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.

Skin vibrations convey information to the brain much the same way as auditory system

When you walk into a darkened room, your first instinct is to feel around for a light switch. You slide your hand along the wall, feeling the transition from the doorframe to the painted drywall, and then up and down until you find the metal or plastic plate of the switch. During the process you use your sense of touch to develop an image in your mind of the wall's surface and make a better guess for where the switch is.

12 Dec 2012

UBC researcher helps create new gel that could glue blood vessels back together

A University of British Columbia researcher has helped create a gel - based on the mussel's knack for clinging to rocks, piers and boat hulls - that can be painted onto the walls of blood vessels and stay put, forming a protective barrier with potentially life-saving implications.

12 Dec 2012

Tips for parents to tackle kids' Christmas wish lists

In an era when iPads are beating out Legos for the top spot on kids' Christmas wish lists, parents need to be mindful that moderation is the key in this digital age, according to Montefiore Medical Center child psychologist Rahil Briggs, Psy.D.

12 Dec 2012

Drugs that bind to specific serotonin receptors can improve and impair female sexual function

Drugs that bind to specific serotonin receptors in the brain can both improve and impair female sexual function in non-human primates.

12 Dec 2012

Cognitive retrieval impaired in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia show impairments in the autobiographical memory retrieval brain network, French researchers report.

12 Dec 2012

Scientists determine specific genetic switches that sync liver activity to the circadian cycle

When it's dark, and we start to fall asleep, most of us think we're tired because our bodies need rest. Yet circadian rhythms affect our bodies not just on a global scale, but at the level of individual organs, and even genes.

12 Dec 2012

Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards to recognize Texas researchers on Jan.17

The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas (TAMEST) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards who will be honored during a banquet on Thursday, January 17, 2013, in conjunction with TAMEST's 10th Annual Conference at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Dallas.

12 Dec 2012

Emotion helps us recognize words quicker and more accurately straight away

Does the emotion in our voice have a lasting effect? According to Annett Schirmer and colleagues from the National University of Singapore, emotion helps us recognize words quicker and more accurately straight away.

12 Dec 2012

Study identifies KNDy neurons as a likely control switch of hot flushes

Hot flushes affect millions of people, and not just women. Yet, it is still unclear what causes the episodes of temperature discomfort, often accompanied by profuse sweating.

12 Dec 2012

Autism associated with reductions in cellular adhesion molecules in the blood

A new study published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that autism is associated with reductions in the level of cellular adhesion molecules in the blood, where they play a role in immune function.

12 Dec 2012

AC253 drug appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a drug intended for diabetes appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells.

11 Dec 2012

Dementia therapy: an interview with Assoc Prof. Olivier Piguet and Sharon Savage

Dementia is the umbrella term used to describe a number of neurodegenerative brain disorders that cause progressive changes in thinking abilities and behaviour. The kind of deficits experienced by individuals diagnosed with dementia depends on the location and severity of the pathology in the brain.

11 Dec 2012

Recurrence unlikely in childhood cryptogenic stroke

Children with cryptogenic stroke, including that associated with previous varicella infection, are very unlikely to have a recurrence, report researchers.

11 Dec 2012

Cedars-Sinai first in Los Angeles County to achieve Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification

Cedars-Sinai is one of the first five medical centers in the nation and the first in Los Angeles County to achieve Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

11 Dec 2012

Some stroke patients may benefit from cerebral angioplasty and stent placement

Some stroke patients may benefit from cerebral angioplasty and stent placement, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

11 Dec 2012

Carbon nanotubes can help regulate chloride levels in nerve cells that contribute to neural injuries

A nanomaterial engineered by researchers at Duke can help regulate chloride levels in nerve cells that contribute to chronic pain, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.

11 Dec 2012

Traumatic brain injury incidence: an interview with Professor Valery Feigin

Traumatic brain injury can be defined as an injury to the brain due to mechanical forces. Mechanical forces usually include falls, car accidents, accidental forces from another person or animal. It also includes sports-related brain injuries.

11 Dec 2012

Weill Cornell research team develops new experimental drug therapy to target DLBCL

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancer. The most chemotherapy resistant form of DLBCL, called activated B-cell - DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL), remains a major therapeutic challenge.

11 Dec 2012

Lack of TDP-43 protein can lead to frontotemporal dementia/ALS

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have uncovered a toxic cellular process by which a protein that maintains the health of neurons becomes deficient and can lead to dementia.

11 Dec 2012

Easy ways to prevent dry skin

What do cleansers, alcohol and coffee have in common? They are the worst enemies of your skin during winter, sucking out the moisture from your skin and making it extremely dry and itchy.

11 Dec 2012