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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.

FDA approves St. Jude Medical's MultiSteering Technology software for optimizing neurostimulation therapy

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its next-generation MultiSteering Technology software for Rapid Programmer™, a programming platform used to optimize neurostimulation therapy for chronic pain patients.

4 Dec 2009

RevMed introduces its proprietary suite of MRI software products at RSNA 2009

Revolutions Medical Corporation ("RevMed" or the "Company"), producers of the RevVac safety syringe, RevColor, RevDisplay and Rev3D MRI Technology, today announced that it introduced its proprietary suite of MRI software products at this week's Radiology Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting with great success.

4 Dec 2009

Neurologix completes Phase 2 clinical trial of Parkinson’s study

Neurologix, Inc. (OTCBB:NRGX), a biotechnology company engaged in the development of innovative therapies for the brain and central nervous system, announced the completion of all planned surgeries in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of the company’s gene transfer approach to the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease.

4 Dec 2009

New study suggests mental imagery training is sufficient for perceptual learning

Practice makes perfect. But imaginary practice? Elisa Tartaglia of the Laboratory of Psychophysics at Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) and team show that perceptual learning-learning by repeated exposure to a stimulus-can occur by mental imagery as much as by the real thing. The results, published in Current Biology, suggest that thinking about something over and over again could actually be as good as doing it.

4 Dec 2009

Pfizer announces a $9M cancer research collaboration in British Columbia

Pfizer is entering into a three-year, $9-million research collaboration with the BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver Prostate Centre, a University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) Centre of Excellence, to tackle new treatment avenues for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. This is the single-largest investment by Pfizer into British Columbia's public research sector, and it recognizes the strength and world-class cancer expertise that resides in this province.

4 Dec 2009

Study suggests brain can integrate new information without jeopardizing established memories

Our ability to learn new information and adapt to changes in our daily environment, as well as to retain lifelong memories, appears to lie in the minute junctions where nerve cells communicate, according to a new study by NYU Langone Medicine Center researchers. The study is published online this week in the journal Nature.

4 Dec 2009

Master gene linked to childhood brain tumor

The master gene Math1 is involved in the genesis of the most common childhood brain tumor, medulloblastoma, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in a report in the current issue of the journal Science.

4 Dec 2009

GIND scientists identify drug treatments that can normalize neuron development in AD

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have discovered that two main causes of AD amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides and apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) impair the growth of new neurons born in adult brains. What is more, they have identified drug treatments that can normalize the development of these cells even in the presence of Aβ or apoE4. The findings are described in two separate papers published in the current issue of Cell Stem Cell.

4 Dec 2009

Genetic differences determine intensity of people's responses to social rejection

Scientists have long known that opium-like painkillers, called opioids, relieve not only physical pain, but also some forms of emotional stress. Now, a new study reviewed by Faculty of 1000 Biology member Markus Heilig shows that small genetic differences in the gene for the opioid receptor can determine the intensity of people's responses to social rejection.

4 Dec 2009

Expert advice for organ transplant surgeons on clinical issues posed by swine flu pandemic

Surgeons and other healthcare professionals specialising in solid organ transplants have been issued with expert advice to guide them through the complex clinical issues posed by the global H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.

4 Dec 2009

ZIOPHARM Oncology begins public offering of common stock

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. announced today that it intends to offer shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase shares of its common stock in a public offering. JMP Securities LLC and Rodman & Renshaw, LLC are acting as co-lead managers for the offering.

4 Dec 2009

Shorter amyloid fibres more toxic than longer counterparts, says study

A major discovery is challenging accepted thinking about amyloids - the fibrous protein deposits associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - and may open up a potential new area for therapeutics.

4 Dec 2009

New research trial to study the impact of exercise on Parkinson's patients

Officials at the new Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute announced today the center's participation in a novel Parkinson's study aimed at determining the physical and neurological impact of simple exercise on Parkinson's patients.

4 Dec 2009

Researchers discover new strategy against invasive parasite

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered a possible strategy against an invasive parasite that infects more than a quarter of the world's population, including 50 million Americans.

4 Dec 2009

Geisinger Medical Center opens new ‘Vestibular and Balance Center’

Geisinger Medical Center recently opened a new Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery - Vestibular and Balance Center to help patients who are affected by vertigo, dizziness or balance problems.

4 Dec 2009

Combination of green tea and DAPH-12 chemicals may help prevent brain disorders

Scientists at Boston Biomedical Research Institute (BBRI) and the University of Pennsylvania have found that combining two chemicals, one of which is the green tea component EGCG, can prevent and destroy a variety of protein structures known as amyloids. Amyloids are the primary culprits in fatal brain disorders such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases.

4 Dec 2009

New biochemical probe may help in identifying toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most heartbreaking diagnoses a person can receive. This irreversible, progressive brain disease slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks

4 Dec 2009

Multicenter study evaluates effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia in reducing brain injury in children

When the heart is stopped and restarted, the patient's life may be saved but their brain is often permanently damaged. Therapeutic hypothermia, a treatment in which the patient's body temperature is lowered and maintained several degrees below normal for a period of time, has been shown to mitigate these harmful effects and improve survival in adults.

4 Dec 2009

Lightlake Therapeutics granted ethical approval for gene testing subjects in obesity treatment trial

After two decades of scientifically and medically proven success in their field, Lightlake Therapeutics' experts have been granted ethical approval to begin selecting and gene testing subjects for a trial of a simple, safe and effective treatment for what the World Health Organisation has described as a global epidemic of unhealthy eating and obesity.

3 Dec 2009

NIH approves new stem cell lines for research

The National Institutes of Health announced approval of embryonic stem cell lines for federally funded research. The Washington Post reports the decision is "opening the way for millions of taxpayer dollars to be used to conduct research that was put off-limits by President George W. Bush.

3 Dec 2009

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

FDA approves St. Jude Medical's MultiSteering Technology software for optimizing neurostimulation therapy

RevMed introduces its proprietary suite of MRI software products at RSNA 2009

Neurologix completes Phase 2 clinical trial of Parkinson’s study

New study suggests mental imagery training is sufficient for perceptual learning

Pfizer announces a $9M cancer research collaboration in British Columbia

Study suggests brain can integrate new information without jeopardizing established memories

Master gene linked to childhood brain tumor

GIND scientists identify drug treatments that can normalize neuron development in AD

Genetic differences determine intensity of people's responses to social rejection

Expert advice for organ transplant surgeons on clinical issues posed by swine flu pandemic

ZIOPHARM Oncology begins public offering of common stock

Shorter amyloid fibres more toxic than longer counterparts, says study

New research trial to study the impact of exercise on Parkinson's patients

Researchers discover new strategy against invasive parasite

Geisinger Medical Center opens new ‘Vestibular and Balance Center’

Combination of green tea and DAPH-12 chemicals may help prevent brain disorders

New biochemical probe may help in identifying toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease

Multicenter study evaluates effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia in reducing brain injury in children

Lightlake Therapeutics granted ethical approval for gene testing subjects in obesity treatment trial

NIH approves new stem cell lines for research

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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