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.

Perceptual learning may hold promise for improving visual functions in people with central vision loss

Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss-taking advantage of visual plasticity that persists even in old age, according to a special article in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

28 May 2013

Blinding and blinding assessment rarely documented in trial reports

A paper published in the current issue of P&P? tests the widely accepted assumption in drug trials: neither evaluators nor patients know whether the patient is getting drug or placebo (double blindness).

28 May 2013

Exposure to bug or weed killers is associated with higher risk of Parkinson's disease

A large analysis of more than 100 studies from around the world shows that exposure to pesticides, or bug and weed killers, and solvents is likely associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease. The research appears in the May 28, 2013, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 May 2013

New AAN guideline provides direction for use of blood thinners during surgery

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology will help people who take blood thinners decide whether or not to take them during surgery or other medical procedures.

28 May 2013

St James's Institute of Oncology orders two Versa HD systems to improve patient care

St James's Institute of Oncology, a leading radiotherapy center in the UK, recently ordered two Versa HD™ systems, an advanced linear accelerator designed to improve patient care and treat a wide range of tumors throughout the body.

From Elekta 28 May 2013

More evidence of high oxidative stress levels found in Down syndrome neurons

Down syndrome, the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, results from an extra copy of one chromosome. Although people with Down syndrome experience intellectual difficulties and other problems, scientists have had trouble identifying why that extra chromosome causes such widespread effects.

28 May 2013

New animal model provides insight into early stages of Parkinson's disease

At the present, no cure exists for Parkinson's disease, although symptomatic intervention, including treatment with dopamine agonists, can alleviate patients' motor impairment. Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, after Alzheimer's disease; it is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 patients are affected by Parkinson's disease in Germany alone.

28 May 2013

Scientists question strategy to target critical protein in the brain to combat Alzheimer's disease

In the search for medication against Alzheimer's disease, scientists have focused - among other factors - on drugs that can break down Amyloid beta (A-beta). After all, it is the accumulation of A-beta that causes the known plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Starting point for the formation of A-beta is APP. Alessia Soldano and Bassem Hassan (VIB/KU Leuven) were the first to unravel the function of APPL - the fruit-fly version of APP - in the brain of healthy fruit flies.

28 May 2013

Boston Scientific's GUIDE DBS System gets CE Mark approval

Boston Scientific Corporation has received CE Mark approval for use of the GUIDE DBS System, the world's first deep brain stimulation visualization system.

28 May 2013

TF-CBT and EMDR are effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder

Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder.

27 May 2013

Neuroscientists identify key circuit elements that contribute to everyday decision in ACC

You are sitting on your couch flipping through TV channels trying to decide whether to stay put or get up for a snack. Such everyday decisions about whether to "stay" or to "go" are supported by a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is part of the prefrontal cortex.

27 May 2013

Researchers are exploring how healthy people who hear voices can help schizophrenics

How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen. Researchers from the Bergen fMRI Group at the University of Bergen (UiB) are working on how to help schizophrenics, who hear voices. The way they do this is by studying people who also hear voices, but who do not suffer from a mental illness.

27 May 2013

Study: Therapies targeting regulatory T cells could be a promising approach in cancer treatment

Cancer cells spread and grow by avoiding detection and destruction by the immune system. Stimulation of the immune system can help to eliminate cancer cells; however, there are many factors that cause the immune system to ignore cancer cells.

27 May 2013

Researchers identify mutations in new genes that might be associated with ALS disease

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified mutations in several new genes that might be associated with the development of spontaneously occurring cases of the neurodegenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

27 May 2013

Calyx of Held: The largest synapse could shed light on neuropsychiatric disorders

Humans and most mammals can determine the spatial origin of sounds with remarkable acuity. We use this ability all the time -- crossing the street; locating an invisible ringing cell phone in a cluttered bedroom.

27 May 2013

NTU's new medical school to use plastinated human bodies for medical education

Nanyang Technological University's new medical school will be pioneering the use of plastinated bodies for medical education in Singapore.

27 May 2013

Study could open up new possibilities for early diagnosis of motor disorders

The scientists report these findings in the current online edition of "The Lancet Neurology". This pan-European study could open up new possibilities of early diagnosis and smooth the way for treatments which tackle diseases before the patient's nervous system is irreparably damaged.

24 May 2013

Research report examines trends in pediatric organ donation and transplantation

Changes in the circumstances of when organs are donated to pediatric patients has resulted in a decreased number of organ transplant wait-list deaths over the past decade, according to research published online this week in the journal Pediatrics.

24 May 2013

Research: Anti-cancer drug tested as possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease proved ineffective

An anti-cancer drug about to be tested in a clinical trial by a biomedical company in Ohio as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease has failed to work with the same type of brain plaques that plague Alzheimer's patients, according to results of a study by University of Florida researchers.

24 May 2013

Research findings may offer new hope to stroke victims

A study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital found "substantial evidence" that a regenerative process involving damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord could hold the key to better functional recovery by most stroke victims.

24 May 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Perceptual learning may hold promise for improving visual functions in people with central vision loss

Blinding and blinding assessment rarely documented in trial reports

Exposure to bug or weed killers is associated with higher risk of Parkinson's disease

New AAN guideline provides direction for use of blood thinners during surgery

St James's Institute of Oncology orders two Versa HD systems to improve patient care

More evidence of high oxidative stress levels found in Down syndrome neurons

New animal model provides insight into early stages of Parkinson's disease

Scientists question strategy to target critical protein in the brain to combat Alzheimer's disease

Boston Scientific's GUIDE DBS System gets CE Mark approval

TF-CBT and EMDR are effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder

Neuroscientists identify key circuit elements that contribute to everyday decision in ACC

Researchers are exploring how healthy people who hear voices can help schizophrenics

Study: Therapies targeting regulatory T cells could be a promising approach in cancer treatment

Researchers identify mutations in new genes that might be associated with ALS disease

Calyx of Held: The largest synapse could shed light on neuropsychiatric disorders

NTU's new medical school to use plastinated human bodies for medical education

Study could open up new possibilities for early diagnosis of motor disorders

Research report examines trends in pediatric organ donation and transplantation

Research: Anti-cancer drug tested as possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease proved ineffective

Research findings may offer new hope to stroke victims

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

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Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

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