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.

DBS achieves stable motor improvements in Parkinson’s

Deep brain stimulation for patients with Parkinson’s disease achieves improvements in motor symptoms that are sustained over 3 years, report researchers.

19 Jul 2012

Brain study assesses effect of fat on the processing of flavour perception

A joint study carried out by The University of Nottingham and the multinational food company Unilever has found for the first time that fat in food can reduce activity in several areas of the brain which are responsible for processing taste, aroma and reward.

19 Jul 2012

New AAN guideline recommends several treatments for people with Huntington's chorea

A new guideline released by the American Academy of Neurology recommends several treatments for people with Huntington's disease who experience chorea—jerky, random, uncontrollable movements that can make everyday activities challenging.

19 Jul 2012

UNMC's ART injectables can successfully treat HIV infection

This has been a good week for breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS. Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill, Truvada, which reduces the risk of HIV infection. Today, a University of Nebraska Medical Center research team's progress toward developing weekly or twice-monthly injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) nanomedicines for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection will be highlighted as the cover story in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

19 Jul 2012

Huddersfield scientist receives Pain Relief Foundation grant for research into BH4 pathway

SOME victims of serious illness experience much less pain than other sufferers, thanks to a natural biochemical variation in the cells of their bodies. Now a scientist at the University of Huddersfield has been awarded research funding that will aid his project to learn more about this variation and therefore develop treatments that could lead to the relief of pain for all patients, with much less dependence on drugs that can have distressing side effects.

19 Jul 2012

Diabetes linked to onset of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), collaborating with scientists from Northwestern University in Illinois, have provided direct experimental evidence that diabetes is linked to the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

19 Jul 2012

Metabolic syndrome may reduce cerebral blood flow

Metabolic syndrome, a term used to describe a combination of risk factors that often lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes, seems to be linked to lower blood flow to the brain, according to research by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

19 Jul 2012

High ceramide levels may increase a person's risk of AD

Higher levels of a certain fat in the blood called ceramides may increase a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the July 18, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Jul 2012

ADHD drugs do not appear to have long-term effects on the brain

Drugs used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) do not appear to have long-term effects on the brain, according to new animal research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

19 Jul 2012

Six young scientists to receive 2012 Klerman and Freedman Awards

Six young scientists will be recognized with the Annual Klerman and Freedman Awards by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation on Friday July 27, 2012 at Le Parker Meriden Hotel in New York City on Friday, July 27.

18 Jul 2012

BD II patients show altered brain activity during emotion processing

Depressed patients with bipolar II disorder show reduced activation and altered connectivity in brain regions associated with working memory and emotional learning, US researchers report.

18 Jul 2012

Alzheimer’s pathology lies silent for decades

The pathologic process of Alzheimer’s disease begins more than 20 years before clinical symptoms become apparent, say researchers.

18 Jul 2012

Simple shoe insole can improve posture in post-stroke patients

A stroke can weaken one side of the body, raising the dangerous possibility of unstable walking and debilitating falls. Physical therapy can help patients learn to shift their body weight slightly to the weaker, stroke-affected side to help regain balance, but for some patients, the weakness returns after their therapy ends.

18 Jul 2012

Three outstanding young scientists named July 2012 Damon Runyon-Sohn Fellows

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and the Sohn Conference Foundation have named three outstanding young scientists as the first-ever Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Research Fellows, committing more than half a million dollars to help address a critical shortage of funding for pediatric cancer research.

18 Jul 2012

Mobile Music Touch may improve motor skills, sensation for people with paralyzing SCI

Georgia Tech researchers have created a wireless, musical glove that may improve sensation and motor skills for people with paralyzing spinal cord injury (SCI).

18 Jul 2012

Researchers uncover mechanism by which aging may weaken immune response

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have uncovered one of the mechanisms by which aging may compromise the ability of the immune system to fight infections and respond to vaccines.

18 Jul 2012

GE Healthcare announces final results from [18F]flutemetamol phase 3 study on AD

GE Healthcare today announced the final results from a phase 3 study of the investigational PET amyloid imaging agent, [18F]flutemetamol in terminally ill patients who had agreed to undergo postmortem brain autopsy.

18 Jul 2012

Memantine boosts memory function in people with Down syndrome

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found a drug that boosts memory function in those with Down syndrome, a major milestone in the treatment of this genetic disorder that could significantly improve quality of life.

18 Jul 2012

Jade, BioTime sign exclusive sublicense and supply agreement for HyStem

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced the signing of an exclusive sublicense agreement and a supply agreement with Jade Therapeutics, LLC, a developer of an ophthalmological therapeutic sustained-release drug delivery platform.

18 Jul 2012

BJP publishes data from ESTEVE's E-52862 preclinical studies on pain

ESTEVE announces the recent publication in the British Journal of Pharmacology of important preclinical data that furthers understanding of its highly potent and selective, once-daily, S1R antagonist E-52862, developed by the ESTEVE Research and Development (R&D) team.

18 Jul 2012