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.

Physical activity reduces stress and promotes growth of new neurons

Physical activity reorganizes the brain so that its response to stress is reduced and anxiety is less likely to interfere with normal brain function, according to a research team based at Princeton University.

5 Jul 2013

Research: People's frontal cortex undergoes a significant change from infancy to adolescence

Experience of parents with their children and teachers with their students demonstrate how kids change their behaviours and knowledge from infancy to adolescence. Until now, little was known of the causes that could lead to these changes.

5 Jul 2013

Researchers identify role of Nanog gene in embryonic stem cell differentiation

Whitehead Institute researchers have determined that the transcription factor Nanog, which plays a critical role in the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells, is expressed in a manner similar to other pluripotency markers.

4 Jul 2013

New study finds inherited genetic contribution in autism with intellectual disability

Researchers are striving to understand the different genetic structures that underlie at least a subset of autism spectrum disorders. In cases where the genetic code is in error, did that happen anew in the patient, perhaps through mutation or copying error, or was it inherited? A new study in the American Journal of Human Genetics finds evidence that there may often be a recessive, inherited genetic contribution in autism with significant intellectual disability.

4 Jul 2013

Prana gets Austin HREC approval for 12-month open label extension study of PBT2 in Alzheimer’s patients

Prana Biotechnology today announced that it has received approval from the Austin Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) to commence a 12-month open label extension study with Alzheimer’s Disease patients participating in Prana’s IMAGINE trial.

4 Jul 2013

Study shows possible biological cause of narcolepsy

In 2000, researchers at the UCLA Center for Sleep Research published findings showing that people suffering from narcolepsy, a disorder characterized by uncontrollable periods of deep sleep, had 90 percent fewer neurons containing the neuropeptide hypocretin in their brains than healthy people.

4 Jul 2013

GAPVAC aims to develop personalized therapeutic vaccines for cancer

A highly innovative project supported by a €6 million European Union Framework 7 (EU FP7) program grant to develop a novel class of therapeutic cancer vaccines is now under way.

4 Jul 2013

Professor receives grant to explore therapeutic agent, treatment method for brain cancer

The problem with cancer treatments designed to kill a tumor is that they can kill the patient's quality of life as well. Now a Florida State University College of Medicine researcher is shifting the focus from eradicating brain tumors to managing them.

4 Jul 2013

Royal Philips receives FDA clearance to market AlluraClarity live image guidance system in US

Royal Philips today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market its innovative AlluraClarity live image guidance system in the US.

From Philips Healthcare 4 Jul 2013

Young people who show impulsive tendencies are more prone to drinking heavily

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that young people who show impulsive tendencies are more prone to drinking heavily at an early age.

4 Jul 2013

Neurosurgeon wins Ambassador for Epilepsy Award for improving clinical care for children with epilepsy

Dr. Gary Mathern, professor of pediatric neurosurgery and director of the UCLA Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, was honored with the Ambassador for Epilepsy Award by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) at the 30th International Epilepsy Congress in Montreal on June 23.

4 Jul 2013

3-gene signature test will improve care of kidney transplant patients

A breakthrough non-invasive test can detect whether transplanted kidneys are in the process of being rejected, as well as identify patients at risk for rejection weeks to months before they show symptoms, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

4 Jul 2013

Reading books and participating in brain-stimulating activities may preserve memory

New research suggests that reading books, writing and participating in brain-stimulating activities at any age may preserve memory. The study is published in the July 3, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Jul 2013

Human gene expression mechanism opens new therapeutic strategies against neurological disease

In a study that could change the way scientists view the process of protein production in humans, University of Chicago researchers have found a single gene that encodes two separate proteins from the same sequence of messenger RNA.

4 Jul 2013

Study: Different strains of alpha-synuclein may contribute to different types of brain diseases

It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch, and the same may be true of certain proteins in the brain. Studies have suggested that just one rogue protein (in this case, a protein that is misfolded or shaped the wrong way) can act as a seed, leading to the misfolding of nearby proteins.

4 Jul 2013

Salk studies pave way to better computer object recognition and therapies for visual disorders

How is it possible for a human eye to figure out letters that are twisted and looped in crazy directions, like those in the little security test internet users are often given on websites?

3 Jul 2013

Research: Change in functional state, structure of spinal cord and brain occur within 40 days of injury

A spinal cord injury changes the functional state and structure of the spinal cord and the brain. For example, the patients' ability to walk or move their hands can become restricted. How quickly such degenerative changes develop, however, has remained a mystery until now.

3 Jul 2013

Patients with high education show less impairment on neuropsychological evaluation

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can lead to severe cognitive impairment as the disease progresses. Researchers in Italy have found that patients with high educational levels show less impairment on a neuropsychological evaluation compared with those with low educational levels. Their results are published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.

3 Jul 2013

Study says screening heart with natriuretic peptide may reduce risk of dysfunction, heart failure

Among patients at risk of heart failure, collaborative care based on screening for certain levels of brain-type natriuretic peptide reduced the combined rates of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, and heart failure as well as emergency cardiovascular hospitalizations, according to a study in the July 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Jul 2013

Researchers develop stimulation technique to improve language function in stroke patients with aphasia

On July 2nd, JoVE will publish a video article showing the details of a technique developed by researchers to improve language function in stroke patients with chronic speech-language impairment.

3 Jul 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Physical activity reduces stress and promotes growth of new neurons

Research: People's frontal cortex undergoes a significant change from infancy to adolescence

Researchers identify role of Nanog gene in embryonic stem cell differentiation

New study finds inherited genetic contribution in autism with intellectual disability

Prana gets Austin HREC approval for 12-month open label extension study of PBT2 in Alzheimer’s patients

Study shows possible biological cause of narcolepsy

GAPVAC aims to develop personalized therapeutic vaccines for cancer

Professor receives grant to explore therapeutic agent, treatment method for brain cancer

Royal Philips receives FDA clearance to market AlluraClarity live image guidance system in US

Young people who show impulsive tendencies are more prone to drinking heavily

Neurosurgeon wins Ambassador for Epilepsy Award for improving clinical care for children with epilepsy

3-gene signature test will improve care of kidney transplant patients

Reading books and participating in brain-stimulating activities may preserve memory

Human gene expression mechanism opens new therapeutic strategies against neurological disease

Study: Different strains of alpha-synuclein may contribute to different types of brain diseases

Salk studies pave way to better computer object recognition and therapies for visual disorders

Research: Change in functional state, structure of spinal cord and brain occur within 40 days of injury

Patients with high education show less impairment on neuropsychological evaluation

Study says screening heart with natriuretic peptide may reduce risk of dysfunction, heart failure

Researchers develop stimulation technique to improve language function in stroke patients with aphasia

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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