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.

Single dose of etanercept can improve chronic neurological dysfunction from stroke or TBI

A new ground-breaking study about to be published in the Adis journal CNS Drugs provides clinical evidence that, for the first time, chronic neurological dysfunction from stroke or traumatic brain injury can rapidly improve following a single dose of a drug that targets brain inflammation, even years after the stroke or traumatic event.

1 Nov 2012

Symbolic math connected to evolutionarily primitive general magnitude system

The ability to learn complex, symbolic math is a uniquely human trait, but it is intricately connected to a primitive sense of magnitude that is shared by many animals, finds a study to be published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

1 Nov 2012

Controlling depression can improve health status and social functioning in patients with heart failure

Controlling depression in patients with heart failure can improve health status, social functioning and quality of life, according to a new study by psychiatrists and cardiologists at the UC Davis and Duke University schools of medicine.

1 Nov 2012

Additional data from EnVivo’s EVP-6124 Phase 2b trial on AD presented at CTAD meeting

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to developing a broad range of novel central nervous system (CNS) therapies, today presented pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data along with the previously reported statistically significant clinical results from its Phase 2b clinical trial of EVP-6124, a novel alpha-7 agonist, in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

1 Nov 2012

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: an interview with Ellen Mowry

Vitamin D is actually a hormone. For the most part, humans obtain vitamin D through sun exposure. Ultraviolet light from the sun promotes the conversion of a compound in the skin to pre-vitamin D.

31 Oct 2012

Pins made of single atoms to fight cancer

Answers are often elusive in the fight against cancer, and Rice University chemist Zachary Ball is hoping to pin one down -- with pins made of single atoms. The work, which aims to create a drug that's effective against an "undruggable" protein, is one of the first 50 proposals funded under the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Provocative Questions Project.

31 Oct 2012

Powered exoskeleton provides more independence to people with severe spinal cord injuries

The dream of regaining the ability to stand up and walk has come closer to reality for people paralyzed below the waist who thought they would never take another step.

31 Oct 2012

Development of children with ASD much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age

The development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age, but differs afterwards. That's the main finding of the largest prospective, longitudinal study to date comparing children with early and later diagnosis of ASD with children without ASD. The study appears in the journal Child Development and has implications for clinical work, public health, and policy.

31 Oct 2012

BWH researchers propose new model that shifts how we think about mindfulness

Achieving mindfulness through meditation has helped people maintain a healthy mind by quelling negative emotions and thoughts, such as desire, anger and anxiety, and encouraging more positive dispositions such as compassion, empathy and forgiveness. Those who have reaped the benefits of mindfulness know that it works. But how exactly does it work?

31 Oct 2012

Study finds two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in children with ASD

In the largest prospective study to date of children with early and later manifestation of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to children without ASD, researchers found two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in the children with ASD.

31 Oct 2012

ESDM intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

An autism intervention program that emphasizes social interactions and is designed for children as young as 12 months has been found to improve cognitive skills and brain responses to faces, considered a building block for social skills. The researchers say that the study, which was completed at the University of Washington, is the first to demonstrate that an intensive behavioral intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders.

31 Oct 2012

Empathetic and analytic thinking mutually exclusive in the brain

New research shows a simple reason why even the most intelligent, complex brains can be taken by a swindler's story - one that upon a second look offers clues it was false.

31 Oct 2012

Unique bond between SAP102 and GluN2B enables learning and memory

Two proteins have a unique bond that enables brain receptors essential to learning and memory to not only get and stay where they're needed, but to be hauled off when they aren't, researchers say.

31 Oct 2012

Lateral intraparietal area in the brain activates internal sensors to help keep time

Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) have found a small population of neurons that is involved in measuring time, which is a process that has traditionally been difficult to study in the lab.

31 Oct 2012

Nabilone shows promise in treating diabetic neuropathy

A study from the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute shows there is evidence to support a new drug therapy called nabilone to treat diabetic neuropathy, or nerve pain.

31 Oct 2012

Telephone-based tinnitus-management program shows promise

Results from a pilot study suggest that people with tinnitus benefit from a progressive management program including cognitive behavioral therapy.

30 Oct 2012

IBM, Cleveland Clinic partner to advance Watson's use in the medical training field

Cleveland Clinic and IBM announced today the formation of a collaboration to advance Watson's use in the medical training field.

30 Oct 2012

Immigration status, language of caregivers appear to impact care of Hispanic children with cancer

Language barriers and the immigration status of caregivers appear to impact the care of Hispanic children with cancer and affect the experience of the families within the medical system, according to data presented at the Fifth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities, held here Oct. 27-30, 2012.

30 Oct 2012

Study finds two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in children with ASD

30 Oct 2012

Researchers decode software instructions that drive 3 different forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A team of national and international researchers, led by Weill Cornell Medical College scientists, have decoded the key "software" instructions that drive three of the most virulent forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

30 Oct 2012

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Single dose of etanercept can improve chronic neurological dysfunction from stroke or TBI

Symbolic math connected to evolutionarily primitive general magnitude system

Controlling depression can improve health status and social functioning in patients with heart failure

Additional data from EnVivo’s EVP-6124 Phase 2b trial on AD presented at CTAD meeting

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: an interview with Ellen Mowry

Pins made of single atoms to fight cancer

Powered exoskeleton provides more independence to people with severe spinal cord injuries

Development of children with ASD much like that of children without ASD at 6 months of age

BWH researchers propose new model that shifts how we think about mindfulness

Study finds two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in children with ASD

ESDM intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

Empathetic and analytic thinking mutually exclusive in the brain

Unique bond between SAP102 and GluN2B enables learning and memory

Lateral intraparietal area in the brain activates internal sensors to help keep time

Nabilone shows promise in treating diabetic neuropathy

Telephone-based tinnitus-management program shows promise

IBM, Cleveland Clinic partner to advance Watson's use in the medical training field

Immigration status, language of caregivers appear to impact care of Hispanic children with cancer

Study finds two distinct patterns of language, social and motor development in children with ASD

Researchers decode software instructions that drive 3 different forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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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