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.

Schizophrenia: Insight into late development of symptoms

In reports of two new studies, researchers led by Johns Hopkins say they have identified the mechanisms rooted in two anatomical brain abnormalities that may explain the onset of schizophrenia and the reason symptoms don't develop until young adulthood. Both types of anatomical glitches are influenced by a gene known as DISC1, whose mutant form was first identified in a Scottish family with a strong history of schizophrenia and related mental disorders. The findings could lead to new ways to treat, prevent or modify the disorder or its symptoms.

26 Feb 2010

Study confirms efficacy and tolerability of lacosamide for uncontrolled POS

A recent multi-center study has confirmed earlier study results that 400 mg/day of lacosamide provides a good balance of efficacy and tolerability for patients with uncontrolled partial-onset seizures (POS), and doses of 600mg/day may provide additional benefit for some patients.

26 Feb 2010

Mathematics of sleep-wake cycle

Why can't I fall asleep? Will this new medication keep me up all night? Can I sleep off this cold? Despite decades of research, answers to these basic questions about one of our most essential bodily functions remain exceptionally difficult to answer. In fact, researchers still don't fully understand why we even sleep at all. In an effort to better understand the sleep-wake cycle and how it can go awry, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are taking a different approach than the traditional brain scans and sleep studies. They are using mathematics.

26 Feb 2010

New research using MRI shows that childhood stress can lead to structural brain changes

New research using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that childhood stress such as abuse or emotional neglect, in particular when combined with genetic factors, can result in structural brain changes, rendering these people more vulnerable to developing depression. The study led by scientists at Trinity College Dublin has just been published in the international scientific journal, Neuropsychopharmacology.

25 Feb 2010

Kinex Pharmaceuticals announces KX2-391 Phase 2 safety and efficacy clinical trial in men with CRPC

Kinex Pharmaceuticals opened a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of KX2-391 in patients with bone-metastatic, castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who have not had prior chemotherapy.

25 Feb 2010

CHOP and AIAM collaborate to develop more accurate child crash test dummies

A research report released today by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. (AIAM) details CHOP's cutting-edge work with academic and industry collaborators to develop more accurate child crash test dummies, called child anthropometric test devices (ATD's).

25 Feb 2010

IOS Press announces the 20th anniversary of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience journal

IOS Press is pleased to announce the 20th anniversary of the peer-reviewed journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. Since founded in 1989 by pioneering neuroscientist Donald G. Stein, RNN has focused on the emerging field of brain plasticity, repair and rehabilitation and has published not only numerous original scientific publications, but also review papers in basic research (animal experiments, in vitro studies) and in the clinical sciences.

25 Feb 2010

Recovery of consciousness in traumatic brain injury patients

The recovery of consciousness following traumatic brain injury and recent advances in neuroimaging and deep brain stimulation will be discussed at the 14th Annual Swartz Foundation Mind/Brain Lecture at Stony Brook University on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. in the Staller Center for the Arts.

25 Feb 2010

NIPTRC and partners announce development of new imaging process for proton beam therapy in cancer

Scientists and researchers from the Northern Illinois Proton Treatment and Research Center (NIPTRC) and Northern Illinois University along with their partners are developing a new imaging process using a proton beam that they believe will be a major medical breakthrough in the delivery of proton beam therapy for cancer patients.

25 Feb 2010

Hormone vasopressin helps brain differentiate between familiar and new scents

The study, published in the journal Nature, suggests that when the hormone fails to function, animals are unable to recognise other individuals from their scent.

25 Feb 2010

Patients with unwitnessed strokes may benefit from clot-busting drugs

Clot-busting treatment should be considered for patients last seen healthy within a few hours before having a stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.

25 Feb 2010

Study: People can reduce their sensitivity to pain by thickening their brain

People can reduce their sensitivity to pain by thickening their brain, according to a new study published in a special issue of the American Psychological Association journal, Emotion. Researchers from the Universit- de Montr-al made their discovery by comparing the grey matter thickness of Zen meditators and non-meditators.

