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.

Iodine 131 exposure during childhood increases risk of developing thyroid cancer

Alan H. Lockwood, MD, professor of neurology and nuclear medicine in the University at Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences calls the Japanese Health Ministry's advice not to give tap water to infants "prudent."

24 Mar 2011

Dopamine agonists used in treatment of Parkinson's disease may lead to impulse control disorders

Mayo Clinic researchers found that dopamine agonists used in treating Parkinson's disease result in impulse control disorders in as many as 22 percent of patients.

24 Mar 2011

John Muir Health provides new cancer treatment using Varian's RapidArc radiation therapy

John Muir Health is offering a new cancer treatment option using the latest technology from Varian Medical Systems - The Trilogy Linear Accelerator with RapidArc Technology. The new accelerator, located at John Muir Medical Center, Concord, significantly shortens treatment sessions from 15-20 minutes to 2-5 minutes, while improving the precision of the radiotherapy.

24 Mar 2011

Gut bacteria and state of immune system influence personality

Researchers at McMaster University discovered that the "cross-talk" between bacteria in our gut and our brain plays an important role in the development of psychiatric illness, intestinal diseases and probably other health problems as well including obesity.

24 Mar 2011

Cardiac pacing may help epilepsy patients with seizure-related falls

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that cardiac pacing may help epilepsy patients with seizure-related falls due to ictal asystole, an unusual condition in which the heart stops beating during an epileptic seizure. The study was recently published in the journal Epilepsia.

24 Mar 2011

High sugar, high fat diets during pregnancy may cause infants to become junk food junkies

A new research report published online in The FASEB Journal suggests that pregnant mothers who eat high sugar and high fat diets have babies who are likely to become junk food junkies themselves. According to the report, which used rats, this happens because the high fat and high sugar diet leads to changes in the fetal brain's reward pathway, altering food preferences.

24 Mar 2011

Researchers develop new epileptic seizure-detection method

Researchers at Concordia University have pioneered a computer-based method to detect epileptic seizures as they occur - a new technique that may open a window on the brain's electrical activity.

24 Mar 2011

New research: Methadone can affect brain and impair intellectual functions

Methadone has been used to treat heroin addicts for nearly 50 years. Yet we have surprisingly incomplete knowledge about possible harmful effects from prolonged use. New research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shows that methadone affects the brain and impairs the attention of experimental animals.

24 Mar 2011

Cell receptor recycling mechanism discovery opens up new class of therapeutic targets

Prof. Manojkumar Puthenveedu of Carnegie Mellon University studies the mechanisms by which membrane trafficking controls and co-ordinates the complex signalling pathways in the brain. Despite the fact that almost all diseases can be traced to a defect in how cells respond to signals, little is known about how signalling pathways are maintained in normal cells and the changes that occur in abnormal conditions.

23 Mar 2011

New research on brain plasticity may delay onset of Alzheimer's disease

The human brain loses 5 to 10% of its weight between the ages of 20 and 90 years old. While some cells are lost, the brain is equipped with two compensatory mechanisms: plasticity and redundancy.

23 Mar 2011

SCCA, ProCure to open new proton therapy center for cancer treatment

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, together with ProCure Treatment Centers Inc., today held its ceremonial groundbreaking on a new proton therapy center in north Seattle that will provide a first-of-its-kind treatment option for cancer patients throughout the Northwest.

23 Mar 2011

Biologists decipher molecular code regulating availability of brain channel linked to neuronal excitability

A key question in protein biochemistry is how proteins recognize "correct" interaction partners in a sea of cellular factors. Nowhere is that more critical to know than in the brain, where interactions governing channel protein activity can alter an organism's behavior.

23 Mar 2011

Corticosteroids may decrease occurrence of hospital-acquired pneumonia in ICU patients

Patients admitted to a hospital with major trauma and treated with the steroid hydrocortisone were less likely to be diagnosed with hospital-acquired pneumonia than patients who received placebo, according to a study in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

23 Mar 2011

Insight into 'contagious itch'

Can you catch an itch? The answer is yes. Dermatologist Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been researching what's known as "contagious itch."

23 Mar 2011

Mayo Clinic receives $1 million gift for Lewy body dementia study

To help continue its internationally recognized work in Lewy body dementia, the Harry T. Mangurian, Jr., Foundation has awarded Mayo Clinic a $1 million gift, pledged over four years. Lewy body dementia, which combines aspects of both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, is the second most common form of dementia in the United States.

23 Mar 2011

Children have a hard time spotting biased information or exaggerated claims

A UT Dallas researcher is examining how children evaluate information to solve problems and learn how to think critically, with the aim of combating misleading advertising aimed at young people.

23 Mar 2011

Cardiff study discovers protein that protects pancreatic cells against alcohol effects

A Cardiff University-led study has discovered that a protein provides protection against the effects of alcohol in the pancreas.

23 Mar 2011

Iron deficiency during pregnancy may impact child's brain development

A mother's iron deficiency early in pregnancy may have a profound and long-lasting effect on the brain development of the child, even if the lack of iron is not enough to cause severe anemia, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study published in the scientific journal PLoS One.

23 Mar 2011

Larger hippocampal volume linked with recovery of PTSD

The hippocampus, a brain region implicated in memory and interpreting environmental contexts, has been the focus of a controversy in posttraumatic stress disorder.

22 Mar 2011

Study to measure lower pressure's impact on kidney disease, cognitive function

Georgia Health Sciences University is enrolling patients in a federally funded study to determine if a lower blood pressure reduces the progression of kidney disease.

22 Mar 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Iodine 131 exposure during childhood increases risk of developing thyroid cancer

Dopamine agonists used in treatment of Parkinson's disease may lead to impulse control disorders

John Muir Health provides new cancer treatment using Varian's RapidArc radiation therapy

Gut bacteria and state of immune system influence personality

Cardiac pacing may help epilepsy patients with seizure-related falls

High sugar, high fat diets during pregnancy may cause infants to become junk food junkies

Researchers develop new epileptic seizure-detection method

New research: Methadone can affect brain and impair intellectual functions

Cell receptor recycling mechanism discovery opens up new class of therapeutic targets

New research on brain plasticity may delay onset of Alzheimer's disease

SCCA, ProCure to open new proton therapy center for cancer treatment

Biologists decipher molecular code regulating availability of brain channel linked to neuronal excitability

Corticosteroids may decrease occurrence of hospital-acquired pneumonia in ICU patients

Insight into 'contagious itch'

Mayo Clinic receives $1 million gift for Lewy body dementia study

Children have a hard time spotting biased information or exaggerated claims

Cardiff study discovers protein that protects pancreatic cells against alcohol effects

Iron deficiency during pregnancy may impact child's brain development

Larger hippocampal volume linked with recovery of PTSD

Study to measure lower pressure's impact on kidney disease, cognitive function

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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