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.

New genetic process could provide novel target for treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders

Researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, have discovered a new genetic process that could one day provide a novel target for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability and autism.

7 Dec 2012

Study reveals dual role for Norrin/Frizzled-4 protein pair

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have shed light on the activity of a protein pair found in cells that form the walls of blood vessels in the brain and retina, experiments that could lead to therapeutic control of the blood-brain barrier and of blood vessel growth in the eye.

7 Dec 2012

BDNF molecule appears to play a direct role in regulation of blood pressure

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry have made an important connection between a molecule critical to nerve cells and high blood pressure. Production of the molecule Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) appears to increase dramatically in blood pressure-sensing nerve cells during hypertension.

7 Dec 2012

Advance Study to evaluate safety and benefit of DBS-f for patients with mild Alzheimer's

The first U.S. patient to enroll in Functional Neuromodulation's ADvance Study was successfully implanted with a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system. ADvance will evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of DBS of the fornix (DBS-f), a major inflow and output pathway in the brain's memory circuit, for patients with mild Alzheimer's.

7 Dec 2012

Ketogenic diet and fasting can reduce seizures in children

Children with persistent and drug-resistant seizures treated with the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet may get an added therapeutic benefit from periodic fasting, according to a small Johns Hopkins Children's Center study.

7 Dec 2012

Kessler Foundation to study effects of intellectual enrichment on cognitive decline in people with MS

The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society awarded Victoria Leavitt, Ph.D., a $44,000 grant to study the effects of intellectual enrichment on cognitive decline in individual with multiple sclerosis.

7 Dec 2012

People with glaucoma show delayed eye movement reaction times

Rapid eye movements are significantly delayed in patients with glaucoma, even those in the early stages of the disease, research has found.

7 Dec 2012

SOX2 directly regulated by tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene

A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Manuel Serrano, from the Tumour Suppression Group, together with scientists from London and Santiago de Compostela, has discovered that the cellular reprogramming gene SOX2, which is involved in several types of cancers, such as lung cancer and pituitary cancer, is directly regulated by the tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene, which is also associated with these types of cancer.

6 Dec 2012

Scientists identify novel mechanism by which ketogenic diet could delay effects of aging

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified a novel mechanism by which a type of low-carb, low-calorie diet-called a "ketogenic diet"-could delay the effects of aging. This fundamental discovery reveals how such a diet could slow the aging process and may one day allow scientists to better treat or prevent age-related diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and many forms of cancer.

6 Dec 2012

Scientists identify key molecular pathway that leads to depression

Scientists have identified the key molecular pathway leading to depression, revealing potential new targets for drug discovery, according to research led by King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry. The study, published today in Neuropsychopharmacology, reveals for the first time that the 'Hedgehog pathway' regulates how stress hormones, usually elevated during depression, reduce the number of brain cells.

6 Dec 2012

UC San Diego Health System receives Comprehensive Stroke Center designation

UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest is one of five facilities in the country, and the only center in San Diego County, to be recognized as one of the first Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC), the newest level of certification for advanced stroke care awarded by The Joint Commission.

6 Dec 2012

Fexinidazole enters Phase II/III clinical study to treat sleeping sickness

A new oral-only treatment for sleeping sickness has entered Phase II/III clinical study in patients with late-stage sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and soon in Central African Republic (CAR).

6 Dec 2012

New technology allows noninvasive SpHb assessments for children undergoing brain surgery

For children undergoing brain surgery, a new technology allows noninvasive, continuous monitoring of blood hemoglobin levels, according to a study in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

6 Dec 2012

Investigators describe process by which apoE4 protein promotes development of Alzheimer's

Despite researchers' best efforts, no drug exists that can slow, halt or reverse the onslaught of Alzheimer's disease. A progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer's has stolen the memories and livelihoods of millions-leaving patients and their families struggling to cope with the disease's devastating consequences. But today, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes propose a new research avenue that has the potential to change all that.

6 Dec 2012

Dendritic spines respond to and process synaptic inputs both chemically and electrically

It's the least understood organ in the human body: the brain, a massive network of electrically excitable neurons, all communicating with one another via receptors on their tree-like dendrites. Somehow these cells work together to enable great feats of human learning and memory. But how?

6 Dec 2012

Scientists develop MitoFish for in vivo studies of mitochondria transport in nerve cells

Scientists have demonstrated a new way to investigate mechanisms at work in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, which also could prove useful in the search for effective drugs. For new insights, they turned to the zebrafish, which is transparent in the early stages of its life. The researchers developed a transgenic variety, the "MitoFish," that enables them to see - within individual neurons of living animals - how brain diseases disturb the transport of mitochondria, the power plants of the cell.

6 Dec 2012

CPRIT announces new grants to support variety of cancer-fighting research projects in Texas

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) today announced more than $85 million in funding to support 75 new scientific research projects and scientific recruits to support a variety of cancer-fighting efforts in Texas. These new awards bring the total tally of funded grants to 502, amounting to nearly $841 million since the Institute opened its doors in 2009.

6 Dec 2012

TSRI scientist to better define how brain organizes different types of memories among neurons

A scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has been awarded approximately $2.5 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to better define how the brain organizes different types of memories among its neurons.

6 Dec 2012

Western University research could lead to better treatments for PTSD and drug addiction

New research from Western University could lead to better treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and drug addiction by effectively blocking memories. The research performed by Nicole Lauzon, a PhD candidate in the laboratory of Steven Laviolette at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry has revealed a common mechanism in a region of the brain called the pre-limbic cortex, can control the recall of memories linked to both aversive, traumatic experiences associated with PTSD and rewarding memories linked to drug addiction.

6 Dec 2012

First U.S. patient treated with deep brain stimulation for Alzheimer's at Johns Hopkins

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in November surgically implanted a pacemaker-like device into the brain of a patient in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, the first such operation in the United States. The device, which provides deep brain stimulation and has been used in thousands of people with Parkinson's disease, is seen as a possible means of boosting memory and reversing cognitive decline.

6 Dec 2012

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

New genetic process could provide novel target for treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders

Study reveals dual role for Norrin/Frizzled-4 protein pair

BDNF molecule appears to play a direct role in regulation of blood pressure

Advance Study to evaluate safety and benefit of DBS-f for patients with mild Alzheimer's

Ketogenic diet and fasting can reduce seizures in children

Kessler Foundation to study effects of intellectual enrichment on cognitive decline in people with MS

People with glaucoma show delayed eye movement reaction times

SOX2 directly regulated by tumor suppressor CDKN1B(p27) gene

Scientists identify novel mechanism by which ketogenic diet could delay effects of aging

Scientists identify key molecular pathway that leads to depression

UC San Diego Health System receives Comprehensive Stroke Center designation

Fexinidazole enters Phase II/III clinical study to treat sleeping sickness

New technology allows noninvasive SpHb assessments for children undergoing brain surgery

Investigators describe process by which apoE4 protein promotes development of Alzheimer's

Dendritic spines respond to and process synaptic inputs both chemically and electrically

Scientists develop MitoFish for in vivo studies of mitochondria transport in nerve cells

CPRIT announces new grants to support variety of cancer-fighting research projects in Texas

TSRI scientist to better define how brain organizes different types of memories among neurons

Western University research could lead to better treatments for PTSD and drug addiction

First U.S. patient treated with deep brain stimulation for Alzheimer's at Johns Hopkins

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Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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