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.

Columbia Asia Hospitals conducts successful cochlear implants and BAHA surgery

Loss of hearing may not be a life threatening condition but it can certainly affect the quality of life and hamper a child’s normal growth. Deafness identified early helps address the challenges involved in the normal development of the child, including speech, which usually gets affected. Columbia Asia Hospitals across India has been conducting Cochlear implants and BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) very successfully.

30 Oct 2012

Children with migraine more likely to have below average school performance

Children with migraine are more likely to have below average school performance than kids who do not have headaches, according to new research published in the October 30, 2012, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Oct 2012

C allele of rs1329650 may increase risk of both ADHD and smoking

A variation of a particular gene may link the behaviours typical of childhood attention hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short, and those associated with smoking, suggests research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

30 Oct 2012

TTP488 slows cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's

A novel, orally administered drug candidate, TTP488, has demonstrated clinical evidence of slowing of cognitive decline over 18 months of therapy in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

30 Oct 2012

Scientists decode epigenetic programming of three virulent 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). They discovered ALL's "software" is encoded with epigenetic marks, chemical modifications of DNA and surrounding proteins, allowing the research team to identify new potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

29 Oct 2012

High-intensity training boosts cognitive function

A regular exercise routine can make you fitter than ever - mentally fit.

29 Oct 2012

Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation receives $2.2 million grant

Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation (BIR) has received a $2.2 million grant extending for another five years the institute's designation as a National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Model System site for traumatic brain injury.

29 Oct 2012

Light-sensitive protein to study Parkinson's disease

Introducing a light-sensitive protein in transgenic nerve cells... transplanting nerve cells into the brains of laboratory animals... inserting an optic fibre in the brain and using it to light up the nerve cells and stimulate them into releasing more dopamine to combat Parkinson's disease...

29 Oct 2012

Scientists identify grid cells in the brains of rhesus monkeys

Primates' brains see the world through triangular grids, according to a new study published online Sunday in the journal Nature.

29 Oct 2012

UK remains at risk of devastating stroke crisis, new report confirms

The UK remains at risk of a devastating stroke crisis, according to UK health experts launching Reports published today, on World Stroke Day, by Action for Stroke Prevention, an alliance of renowned health experts and patient organisations.

29 Oct 2012

Idea of nuclear reprogramming holds promise for repairing damaged tissue

The idea of taking a mature cell and removing its identity (nuclear reprogramming) so that it can then become any kind of cell, holds great promise for repairing damaged tissue or replacing bone marrow after chemotherapy.

29 Oct 2012

Researchers use baker's yeast to identify new therapies for Lou Gehrig's disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastatingly cruel neurodegenerative disorder that robs sufferers of the ability to move, speak and, finally, breathe.

29 Oct 2012

High-intensity interval training makes middle-aged people smarter

High-intensity interval training makes middle-aged people not only healthier but smarter, showed a Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) study led by Dr. Anil Nigam of the MHI and University of Montreal, in collaboration with the Montreal Geriatric University Institute.

29 Oct 2012

Researchers find that children's brains are more affected by inhaled anesthetic

Stony Brook University School of Medicine researchers have found that children's brains are more affected by an inhaled anesthetic than an intravenous anesthetic with increased levels of brain lactate.

29 Oct 2012

Researchers discover that bean commonly used in Chinese cuisine protects against sepsis

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that a bean commonly used in Chinese cuisine protects against the life-threatening condition sepsis.

29 Oct 2012

Study demonstrates role of IRX4204 in alleviating cognitive decline in animal models of AD

New research presented in October at the 6th Neurodegenerative Conditions Research and Development Conference in San Francisco demonstrates the role of the investigational compound IRX4204 in alleviating cognitive decline in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

29 Oct 2012

ESDM improves social skills and brain responses to social cues

The Early Start Denver Model, a comprehensive behavioral early intervention program that is appropriate for children with autism spectrum disorder as young as 12 months, has been found to be effective in improving social skills and brain responses to social cues in a randomized controlled study published online today in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

29 Oct 2012

Researchers investigate unique features of arcuate neurons in the hypothalamus

Maintaining a healthy body weight may be difficult for many people, but it's reassuring to know that our brains and bodies are wired to work together to do just that-in essence, to achieve a phenomenon known as energy balance, a tight matching between the number of calories consumed versus those expended. This careful balance results from a complex interchange of neurobiological crosstalk within regions of the brain's hypothalamus, and when this "conversation" goes awry, obesity or anorexia can result.

29 Oct 2012

Study identifies genetic variations as predictors of prostate cancer-related fatigue

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of South Florida have found that men with prostate cancer who receive androgen deprivation therapy may predictably suffer from fatigue if they have single nucleotide polymorphisms in three pro-inflammatory genes. The discovery highlights the importance of personalized medicine, in which therapies are tailored to a patient's genetic profile.

29 Oct 2012

Mouse model may provide clues on mechanism that links diabetes and aging to Alzheimer's

Growing evidence suggests that there may be a link between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, but the physiological mechanisms by which diabetes impacts brain function and cognition are not fully understood. In a new study published in Aging Cell, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies show, for the first time, that diabetes enhances the development of aging features that may underlie early pathological events in Alzheimer's.

29 Oct 2012