25 Feb 2010

Philanthropic organizations fund for cancer research studies

Eight philanthropic organizations and families in the Charlotte region have joined forces to create the "Carolinas Kids Cancer Research Coalition," which is providing funding for the introduction of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials by the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Center at Levine Children's Hospital (LCH).

25 Feb 2010

A surgical cure for diabetic and obese patients

Dr. Francesco Rubino, chief of gastrointestinal metabolic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, is now enrolling overweight and mildly obese patients -- those with a body mass index (BMI) of 28 to 35 -- in a study of gastric bypass surgery aimed at reversing Type 2 diabetes.

25 Feb 2010

Brain implant helps scientists in determining link between brainwave patterns and attention

A paralyzed patient implanted with a brain-computer interface device has allowed scientists to determine the relationship between brain waves and attention.

25 Feb 2010

MicroTransponder awarded $2.6M NINDS SBIR FastTrack U44 grant, announces $7M Series B funding

MicroTransponder, Inc., a privately-held medical device company, has just announced a $7 Million Series B round of funding. MicroTransponder is developing a wireless neurostimulation platform for the treatment of chronic pain and other neurological indications.

25 Feb 2010

Identification of gaps in accessing stroke centers cuts down the deadly toll of stroke

When stroke strikes, choking off blood supply to the brain, every minute counts: Nearly 2 million neurons die each minute a stroke is left untreated, making it a race to recognize symptoms so that lifesaving "clot-busting" drugs can be administered.

25 Feb 2010

Rapamycin may hold promise for Alzheimer's disease

Rapamycin, a drug that keeps the immune system from attacking transplanted organs, may have another exciting use: fighting Alzheimer's disease.

25 Feb 2010

Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator prescribed to patients suffering from depression, anxiety and insomnia

Fisher Wallace Laboratories today announced that two psychiatry professors at Columbia University, Dr. Richard Brown and Dr. Andres San Martin, have prescribed the Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator to more than 250 patients suffering from depression, anxiety and insomnia.

25 Feb 2010

Increase in anti-Apo A-I, anti-HDL and anti-CRP may lead to atherosclerosis in SLE patients

A study by researchers in Australia and the United Kingdom suggests that autoantibodies to fat binding proteins significantly increase in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active disease. This increase in anti-apolipoprotein (anti-Apo A-I), anti-high-density lipoprotein (anti-HDL), and anti-C-reactive protein (anti-CRP) may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis in SLE patients, placing them at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

25 Feb 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Schizophrenia: Insight into late development of symptoms

Study confirms efficacy and tolerability of lacosamide for uncontrolled POS

Mathematics of sleep-wake cycle

New research using MRI shows that childhood stress can lead to structural brain changes

Kinex Pharmaceuticals announces KX2-391 Phase 2 safety and efficacy clinical trial in men with CRPC

CHOP and AIAM collaborate to develop more accurate child crash test dummies

IOS Press announces the 20th anniversary of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience journal

Recovery of consciousness in traumatic brain injury patients

NIPTRC and partners announce development of new imaging process for proton beam therapy in cancer

Hormone vasopressin helps brain differentiate between familiar and new scents

Patients with unwitnessed strokes may benefit from clot-busting drugs

Study: People can reduce their sensitivity to pain by thickening their brain

Philanthropic organizations fund for cancer research studies

A surgical cure for diabetic and obese patients

Brain implant helps scientists in determining link between brainwave patterns and attention

MicroTransponder awarded $2.6M NINDS SBIR FastTrack U44 grant, announces $7M Series B funding

Identification of gaps in accessing stroke centers cuts down the deadly toll of stroke

Rapamycin may hold promise for Alzheimer's disease

Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator prescribed to patients suffering from depression, anxiety and insomnia

Increase in anti-Apo A-I, anti-HDL and anti-CRP may lead to atherosclerosis in SLE patients

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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