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.

Study provides complete health picture of adult survivors of childhood cancer

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has found that childhood cancer survivors overwhelmingly experience a significant amount of undiagnosed, serious disease through their adult years, establishing the importance of proactive, life-long clinical health screenings for this growing high-risk population.

12 Jun 2013

New SPECT and MR imaging systems unveiled at SNMMI's 2013 Annual Meeting

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2013 Annual Meetingmarks the unveiling of the successful application of a new preclinical hybrid molecular imaging system-single photon emission tomography and magnetic resonance -which has exceptional molecular imaging capabilities in terms of potential preclinical and clinical applications, technological advancement at a lower cost, and reduction of patient exposure to ionizing radiation.

12 Jun 2013

Anti-nicotine vaccination can increase accumulation of nicotine in the brain, say neuroscientists

Researchers have yet again been sent back to the drawing board in the development of the much-sought-after vaccination for smokers, which would hypothetically inhibit the action of nicotine and its pleasure-producing chemical response in the brain.

12 Jun 2013

Johns Hopkins researchers develop experimental vaccine for TB meningitis

A team of Johns Hopkins researchers working with animals has developed a vaccine that prevents the virulent TB bacterium from invading the brain and causing the highly lethal condition TB meningitis, a disease that disproportionately occurs in TB-infected children and in adults with compromised immune system.

12 Jun 2013

Understanding Phelan-McDermid Syndrome

In the first prospective study of its kind, Seaver Autism Center researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provide new evidence of the severity of intellectual, motor, and speech impairments in a subtype of autism called Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.

12 Jun 2013

Research finding offers new insight into stroke rehabilitation

A new study finds that stroke patients' brains show strong cortical motor activity when observing others performing physical tasks - a finding that offers new insight into stroke rehabilitation.

12 Jun 2013

UC Irvine researchers to study how maternal signals and care impact adolescent cognitive behaviors

With $10 million in new federal funding, UC Irvine researchers will study how maternal signals and care before and after birth may increase an infant's vulnerability to adolescent cognitive and emotional problems, such as risky behaviors, addiction and depression.

12 Jun 2013

Nimodipine reduces febrile seizures

Fever-induced childhood seizures, known as febrile seizures, can be terrifying for parents to witness. The full-body convulsions, which mostly affect children six months to five years old, can last from mere seconds up to more than 40 minutes. Currently, children are not treated with daily anticonvulsant medication to prevent these seizures even when they recur repeatedly because toxic side effects of existing treatments outweigh potential benefits.

12 Jun 2013

New weapon in the fight against childhood brain cancer emerges

A relatively new weapon in the fight against childhood brain cancer has emerged that improves upon standard magnetic resonance imaging by providing information about tumor metabolism and extent of cancer in children diagnosed with glioma, a growth caused by the abnormal division of glial cells in the brain, say researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2013 Annual Meeting.

11 Jun 2013

Kessler Foundation receives grants from NJ Commission to study deficits in TBI patients

The New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research awarded two grants to scientists at Kessler Foundation to study emotional processing deficits in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the effects of aerobic exercise on memory impairments after TBI. The grants exceeded $500,000.

11 Jun 2013

Columbia psychiatry researchers suggest possible approaches to treat or prevent OCD

Columbia Psychiatry researchers have identified what they think may be a mechanism underlying the development of compulsive behaviors. The finding suggests possible approaches to treating or preventing certain characteristics of OCD.

11 Jun 2013

Brandeis University professor receives 2013 Neuroscience Prize for pioneering contributions in neural circuits

Eve Marder, PhD, a professor of neuroscience at Brandeis University, is the recipient of the 2013 Neuroscience Prize of The Gruber Foundation. Marder is being honored with this prestigious international award for her pioneering contributions to the understanding of neural circuits, particularly how the properties and dynamics of neural circuits give rise to specific behaviors.

11 Jun 2013

Study: Low birth weight babies with smaller brain volumes tied to academic deficits

An analysis of recent data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 97 adolescents who were part of study begun with very low birth weight babies born in 1982-1986 in a Cleveland neonatal intensive care unit has tied smaller brain volumes to poor academic achievement.

11 Jun 2013

Johns Hopkins expert in brain imaging receives 2013 Paul C. Aebersold Award

A Johns Hopkins expert in brain imaging, Dean F. Wong, M.D., Ph.D., has been honored with the prestigious 2013 Paul C. Aebersold Award for his contributions over the past 30 years in applying basic science to the field of nuclear medicine.

11 Jun 2013

Sugar ingestion associated with low dopamine release in patients with insulin resistance

Using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain, researchers have identified a sweet spot that operates in a disorderly way when simple sugars are introduced to people with insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

11 Jun 2013

Brain circuits involved in compulsive behavior reveal a surprising connection with obesity

What started as an experiment to probe brain circuits involved in compulsive behavior has revealed a surprising connection with obesity.

11 Jun 2013

Novel approach to pain therapy paves way for lower dosage painkillers

For patients managing cancer and other chronic health issues, painkillers such as morphine and Vicodin are often essential for pain relief. The body's natural tendency to develop tolerance to these medications, however, often requires patients to take higher doses - increasing risks of harmful side effects and dependency.

11 Jun 2013

Early intervention needed to reduce lifelong consequences in neglected or abused children

Preschool children who have been neglected or emotionally abused exhibit a range of emotional and behavioral difficulties and adverse mother-child interactions that indicate these children require prompt evaluation and interventions, according to a systematic review by Aideen Mary Naughton, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., D.C.H., F.R.C.P.C.H., of Public Health Wales, Pontypool, England, and colleagues.

11 Jun 2013

Stroke experts discuss benefits of endovascular therapy in treating acute ischemic stroke

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, recently brought together six of the world's prominent thought-leaders in stroke at the 2013 European Stroke Conference.

11 Jun 2013

Report shows low baseline DBP associated with brain atrophy in patients with arterial disease

Low baseline diastolic blood pressure appears to be associated with brain atrophy in patients with arterial disease, whenever declining levels of blood pressure over time among patients who had a higher baseline BP were associated with less progression of atrophy, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Neurology, a JAMA Network publication.

11 Jun 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study provides complete health picture of adult survivors of childhood cancer

New SPECT and MR imaging systems unveiled at SNMMI's 2013 Annual Meeting

Anti-nicotine vaccination can increase accumulation of nicotine in the brain, say neuroscientists

Johns Hopkins researchers develop experimental vaccine for TB meningitis

Understanding Phelan-McDermid Syndrome

Research finding offers new insight into stroke rehabilitation

UC Irvine researchers to study how maternal signals and care impact adolescent cognitive behaviors

Nimodipine reduces febrile seizures

New weapon in the fight against childhood brain cancer emerges

Kessler Foundation receives grants from NJ Commission to study deficits in TBI patients

Columbia psychiatry researchers suggest possible approaches to treat or prevent OCD

Brandeis University professor receives 2013 Neuroscience Prize for pioneering contributions in neural circuits

Study: Low birth weight babies with smaller brain volumes tied to academic deficits

Johns Hopkins expert in brain imaging receives 2013 Paul C. Aebersold Award

Sugar ingestion associated with low dopamine release in patients with insulin resistance

Brain circuits involved in compulsive behavior reveal a surprising connection with obesity

Novel approach to pain therapy paves way for lower dosage painkillers

Early intervention needed to reduce lifelong consequences in neglected or abused children

Stroke experts discuss benefits of endovascular therapy in treating acute ischemic stroke

Report shows low baseline DBP associated with brain atrophy in patients with arterial disease

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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