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.

New methods to evaluate how astrocytes contribute to brain function

A study in The Journal of General Physiology presents new methods to evaluate how astrocytes contribute to brain function, paving the way for future exploration of these important brain cells at unprecedented levels of detail.

30 Apr 2013

Gray matter atrophy underlies PD subtypes

Patients with the postural instability gait difficulty subtype of Parkinson’s disease have marked gray matter atrophy relative to those with the tremor dominant subtype, shows research.

30 Apr 2013

Experts call for medical leaders to establish guidelines, embed honesty in academic cultures

Unethical behavior among physicians-in-training threatens to erode public trust and confidence in the medical profession, say two academic physicians in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

30 Apr 2013

UCLA study shows individuals with BDD have global bad wiring in their brains

Body dysmorphic disorder is a disabling but often misunderstood psychiatric condition in which people perceive themselves to be disfigured and ugly, even though they look normal to others. New research at UCLA shows that these individuals have abnormalities in the underlying connections in their brains.

30 Apr 2013

Researchers identify gene variations linked to male and female infertility

Identification of genetic variations in the genes coding for the hormone FSH may provide new treatments for male and female infertility, according to work presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen.

30 Apr 2013

Neurons in the nose could be the key to early diagnosis of schizophrenia, says researcher

A debilitating mental illness, schizophrenia can be difficult to diagnose. Because physiological evidence confirming the disease can only be gathered from the brain during an autopsy, mental health professionals have had to rely on a battery of psychological evaluations to diagnose their patients.

30 Apr 2013

Neuroscientists identify cellular change in the brain that accompanies obesity

A team of American and Italian neuroscientists has identified a cellular change in the brain that accompanies obesity. The findings could explain the body's tendency to maintain undesirable weight levels, rather than an ideal weight, and identify possible targets for pharmacological efforts to address obesity.

30 Apr 2013

Researchers create novel way to enhance MRI

Researchers at New York University and NYU Langone Medical Center have created a novel way to enhance MRI by reducing interference from large macromolecules that can often obscure images generated by current chemical exchange saturation transfer methods.

30 Apr 2013

New research shows more than a third of stroke patients don't get to hospital by ambulance

More than a third of stroke patients don't get to the hospital by ambulance, even though that's the fastest way to get there, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

30 Apr 2013

CVRx enrolls first patient in Barostim HOPE4HF clinical trial

CVRx, Inc., a private medical device company, announced the first patient enrolled in the Barostim HOPE4HF clinical trial. The study is evaluating the effectiveness and safety of CVRx's Barostim neo in heart failure patients.

29 Apr 2013

SLU study reveals that access to dermatologists limited for Medicaid-insured children with eczema

A recent Saint Louis University study revealed that Medicaid-insured children with eczema, an inflammatory skin condition that affects 20 percent children in the United States, do not have easy access to dermatologists.

29 Apr 2013

CHMP recommends approval of NUEDEXTA for treatment of pseudobulbar affect

Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion for NUEDEXTA (dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate), recommending NUEDEXTA be approved for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect, irrespective of neurologic cause.

29 Apr 2013

Study gives insight into underlying causes of specific learning disabilities

Up to 10 per cent of the population is affected by specific learning disabilities (SLDs), such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, translating to two or three pupils in every classroom, a new study has found.

29 Apr 2013

Pfizer reports that Prevenar 13 Phase 3 study meets all primary, secondary objectives

Pfizer Inc. presented today the results from a Phase 3 study investigating immunogenicity, tolerability and safety of Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]) in adults 18 to 49 years of age.

From Pfizer, Inc. 29 Apr 2013

Testosterone’s role in schizophrenia

Researchers from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) have presented new results about the role of testosterone in schizophrenia at the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research being held in Orlando, Florida.

26 Apr 2013

Researchers create "designer" tracer for earlier diagnosis and better treatments of Alzheimer's

One of the biggest challenges with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is that by the time physicians can detect behavioral changes, the disease has already begun its irreversibly destructive course.

26 Apr 2013

Network of genes is a crucial mechanism driving Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with researchers from Icelandic Heart Association, Sage Bionetworks, and other institutions, have discovered that a network of genes involved in the inflammatory response in the brain is a crucial mechanism driving Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD).

26 Apr 2013

Novel strategy for characterizing RNAs transported from nerve cell to synapse

Despite decades of research, relatively little is known about the identity of RNA molecules that are transported as part of the molecular process underpinning learning and memory.

26 Apr 2013

Antihistamine drugs work by preventing histamine from attaching to H1 receptors

Itchy eyes, scratchy throat, running nose--it's allergy season! What triggers these allergic reactions, and how do allergy medications work?

26 Apr 2013

Geisinger and Bucknell celebrates opening of Autism and Developmental Medicine Center

Officials from Geisinger Health System and Bucknell University celebrated the grand opening of the Autism and Developmental Medicine Center, a national model for implementing guidelines for early diagnosis, medication management and treatment options for children with developmental disorders.

26 Apr 2013