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.

Brain hypoxia associated with poor short-term outcome after severe TBI

Low oxygen supply (hypoxia) to vulnerable brain tissue is a major contributor to the risk of death or major disability after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), reports a study in the November issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

9 Nov 2011

BioTime third quarter revenue increases 40% to $1.1 million

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today reported financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and highlighted recent corporate accomplishments.

9 Nov 2011

Amylin and Lilly terminate exenatide alliance, resolve litigation

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced an agreement to terminate their alliance for exenatide and resolve the outstanding litigation between the companies.

9 Nov 2011

Men and overweight individuals eat faster, consume more

Two new studies by researchers at the University of Rhode Island are providing additional insights into the role that eating rate plays in the amount of food one consumes. The studies found that men eat significantly faster than women, heavier people eat faster than slimmer people, and refined grains are consumed faster than whole grains, among other findings.

9 Nov 2011

Omeros third quarter net loss decreases to $6.5 million

Omeros Corporation, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products targeting inflammation, coagulopathies and disorders of the central nervous system, today announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2011.

9 Nov 2011

Prenatal processes gone awry linked to children with autism

A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence shows that brain overgrowth in boys with autism involves an abnormal, excess number of neurons in areas of the brain associated with social, communication and cognitive development.

9 Nov 2011

Scripps scientist receives Novo Nordisk grant for research into diabetes

Andrew Butler, an associate professor in The Scripps Research Institute's Department of Metabolism and Aging, has been awarded one million dollars in funding over the next two years to further his research into a novel protein with the potential to improve the understanding and future treatment of diabetes.

9 Nov 2011

RNS system offers significant relief to patients with intractable seizures

Brain stimulation, already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, has now been shown to offer significant relief to patients with intractable seizures for whom drugs and other treatments have not worked.

9 Nov 2011

Kessler Foundation neuropsychologists receive National Multiple Sclerosis Society grants

Two neuropsychologists at Kessler Foundation Research Center were awarded more than $100,000 in grants by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, received $63,000 to conduct a pilot study, "Speed of Processing Training for Improving Processing Speed in Persons with MS".

8 Nov 2011

Higher protein load in critical brain regions linked to severe depression in late life

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the elderly, but little is known about the underlying biology of its development in older adults.

8 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 8, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including stories on malpractice reforms and previews of voting in Ohio on two ballot questions affecting health care issues and a Mississippi abortion issue.

8 Nov 2011

Stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s

U.S. researchers have finally found a way to overcome difficulties in coaxing human embryonic stem cells to become the neurons killed by Parkinson's disease.

8 Nov 2011

Study: Genes that are active in brain are transcribed with special mechanism

Knowledge about the development of the nervous system is of the greatest importance for us to understand the function of the brain and brain disorders. Researchers at Uppsala University have examined the key step when genes are read and found that genes that are active in the brain are transcribed with a special mechanism.

8 Nov 2011

Prefrontal cortex neurons from individuals with autism show changes in chromatin structures

Neurons in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with autism show changes at numerous sites across the genome, according to a study being published Online First by the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Nov 2011

Brain bypass still plays a critical role in management of selected neurovascular disorders

A microsurgical procedure that has lost some ground to advances in endovascular therapy still plays a critical role in the management of selected neurovascular disorders, according to a University Hospitals Case Medical Center neurosurgeon who performs the procedure.

8 Nov 2011

A person's stroke risk profile may help identify future cognitive problems

A new study shows a person's stroke risk profile, which includes high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes, may also be helpful in predicting whether a person will develop memory and thinking problems later in the life.

8 Nov 2011

High-field MRI can reveal tiny brain injuries in preterm infant

Pediatric neuroscientists at Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital are the first to use high magnetic field strength MRI to reveal tiny white matter injuries in the developing brain previously undetectable using standard MRI.

8 Nov 2011

Study finds spinal bleeding in young children with abusive head trauma

A new study found that spinal bleeding is found often in young children who are victims of abusive trauma. The findings support performing complete spine imaging for children undergoing brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for moderate or severe traumatic brain injury and suggest a pathway for distinguishing between abusive and accidental injury.

8 Nov 2011

Link between heavy methamphetamine use and schizophrenia

In the first worldwide study of its kind, scientists from Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) found evidence that heavy methamphetamine users might have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.

8 Nov 2011

Hirano bodies may play a protective role in progression of Alzheimer's

Hirano bodies are almost indescribably tiny objects found in nerve cells of people suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer's, mad cow and Lou Gehrig's diseases. Yet for decades, researchers weren't sure if these structures helped cause the conditions or appeared after onset of the disease and had some other role.

8 Nov 2011