Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Molecular structure of APP protein could lead to new therapeutics for AD

The molecular structure of a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease - and the surprising discovery that it binds cholesterol - could lead to new therapeutics for the disease, Vanderbilt University investigators report in the June 1 issue of the journal Science.

1 Jun 2012

Innovative model of dementia is now been used to treat over 1,000 patients

An innovative model of dementia care that significantly reduces emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and encourages use of medications that are not harmful to older brains, has now been used to treat over 1,000 patients. The Aging Brain Care model was developed by researcher-clinicians from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine.

1 Jun 2012

Seriously ill children administered zinc in addition to antibiotics respond better, more quickly to treatment, study shows

"In a newly released clinical study, conducted in India" and published in the Lancet on Thursday, "hundreds of seriously ill infants who received zinc -- an essential micronutrient for the immune system and human growth -- as well as antibiotics, responded better and more quickly to treatment than those who did not," IRIN reports.

1 Jun 2012

ImmunoCellular to present new data from ICT-107 Phase I trial on GBM

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd., announced today it will present new data from the previously completed Phase I clinical trial of ICT-107, the Company's lead cancer vaccine candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, IL.

1 Jun 2012

NAC reduces irritability in children with autism

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects social and communication skills. Irritability is a symptom of autism that can complicate adjustment at home and other settings, and can manifest itself in aggression, tantrums, and self-injurious behavior. These disruptive behaviors are frequently observed in children with autism, which may considerably affect their ability to function at home or in school.

1 Jun 2012

Ventana, leading cancer researchers partner to commercialize novel IHC primary antibody

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, has signed an exclusive license agreement with the German Cancer Research Center and University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany to commercialize a novel immunohistochemistry (IHC) primary antibody developed by researchers Andreas von Deimling, MD, Hanswalter Zentgraf, PhD and David Capper, MD, to detect the V600E BRAF mutation protein.

1 Jun 2012

Einstein receives NIH grant to create new vaccine against TB

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University a five-year, $5.9 million grant to develop a new vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), including the toughest-to-treat forms of the disease known as multi drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant. The grant will build on a new approach to TB vaccine design that is based on genetically altered Mycobacterium smegmatis, which is closely related to the bacterial species (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that causes TB in humans.

1 Jun 2012

NCI, Tau Therapeutics open enrollment in mibefradil Phase Ib glioma trial

Tau Therapeutics LLC, a pharmaceutical company developing T-type calcium channel inhibitors for the treatment of solid tumors, announced today that it has opened enrollment for a Phase Ib clinical trial with the National Cancer Institute's Adult Brain Tumor Consortium (ABTC) using the company's first product candidate mibefradil.

1 Jun 2012

Cleveland Clinic, Cadence Health expand relationship for cardiology services

Cadence Health, the health system created through the merger of Central DuPage Health and Delnor Community Health System, announced an expansion of its relationship with the Cleveland Clinic to include cardiology services.

1 Jun 2012

New therapy approach for patients blind on one side

Patients who are blind in one side of their visual field benefit from presentation of sounds on the affected side. After passively hearing sounds for an hour, their visual detection of light stimuli in the blind half of their visual field improved significantly.

31 May 2012

NYU Langone establishes unique neuromodulation center

The Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone Medical Center has established a unique, multidisciplinary neuromodulation center for the treatment of complex neurological conditions including movement disorders like Parkinson's disease, chronic pain and psychiatric condition such as obsessive compulsive disorder and severe depression.

31 May 2012

UCLA research projects aim to improve lives of children with serious illnesses

New hope for deadly pediatric brain tumors; opening the door to improved diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in children; and advanced genetic testing to better understand the causes of autism and cancer in kids. These research projects are currently underway at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA under the umbrella of the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute (CDI), and aim to dramatically improve the lives of children with serious illnesses.

31 May 2012

ProCure Proton Therapy Center successfully treats first cancer patient

Bound Brook, N.J. resident Frank Mackinson became the first patient to complete treatment at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, N.J.— a milestone that was celebrated with family, friends and Mackinson's treatment team. The Somerset Center opened officially on March 20 (one month ahead of schedule), enabling Mackinson to begin treatment on March 28. Proton therapy is a precise form of radiation treatment for cancer without many of the short- and long-term side effects often experienced with standard X-ray radiation.

31 May 2012

Hospital debt-collection practices to be examined at Wednesday hearing

Sen. Al Franken, D- Minn., convened the hearing to find out whether aggressive efforts to collect debt from patients in hospitals broke any federal laws.

31 May 2012

Interim data from UCLA and NeuroSigma’s eTNS Phase I trial on PTSD, MDD

Today, at the 52nd annual New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) Conference in Arizona, Ian Cook, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Senior Medical Advisor to NeuroSigma, Inc., presented the results from the first 6-subject cohort of a 10-subject Phase I open-label clinical trial studying the effects of external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy.

31 May 2012

Fever in pregnancy raises autism risk

Children whose mothers experience fever during pregnancy have an increased risk for developing autism compared with other children, show study findings.

30 May 2012

Transcranial stimulation technique reduces hallucinations

Transcranial direct-current stimulation is effective for the treatment of auditory hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia, study results show.

30 May 2012

Study reveals new evidence of trans-cranial bright light's effect to brain functions

A recent placebo-controlled study reveals new evidence of trans-cranial bright light's effect to brain functions when administered through the ear. Bright light stimulation was found to increase activity in brain areas related to processing of visual sensory information and tactile stimuli. The findings constitute the first ever published scientific article about functional modulation of the brain with bright light delivered to the brain through the ears. The study was published today May 29th, 2012 in the World Journal of Neuroscience.

30 May 2012

RBCC negotiates potential joint venture with AMBS for traumatic brain injury treatment

Rainbow BioSciences, the biotech subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp., continues due diligence toward an agreement to help develop a promising new treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), concern continues to grow over the troubling incidence of TBI among athletes and soldiers.

30 May 2012

New magnetic sensor might simplify measurement of brain activity

In future a new magnetic sensor the size of a sugar cube might simplify the measurement of brain activity. In the magnetically shielded room of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt the sensor has passed an important technical test: Spontaneous as well as stimulated magnetic fields of the brain were detected.

30 May 2012