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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.

Ketamine may help treat severe depression, reduce suicidal urges, UAB researchers say

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers think ketamine, an anesthesia medication in use since the 1970s, might be a valuable tool in treating severe depression and reducing suicidal urges; they have launched two studies to explore the possibility.

27 Mar 2013

Study examines specific form of autism caused by duplication on chromosome 15

Identifying and understanding the combination of factors that leads to autism is an ongoing scientific challenge. This developmental disorder appears in the first three years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.

27 Mar 2013

Study provides important insight into how BMT treatment works in patients with MS

A new study by Multiple Sclerosis researchers at three leading Canadian centres addresses why bone marrow transplantation has positive results in patients with particularly aggressive forms of MS.

27 Mar 2013

Depression also diminish health benefits of physical activities, say researchers

Depression may inhibit the anti-inflammatory effects typically associated with physical activity and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

27 Mar 2013

Molecular biologist hopes to learn why degenerative disorder affects specific brain cells

Dr. Santosh D'Mello, professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of Texas at Dallas, has received a federal grant for research that may shed light on why and how specific brain cells are affected by Huntington's disease, a devastating, degenerative brain disorder.

27 Mar 2013

Lundbeck, Otsuka reach agreement to develop and commercialize Lu AE58054

H. Lundbeck A/S and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced a license and development agreement for Lu AE58054, a selective 5HT6 receptor antagonist currently in development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

26 Mar 2013

Researchers re-programme other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain

The field of cell therapy, which aims to form new cells in the body in order to cure disease, has taken another important step in the development towards new treatments.

26 Mar 2013

Gladstone investigator to receive Essey Award for fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institutes, next month will receive the Essey Award for his "Commitment to a Cure" from The ALS Association Golden West Chapter.

26 Mar 2013

New formula could estimate timing of final menstrual period

For women enduring hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, a new model could better estimate the timing of the final menstrual period, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

26 Mar 2013

Study: Virus that causes cold sores may be associated with cognitive problems

The virus that causes cold sores, along with other viral or bacterial infections, may be associated with cognitive problems, according to a new study published in the March 26, 2013, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Mar 2013

Migraines are related to brain abnormalities, new study suggests

A new study suggests that migraines are related to brain abnormalities present at birth and others that develop over time.

26 Mar 2013

Two studies shed light on molecular biology of three blood disorders

Two studies led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College shed light on the molecular biology of three blood disorders, leading to novel strategies to treat these diseases.

26 Mar 2013

Study provides understanding of root causes of clinical variability in anxiety disorders

New findings from nonhuman primates suggest that an overactive core circuit in the brain, and its interaction with other specialized circuits, accounts for the variability in symptoms shown by patients with severe anxiety.

26 Mar 2013

NIH-funded study documents possible risk factor for autism at 7 months of age

At 7 months of age, children who are later diagnosed with autism take a split second longer to shift their gaze during a task measuring eye movements and visual attention than do typically developing infants of the same age, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

26 Mar 2013

DNA damage is part of regular brain activity, say scientists

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that a certain type of DNA damage long thought to be particularly detrimental to brain cells can actually be part of a regular, non-harmful process.

25 Mar 2013

Study shows why certain drugs that interact with serotonin receptors have harmful effects

A team including scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has determined and analyzed the high-resolution atomic structures of two kinds of human serotonin receptor.

25 Mar 2013

Researchers expand hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplantation

More than 50,000 stem cell transplants are performed each year worldwide. A research team led by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators may have solved a major issue of expanding adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) outside the human body for clinical use in bone marrow transplantation -- a critical step towards producing a large supply of blood stem cells needed to restore a healthy blood system.

25 Mar 2013

Study reveals role of SNX27 protein in brain function

What is it about the extra chromosome inherited in Down syndrome-chromosome 21-that alters brain and body development? Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have new evidence that points to a protein called sorting nexin 27, or SNX27.

25 Mar 2013

Parkinson's Disease drug can help reverse age-related impairments in decision making: Study

A drug widely used to treat Parkinson's Disease can help to reverse age-related impairments in decision making in some older people, a study from researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging has shown.

25 Mar 2013

UNC study shows brain activity associated with mental illness in young children

Research from the University of North Carolina has shown that children at risk of developing schizophrenia have brains that function differently than those not at risk.

25 Mar 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Ketamine may help treat severe depression, reduce suicidal urges, UAB researchers say

Study examines specific form of autism caused by duplication on chromosome 15

Study provides important insight into how BMT treatment works in patients with MS

Depression also diminish health benefits of physical activities, say researchers

Molecular biologist hopes to learn why degenerative disorder affects specific brain cells

Lundbeck, Otsuka reach agreement to develop and commercialize Lu AE58054

Researchers re-programme other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain

Gladstone investigator to receive Essey Award for fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

New formula could estimate timing of final menstrual period

Study: Virus that causes cold sores may be associated with cognitive problems

Migraines are related to brain abnormalities, new study suggests

Two studies shed light on molecular biology of three blood disorders

Study provides understanding of root causes of clinical variability in anxiety disorders

NIH-funded study documents possible risk factor for autism at 7 months of age

DNA damage is part of regular brain activity, say scientists

Study shows why certain drugs that interact with serotonin receptors have harmful effects

Researchers expand hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplantation

Study reveals role of SNX27 protein in brain function

Parkinson's Disease drug can help reverse age-related impairments in decision making: Study

UNC study shows brain activity associated with mental illness in young children

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