.

8 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 8, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including news about a new ad campaign against the health law, more reaction to the administration's delay of the employer mandate provision and states efforts to restrict abortions.

8 Jul 2013

Probiodrug to present studies on PQ912 for treatment of Alzheimer's disease at AAIC meeting

Probiodrug AG (Probiodrug) announced that it will be making two poster and two oral presentations at the upcoming Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston, MA July 13 - 18, 2013.

8 Jul 2013

Researchers identify structural anomalies that may increase risk of ADHD in premature newborns

In the first study of its kind, Natasha Leporé, PhD, and colleagues have pinpointed structural anomalies in the developing brain that may increase the risk of cognitive disabilities, such as frontal executive dysfunction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in premature newborns.

6 Jul 2013

Alzheimer's Association upset with CMS draft decision on brain amyloid imaging

The Alzheimer's Association is disappointed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services draft coverage decision on brain amyloid imaging, particularly given the clear, scientific consensus recommendations provided to CMS by the Association and the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging regarding appropriate, limited coverage, only in specific populations.

6 Jul 2013

Researchers develop new PET tracer to better monitor the progress of cancer and cancer therapy

Imaging techniques in cancer medicine provide far more than merely information on the scale and location of cancerous ulcers. There are modern methods that additionally characterise the tumour cells precisely, for instance by specific molecules they carry on their surface. Such additional information gives doctors key clues as to the precise cancer type and enables them to predict the probability that a patient will respond to a particular form of therapy.

6 Jul 2013

UCLA psychologists identify brain regions associated with successful spread of ideas

How do ideas spread? What messages will go viral on social media, and can this be predicted? UCLA psychologists have taken a significant step toward answering these questions, identifying for the first time the brain regions associated with the successful spread of ideas, often called "buzz."

6 Jul 2013

Scientists focus on the role of mutated adult neural stem cells play in human diseases

CHARGE syndrome* is a severe developmental disorder affecting multiple organs. It affects 1 in 8500 newborns worldwide. The majority of patients carry a mutation in a gene called CHD7. How this single mutation leads to the broad spectrum of characteristic CHARGE symptoms has been a mystery.

6 Jul 2013

Epigenome mapping uncovers unique patterns that emerge during generation of brain circuitry

High-resolution mapping of the epigenome has discovered unique patterns that emerge during the generation of brain circuitry in childhood.

6 Jul 2013

Research shows gene regulatory sequences may have driven the evolution of human limbs

Thousands of sequences that control genes are active in the developing human limb and may have driven the evolution of the human hand and foot, a comparative genomics study led by Yale School of Medicine researchers has found.

5 Jul 2013

El Lilly calls for Medicare coverage of beta-amyloid imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease

Eli Lilly and Company today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a draft decision proposing Coverage with Evidence Development for the use of beta-amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents. Beta-amyloid imaging agents are used to evaluate patients with cognitive impairment for Alzheimer's Disease and other causes of cognitive decline.

5 Jul 2013

New study could lead to better and more targeted drugs for arthritis and cancer

The increased risk of heart attack or stroke associated with many arthritis drugs may be avoidable, according to a new international study co-authored by researchers at Imperial College London.

5 Jul 2013

Findings uncover epigenomic modification that occurs during brain formation

Changes in the epigenome, including chemical modifications of DNA, can act as an extra layer of information in the genome, and are thought to play a role in learning and memory, as well as in age-related cognitive decline.

5 Jul 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Young patient survives deadly virus with minimal neurological deficits

Providers search for new tests, smartphone apps to diagnose and treat mental illness

A few clinics are focused on helping pregnant women with prescription drug addictions

Researchers discover potential biomarkers that track progression of neurodegenerative disease

vOICe sensory device: An alternative to invasive treatment for blind people

Multimodal neuroimaging approach helps study structural and functional abnormalities in brain

Early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be detected years before diagnosis, say researchers

Penumbra announces launch of 5MAX ACE device for acute ischemic stroke treatment

First Edition: July 8, 2013

Probiodrug to present studies on PQ912 for treatment of Alzheimer's disease at AAIC meeting

Researchers identify structural anomalies that may increase risk of ADHD in premature newborns

Alzheimer's Association upset with CMS draft decision on brain amyloid imaging

Researchers develop new PET tracer to better monitor the progress of cancer and cancer therapy

UCLA psychologists identify brain regions associated with successful spread of ideas

Scientists focus on the role of mutated adult neural stem cells play in human diseases

Epigenome mapping uncovers unique patterns that emerge during generation of brain circuitry

Research shows gene regulatory sequences may have driven the evolution of human limbs

El Lilly calls for Medicare coverage of beta-amyloid imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease

New study could lead to better and more targeted drugs for arthritis and cancer

Findings uncover epigenomic modification that occurs during brain formation

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News