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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.

Neuralstem updates Phase I human clinical trial of spinal cord stem cells for ALS

Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

20 Oct 2010

Aspirin before cardiac surgery reduces postoperative cardiocerebral complications

A study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2010 Annual Meeting revealed that use of aspirin before cardiac surgery reduced postoperative cardiocerebral complications, including stroke, myocardial ischemia, heart block and cardiac arrest by more than 33 percent when compared to patients who did not use aspirin.

20 Oct 2010

Study finds different activity patterns of genes in brain of individuals with different genetic backgrounds

Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have found that the same genes have different activity patterns in the brain in individuals with different genetic backgrounds. These findings may help to explain individual differences in the effectiveness and side-effect profiles of therapeutic drugs and thus have implications for personalized medicine. The study is available in this week's online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (www.pnas.org).

20 Oct 2010

Research offers important insight into symptoms of Parkinson's disease

An international collaboration led by academics at the University of Sheffield, has shed new light into Parkinson's disease, which could help with the development of cures or treatments in the future.

20 Oct 2010

Consumption of fish oil capsules during pregnancy does not reduce post-natal depression

A University of Adelaide study has found no evidence that taking fish oil capsules during pregnancy can help reduce the risk of post-natal depression, contrary to international recommendations.

20 Oct 2010

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

Hospital Compare, an HHS website that allows patients to compare hospitals online using various indicators of quality, is intended to help them choose better facilities for their medical care. But a new report in the Archives of Surgery says the website doesn't help Medicare beneficiaries in need of certain high-risk surgeries find better facilities.

20 Oct 2010

NHLBI launches multicenter study of body cooling treatment in infants and children after cardiac arrest

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched the first large-scale, multicenter study to investigate the effectiveness of body cooling treatment in infants and children who have had cardiac arrest. The Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest (THAPCA) trials total more than $21 million over six years.

20 Oct 2010

Gene that protects against alcoholism discovered

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have discovered a gene variant that may protect against alcoholism.

20 Oct 2010

Study shows impaired insulin sensitivity may serve as mediator between obesity and cognitive decline

Because of impairments in their insulin sensitivity, obese individuals demonstrate different brain responses than their normal-weight peers while completing a challenging cognitive task, according to new research by psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin.

20 Oct 2010

Pradaxa capsules receive FDA approval for reducing stroke and systemic embolism risk in AFib patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) capsules to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib).

20 Oct 2010

Research paves way to understand the mechanism of leptin therapy to improve type 1 diabetes

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest a novel role for the brain in mediating beneficial actions of the hormone leptin in type 1 diabetes.

20 Oct 2010

Ceregene commences enrollment in CERE-120 Phase 2b study for Parkinson's disease

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that enrollment has begun in a new double-blind sham surgery-controlled Phase 2b study evaluating CERE-120 in Parkinson's disease patients. CERE-120 is a gene therapy product that delivers the neurotrophic factor neurturin to degenerating or dying dopamine neurons. Data from the first Phase 2 clinical trial of CERE-120 are being published later this year in Lancet Neurology (to appear online October 21, 2010).

20 Oct 2010

Anticoagulant Pradaxa receives FDA approval for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Pradaxa capsules (dabigatran etexilate) for the prevention of stroke and blood clots in patients with abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation).

20 Oct 2010

Genes and alcoholism link explored: Study

According to the latest research in the U.S., a genetic variation may protect against alcoholism, and this could lead to a novel preventative treatment. The researchers say that a gene variant known as CYP2EI is linked to people's response to alcohol.

19 Oct 2010

Scientists probe functional connectivity among neurons in auditory cortex gives rise to map of acoustic space

Just as we visually map a room by spatially identifying the objects in it, we map our aural world based on the frequencies of sounds. The neurons within the brain's "hearing center"-the auditory cortex-are organized into modules that each respond to sounds within a specific frequency band. But how responses actually emanate from this complex network of neurons is still a mystery.

19 Oct 2010

Acorda announces data of GGF2 preclinical studies for focal ischemic stroke

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc, today announced that data from preclinical studies show that Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2) promoted functional recovery following a permanent focal ischemic stroke.

19 Oct 2010

Pseudobulbar affect impacts majority of stroke survivors, but few have any understanding of condition

A survey released today by National Stroke Association shows that 53 percent of stroke survivor respondents suffer from symptoms of another neurologic condition called pseudobulbar affect (PBA), a condition thought to be caused by structural damage in the brain due to injury or disease. PBA causes involuntary and unpredictable outbursts of laughing or crying, often in socially inappropriate situations. Even though a significant proportion of stroke survivors suffer from PBA, fewer than one in five are familiar with the condition.

19 Oct 2010

'Sister' mitral cells may broadcast 2 distinct channels of information on odors to cortex

A team co-led by neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has shed light -- literally -- on circuitry underlying the olfactory system in mammals, giving us a new view of how that system may pull off some of its most amazing feats.

19 Oct 2010

Study finds process of going in and out of anesthesia as distinct neurobiological processes

A study presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists strengthens emerging evidence that the act of going under anesthesia and coming out of anesthesia are distinct neurobiological processes. It also found that the parietal region of the brain may play a critical role in how anesthesia suppresses consciousness.

19 Oct 2010

Pre-Brain Balance Program for autistic children

With the autism epidemic on the rise, Brain Balance Centers of Peachtree City & Suwanee, GA have implemented the groundbreaking Pre-Brain Balance Program to help children diagnosed with mild, moderate and severe autism spectrum disorders and reactive detachment disorders. The program is designed to improve children's listening comprehension, motor skills, core elements and verbal communication.

19 Oct 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Neuralstem updates Phase I human clinical trial of spinal cord stem cells for ALS

Aspirin before cardiac surgery reduces postoperative cardiocerebral complications

Study finds different activity patterns of genes in brain of individuals with different genetic backgrounds

Research offers important insight into symptoms of Parkinson's disease

Consumption of fish oil capsules during pregnancy does not reduce post-natal depression

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

NHLBI launches multicenter study of body cooling treatment in infants and children after cardiac arrest

Gene that protects against alcoholism discovered

Study shows impaired insulin sensitivity may serve as mediator between obesity and cognitive decline

Pradaxa capsules receive FDA approval for reducing stroke and systemic embolism risk in AFib patients

Research paves way to understand the mechanism of leptin therapy to improve type 1 diabetes

Ceregene commences enrollment in CERE-120 Phase 2b study for Parkinson's disease

Anticoagulant Pradaxa receives FDA approval for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients

Genes and alcoholism link explored: Study

Scientists probe functional connectivity among neurons in auditory cortex gives rise to map of acoustic space

Acorda announces data of GGF2 preclinical studies for focal ischemic stroke

Pseudobulbar affect impacts majority of stroke survivors, but few have any understanding of condition

'Sister' mitral cells may broadcast 2 distinct channels of information on odors to cortex

Study finds process of going in and out of anesthesia as distinct neurobiological processes

Pre-Brain Balance Program for autistic children

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Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

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