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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.

Laser light can kill cancer cells by pumping drugs into them

Shining a laser light on cells and then clicking off the light makes the cells "breathe in" surrounding water, providing a potentially powerful delivery system for chemotherapy drugs, as well as a non-invasive way to target anti-Alzheimer's medicines to the brain. That's the conclusion of a report in ACS's The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

17 Mar 2011

Blind people's brains rewire part of mind associated with sight to process sound

Dr. Olivier Collignon of the University of Montreal's Saint-Justine Hospital Research Centre compared the brain activity of people who can see and people who were born blind, and discovered that the part of the brain that normally works with our eyes to process vision and space perception can actually rewire itself to process sound information instead.

17 Mar 2011

New study: Positive outcomes from gene therapy trial in patients with Parkinson's

A multi-center gene therapy trial for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease demonstrated reduced symptoms of the progressive movement disorder, according to a new study published in Lancet Neurology.

17 Mar 2011

65-year-old woman receives new neurostimulator implant for deep brain stimulation therapy

A 65-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease became the first patient in the United States to receive a new device for deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy.

17 Mar 2011

Gene therapy holds promise for Parkinson's treatment

A first-of-its-kind study of gene therapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease determined that half of all patients who received the treatment had "clinically meaningful improvements" of their symptoms within six months of surgery.

17 Mar 2011

Personalized dendritic cell vaccine may increase median survival in mesenchymal glioblastoma patients

A dendritic cell vaccine personalized for each individual based on the patient's own tumor may increase median survival time in those with a deadly form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, an early phase study at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

17 Mar 2011

Naltrexone may be effective in women with specific genetic variation

Results from a new study suggest that one of the most prescribed medications for alcohol dependence may be more effective in some people. Preliminary results show that naltrexone, one of the only medications approved for treating people with alcohol abuse problems, may only be effective in women and those with a specific genetic variation.

17 Mar 2011

The Lancet Neurology publishes Neurologix NLX-P101 Phase 2 trial results against PD

Neurologix, Inc., announced today that the results of the Company's Phase 2 clinical trial for its novel, investigational gene therapy NLX-P101 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease were published in an online-first edition of The Lancet Neurology.

17 Mar 2011

Medtronic introduces Activa SC deep brain stimulation system in the U.S. and Europe

With the first U.S. implant of its new Activa SC neurostimulator for deep brain stimulation therapy, Medtronic, Inc. today announced the technology's commercial availability throughout the United States and Europe.

17 Mar 2011

Results from first successful phase 2 trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's or any neurologic disorder

A gene therapy called NLX-P101 dramatically reduces movement impairment in Parkinson's patients, according to results of a Phase 2 study published today in the journal Lancet Neurology. The approach introduces a gene into the brain to normalize chemical signaling.

16 Mar 2011

BistroMD releases exclusive videos to educate women on menopause, weight gain

BistroMD, the number one physician-designed, chef-prepared meal delivery company in the United States, is releasing a series of exclusive videos where the company's founding physician, Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D., educates women on how to cope with menopause and weight gain.

16 Mar 2011

Cortex enters agreement with Biovail to regain AMPAKINE assets and rights

Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Biovail Laboratories International SRL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., to regain the AMPAKINE® assets and rights related to respiratory depression.

16 Mar 2011

Study: Bodychecking linked with brain injury among hockey players

Minor league hockey players in the Atom division are more than 10 times likely to suffer a brain injury since bodychecking was first allowed among the 9 and 10-year-olds, says a study led by St. Michael's Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Cusimano.

16 Mar 2011

NKI's eye-tracking I-Portal research to be showcased at 2011 Brain Injury Awareness Day

Neuro Kinetics, Inc., manufacturers of noninvasive medical diagnostic equipment used worldwide for neurophysiologic/neurotologic testing, said today that it will showcase its eye-tracking I-Portal technology and the company's collaborative push with the military to develop earlier diagnosis of combat injuries, at the upcoming 2011 Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

16 Mar 2011

TESE offers fertility to male cancer survivors

An intricate procedure that finds and carefully removes individual sperm from testicular tissue has made fathers of men who were once considered sterile due to prior cancer treatment, say researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center who pioneered the technique.

16 Mar 2011

Protein folding may aid in developing new therapies for brain diseases

Misfold an origami swan and the worst that happens is you wind up with an ugly paper duckling. Misfold one of the vital proteins in your body - each of which must be folded in a particular way to perform its function - and the result can be a debilitating neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's or Huntington's.

16 Mar 2011

Manchester research offers hope for congenital hyperinsulinism treatment

University of Manchester scientists have led an international team to discover new treatments for a rare and potentially lethal childhood disease that is the clinical opposite of diabetes mellitus.

16 Mar 2011

BRAF gene defect leads to pilocytic astrocytoma in children

Pilocytic astrocytoma, the most common brain tumor in children, is usually slow-growing and benign. However, surgeons often cannot completely remove the diffusely growing tumor.

16 Mar 2011

Artesunate more effective against severe malaria

Quinine should no longer be the drug of choice for treating severe malaria, according to an updated systematic review by Cochrane researchers. It is now evident that the antimalarial drug artesunate, which is derived from herbs used in Chinese medicine, is more effective at preventing death in patients with severe malaria.

16 Mar 2011

Post-stroke depression management can lead to better physical functioning

Stroke patients who are not successfully treated for depression are at higher risk of losing some of their capability to function normally, according to a study in the March 15, 2011 issue of the journal Neurology.

16 Mar 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Laser light can kill cancer cells by pumping drugs into them

Blind people's brains rewire part of mind associated with sight to process sound

New study: Positive outcomes from gene therapy trial in patients with Parkinson's

65-year-old woman receives new neurostimulator implant for deep brain stimulation therapy

Gene therapy holds promise for Parkinson's treatment

Personalized dendritic cell vaccine may increase median survival in mesenchymal glioblastoma patients

Naltrexone may be effective in women with specific genetic variation

The Lancet Neurology publishes Neurologix NLX-P101 Phase 2 trial results against PD

Medtronic introduces Activa SC deep brain stimulation system in the U.S. and Europe

Results from first successful phase 2 trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's or any neurologic disorder

BistroMD releases exclusive videos to educate women on menopause, weight gain

Cortex enters agreement with Biovail to regain AMPAKINE assets and rights

Study: Bodychecking linked with brain injury among hockey players

NKI's eye-tracking I-Portal research to be showcased at 2011 Brain Injury Awareness Day

TESE offers fertility to male cancer survivors

Protein folding may aid in developing new therapies for brain diseases

Manchester research offers hope for congenital hyperinsulinism treatment

BRAF gene defect leads to pilocytic astrocytoma in children

Artesunate more effective against severe malaria

Post-stroke depression management can lead to better physical functioning

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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