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.

Caution over monoclonal antibody treatment for MS

Alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, provides a more effective treatment for individuals with relapsing‑remitting multiple sclerosis than the immunomodulating drug interferon beta 1a, but has significant side effects, show findings from a phase III trial.

12 Nov 2012

Radiotherapy protocol deviations: an interview with Dr Nitin Ohri

Radiotherapy is a key component of cancer therapy. A majority of cancer patients get radiotherapy in some form at some point in their disease course. It can be used in a curative setting or in a palliative setting.

12 Nov 2012

Bleed size key to prognosis after childhood hemorrhagic stroke

Hemorrhage volume is an important predictor of long-term outcomes in children who survive hemorrhagic stroke, a study shows.

9 Nov 2012

Close monitoring needed in year after traumatic brain injury

Patients are at particularly high risk for developing epilepsy during the first year after traumatic brain injury, a study shows.

9 Nov 2012

New vaccines and drug treatments urgently needed for bacterial meningitis

New vaccines and drug treatments are urgently needed for bacterial meningitis, a devastating disease which kills or maims around a fifth of people who contract it, according to medical experts writing in a new Series on bacterial meningitis, published in The Lancet.

9 Nov 2012

Dream images could provide insights into people's mental health problems

Dream images could provide insights into people's mental health problems and may help with their treatment, according to a psychology researcher from the University of Adelaide.

9 Nov 2012

Patients more likely to develop ischemic stroke after total hip replacement surgeries

An international study involving the University of Southampton has shown people who undergo a total hip replacement are at a higher risk of a stroke in the first two weeks after surgery.

9 Nov 2012

Autism Speaks releases biological and clinical data from 383 new AGRE families

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, is proud to announce the release of biological and clinical data from 383 new families participating in Autism Speaks Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) to researchers. AGRE is a resource for scientists that is comprised of clinical and biological data from families who have two or more children on the autism spectrum.

9 Nov 2012

Longer looks: People with mental disabilities have a vote; Genome sequencing raises hope - also anxiety

I may get Alzheimer's disease, I was told after getting my DNA analyzed. I could suffer the consequences of an abnormal blood clot in my heart or my brain. Or perhaps I'll suffer from a disease called primary myelofibrosis that's caused by an overactive bone marrow. All of these were possible outcomes, based on my genetic profile. In each case, the test only gives an increased risk for disease, not a definitive diagnosis.

9 Nov 2012

Teleconcussion for diagnosis and management of mild TBI in athletes

Concussion is a common disorder estimated to affect no fewer than 1.7-3.8 million people in the U.S. each year. Many more people with concussion likely do not seek medical care for symptoms of concussion and may suffer long-lasting, progressive, and profoundcognitive, psychiatric, and neurologic effects.

9 Nov 2012

Inactivating beta2 subunit of nicotinic receptors may help smokers quit without feeling anxious

Preclinical data suggests inactivation of a specific sub-class of nicotinic receptors may be an effective strategy to help smokers quit without feeling anxious, according to Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

9 Nov 2012

Dopamine improves long-term memory

The feel-good hormone dopamine improves long-term memory. This is the finding of a team lead by Emrah D-zel, neuroscientist at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the University of Magdeburg.

9 Nov 2012

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder worry considerably more than general population

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder are characterised by persistent thoughts and repetitive behaviours. A new study reveals that sufferers worry considerably more than the general population in the face of morality problems.

9 Nov 2012

Community-based brain injury education program may increase children's use of bicycle helmets

A 30-minute brain injury education program taught in the hospital may increase children's use of bicycle helmets, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report.

9 Nov 2012

Low antioxidant levels contribute to increased blood pressure during exercise for people with PAD

Low antioxidant levels contribute to increased blood pressure during exercise for people with peripheral arterial disease, according to researchers at Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute.

8 Nov 2012

Communications down in anesthetized brain

Two studies indicate that inhaled anesthetics disrupt communication between distant cortical areas before directly activating sleep-inducing neuronal circuitry.

8 Nov 2012

Study on genetic capacity of diverse populations to make critical PUFAs

World-renowned scientists are taking what they've learned from their multicenter research collaboration studying the health impact of fatty acids on diverse populations to set up a genetics center in India.

8 Nov 2012

Early clues regarding progression of Alzheimer's disease found in brain's metabolism

When it comes to Alzheimer's disease, scientists usually - and understandably - look to the brain as their first center of attention. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University say that early clues regarding the progression of the disease can be found in the brain's metabolism.

8 Nov 2012

New understanding of how noise can break critical tip link protein structure in inner ear cells

Researchers have mapped the precise 3-D atomic structure of a thin protein filament critical for cells in the inner ear and calculated the force necessary to pull it apart.

8 Nov 2012

NYU-Poly professor selected to participate in 2012 National Academies Keck Futures Initiative conference

Polytechnic Institute of NYU (NYU-Poly) Assistant Professor of Technology Management Oded Nov has been selected to participate in the 2012 National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) conference, a prestigious think-tank-style gathering of researchers in science, engineering and medicine. Nov will join 100 colleagues for the conference, "The Informed Brain in a Digital World."

8 Nov 2012

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Caution over monoclonal antibody treatment for MS

Radiotherapy protocol deviations: an interview with Dr Nitin Ohri

Bleed size key to prognosis after childhood hemorrhagic stroke

Close monitoring needed in year after traumatic brain injury

New vaccines and drug treatments urgently needed for bacterial meningitis

Dream images could provide insights into people's mental health problems

Patients more likely to develop ischemic stroke after total hip replacement surgeries

Autism Speaks releases biological and clinical data from 383 new AGRE families

Longer looks: People with mental disabilities have a vote; Genome sequencing raises hope - also anxiety

Teleconcussion for diagnosis and management of mild TBI in athletes

Inactivating beta2 subunit of nicotinic receptors may help smokers quit without feeling anxious

Dopamine improves long-term memory

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder worry considerably more than general population

Community-based brain injury education program may increase children's use of bicycle helmets

Low antioxidant levels contribute to increased blood pressure during exercise for people with PAD

Communications down in anesthetized brain

Study on genetic capacity of diverse populations to make critical PUFAs

Early clues regarding progression of Alzheimer's disease found in brain's metabolism

New understanding of how noise can break critical tip link protein structure in inner ear cells

NYU-Poly professor selected to participate in 2012 National Academies Keck Futures Initiative conference

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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