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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.

FDA proposes new Innovation Pathway program for pioneering medical devices

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed the Innovation Pathway, a priority review program for new, breakthrough medical devices and announced the first submission: a brain-controlled, upper-extremity prosthetic that will serve as a pilot for the program. The FDA also announced plans to seek further public comment before the Pathway can be used more broadly.

9 Feb 2011

Specific gene variation may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's disease: New study

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has found evidence suggesting that a variation of a specific gene may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's, the disease which accounts for over 90% of Alzheimer's cases. This innovative study has combined genetics and brain imaging to determine who may be at risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms appear.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists monitor frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how it works

Like listeners adjusting a high-tech radio, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have tuned in to precise frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how the brain works.

9 Feb 2011

Urocortin system plays central role in regulating stress responses

Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect soldiers after combat or ordinary people who have undergone harrowing experiences. Of course, feelings of anxiety are normal and even desirable - they are part of what helps us survive in a world of real threats. But no less crucial is the return to normal - the slowing of the heartbeat and relaxation of tension - after the threat has passed.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein.

9 Feb 2011

New study: Cannabis use significantly hastens onset of psychotic illness

A new study has provided the first conclusive evidence that cannabis use significantly hastens the onset of psychotic illnesses during the critical years of brain development - with possible life-long consequences.

9 Feb 2011

CytRx's bafetinib helps reduce skeletal complications in cancer patients

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced that results from a series of preclinical studies show that bafetinib may be useful in preventing bone loss in cancer patients who are at high risk for this event.

8 Feb 2011

New study shows eggs are 14% lower in cholesterol

According to new nutrition data from the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, eggs are lower in cholesterol than previously thought.

8 Feb 2011

Positron anticipates expanded market opportunity for Attrius PET scanner

Positron Corporation a molecular imaging solutions company focused on nuclear cardiology, announced today that with the conditional U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Eli Lilly's PET imaging agent Amyvid (florbetapir), it expects to see an expanded market opportunity for its Attrius® PET scanner.

8 Feb 2011

Motorcycle helmets reduce spine injuries after collisions

Motorcycle helmets, long known to dramatically reduce the number of brain injuries and deaths from crashes, appear to also be associated with a lower risk of cervical spine injury, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests.

8 Feb 2011

Researchers develop reality-based video game therapies to help stroke patients

The Journal of the American Medical Society featured the research of NJIT Associate Professor Sergei Adamovich, a biomedical engineer. Adamovich and his research partners, physical therapists Alma Merians, PhD, PT, and Eugene Tunik, PhD, PT, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, have developed innovative robotic and virtual reality-based video game therapies to help stroke patients regain use of hands and arms.

8 Feb 2011

Scientists use fruit flies to study how prenatal alcohol exposure causes FAS

Drinking excess alcohol during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) due to the damaging effects of alcohol on a developing baby's brain. Despite its harmful effects, pregnant mothers continue to drink alcohol - up to 3 in every 1000 babies are born with FAS, which causes intellectual disabilities, behavioural problems, growth defects and abnormal facial features.

8 Feb 2011

Genentech's OCEANS Phase III study of Avastin in platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer meets primary endpoint

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that OCEANS, a Phase III study evaluating Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and gemcitabine) followed by continued use of Avastin alone until disease progression in women with previously treated (recurrent), platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, met its primary endpoint.

8 Feb 2011

Higher vitamin D levels and sun exposure linked to lower risk of multiple sclerosis

People who spend more time in the sun and those with higher vitamin D levels may be less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in the February 8, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. MS is a chronic disease of the brain and spinal cord, usually with recurrent flare-ups of symptoms. It is often preceded by a first episode (or event) of similar symptoms lasting days to weeks.

8 Feb 2011

TREK1 activity offers a key target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs

Using a unique and relatively simple cell-based fluorescent assay they developed, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley have identified a means by which fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, suppresses the activity of the TREK1 potassium channel.

8 Feb 2011

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Numerous studies have shown that the brain molecule neuropeptide Y (NPY) helps to restore calm after stressful events. A team of University of Michigan-led researchers has now found that people whose genes predispose them to produce lower levels of NPY are more responsive to negative stimuli in key brain circuits related to emotion - and are therefore less resilient in the face of stress and may be at higher risk for developing a major depressive disorder.

8 Feb 2011

Congress focuses on cognitive treatment for troops with traumatic brain injuries

A bipartisan group of 74 lawmakers issued a letter Friday demanding that the Pentagon's health plan cover a treatment for brain-injured soldiers known as cognitive rehabilitation therapy.

8 Feb 2011

Cleveland Clinic, JumpStart Ventures invest $500,000 in SironRX Therapeutics

JumpStart Ventures, the non-profit that invests in and partners with innovative, early-stage companies in Northeast Ohio, and Cleveland Clinic, announced a combined investment commitment of $500,000 in SironRX Therapeutics, Inc. The Cleveland-based company is developing a topical therapy to enhance healing of and decrease scar formation in wounds.

8 Feb 2011

Schizophrenia patients who consume antipsychotics appear to lose small amount of brain tissue

Patients with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications appear to lose a small but measurable amount of brain tissue over time, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Feb 2011

Transition reports second quarter 2011 net income of $24.28M vs. $6.05M net loss for second quarter 2010

Transition Therapeutics Inc., a product-focused biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for disease indications with large markets, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2010.

8 Feb 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

FDA proposes new Innovation Pathway program for pioneering medical devices

Specific gene variation may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's disease: New study

Scientists monitor frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how it works

Urocortin system plays central role in regulating stress responses

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

New study: Cannabis use significantly hastens onset of psychotic illness

CytRx's bafetinib helps reduce skeletal complications in cancer patients

New study shows eggs are 14% lower in cholesterol

Positron anticipates expanded market opportunity for Attrius PET scanner

Motorcycle helmets reduce spine injuries after collisions

Researchers develop reality-based video game therapies to help stroke patients

Scientists use fruit flies to study how prenatal alcohol exposure causes FAS

Genentech's OCEANS Phase III study of Avastin in platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer meets primary endpoint

Higher vitamin D levels and sun exposure linked to lower risk of multiple sclerosis

TREK1 activity offers a key target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Congress focuses on cognitive treatment for troops with traumatic brain injuries

Cleveland Clinic, JumpStart Ventures invest $500,000 in SironRX Therapeutics

Schizophrenia patients who consume antipsychotics appear to lose small amount of brain tissue

Transition reports second quarter 2011 net income of $24.28M vs. $6.05M net loss for second quarter 2010

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