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.

Human gliomas release excess levels of glutamate and trigger seizures

Glioma, one of the most deadly and common types of brain tumor, is often associated with seizures, but the origins of these seizures and effective treatments for them have been elusive. Now a team funded by the National Institutes of Health has found that human gliomas implanted in mice release excess levels of the brain chemical glutamate, overstimulating neurons near the tumor and triggering seizures.

12 Sep 2011

NIH awards $13M grant to BMC for brain abnormality study in former ELGANS

Researchers and clinicians from Boston Medical Center (BMC) have been awarded a four year, more than $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study neurological and brain abnormalities in former extremely low gestational age newborns.

12 Sep 2011

Study pinpoints relationship between primary brain tumors and onset of epileptic seizures

New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham pinpoints the relationship between primary brain tumors and the onset of epileptic seizures and reveals that a drug used to treat Crohn's disease inhibits those seizures and may be able to slow a tumor's growth.

12 Sep 2011

Preterm babies may be experiencing pain during procedures: Study

Preterm may begin to feel pain around a woman's 35th week of pregnancy, about two to four weeks before delivery, according to a new study from University College London. Using EEG, researchers recorded the babies' brain activity in response to pain, comparing their pain responses from a touch and prick on the heels. The findings were published in the journal Current Biology.

9 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: 4th Circuit decision; Advice for the FDA; Docs and the AMA

Minutes after President Obama signed his health-care program into law on March 23, 2010, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II raced to become the first state official to challenge it in court. But as a federal appeals court panel concluded Thursday, being first isn't the same as being right. ... Even if timing were not an issue, the notion that a state could nullify a federal program in this way is absurd (9/8).

9 Sep 2011

Chemical biology researchers to meet at Scientific Oktoberfest in München

The "Scientific Oktoberfest" will be this year's meeting point for some of the internationally most distinguished researchers in the field of Chemical Biology. The so-called "CIPSM Fest of Chemical Biology" will be held from the 15th to the 16th of September in the Department of Chemistry of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München.

9 Sep 2011

Au. sediba demonstrates unique combination of features, never before seen in early human ancestors

A series of five papers based on new evidence pertaining to various aspects of the anatomy of the species Australopithecus sediba will appear in the prestigious journal Science.

9 Sep 2011

Ultrasonic neuromodulation can be quickly applied in neurocritical care situations

The discovery that low-intensity, pulsed ultrasound can be used to noninvasively stimulate intact brain circuits holds promise for engineering rapid-response medical devices.

9 Sep 2011

Tics are not a rare or uncommon disorder

Experts have confirmed it: tics are not a rare or uncommon disorder. It is the second study to be conducted in Spain to date, and the first of great importance, revealing that the prevalence of these motor disorders in the child population is 16.86%. The incidence is greater in boys than girls, and they tend to disappear or reduce with age.

9 Sep 2011

Einstein led consortium to spearhead Central Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS

In 2004, the global community acted in earnest to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. As a result, millions of Africans are now receiving the same advanced antiretroviral therapy (ART) that has long been available in the developed world. While research shows that AIDS death rates in Africa have stabilized, little is known about the actual deployment and circumstances of treatment.

9 Sep 2011

Feds stop brain stent stroke study after failures

A promising but expensive device to prop open blocked arteries in the brain in the hope of preventing disabling or fatal strokes failed in a rigorous study, researchers reported on Wednesday. Those who got the device actually had so many more strokes than those assigned to control risk factors, like blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, that the study was abruptly terminated.

9 Sep 2011

PKC epsilon enzyme might be target for treatment of nicotine addiction, alcohol abuse

An enzyme that appears to play a role in controlling the brain's response to nicotine and alcohol in mice might be a promising target for a drug that simultaneously would treat nicotine addiction and alcohol abuse in people, according to a study by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.

9 Sep 2011

Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee recommends FDA approval of J&JPRD's rivaroxaban

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C. (J&JPRD) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of rivaroxaban, a novel, once-daily, oral anticoagulant, for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

9 Sep 2011

Seeds of violence may be planted before a child is born: Research

It's hard to think of a baby being violent or destructive, but the seeds of violence may be planted before a child is born, according to research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

9 Sep 2011

Scientists discover new gene mutation responsible for late-onset Parkinson's

Less than two months after publishing findings about a new gene linked to late-onset Parkinson's disease, the same team of scientists at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered another gene responsible for the neurodegenerative disease - providing yet another target for potential treatments.

9 Sep 2011

Study: Early motor experiences can shape infants' preferences for objects and faces

In a new study published today in the journal Developmental Science, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Vanderbilt University found that early motor experiences can shape infants' preferences for objects and faces.

9 Sep 2011

Sagene completes SPI-1972 pre-IND meeting with FDA for erectile dysfunction

Sagene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing combinations of FDA-approved drugs to treat diseases associated with aging, has completed a pre-IND meeting with the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products of the FDA to discuss the development plan for SPI-1972, a dual-action combination treatment for erectile dysfunction.

9 Sep 2011

Many people cultivate an “illusion of control”, even in situations when they are clearly not, depression research shows

A study into depression is shedding new light on a fascinating facet of human psychology – our propensity to delude ourselves into thinking we control events, even when we know we do not.

8 Sep 2011

Simple universal test to detect Alzheimer’s early

A ten-minute memory test that gives early warning of Alzheimer’s in people as young as 50 is being piloted in GP surgeries. Using a touch-screen computer or an iPad, it can distinguish between normal forgetfulness and the more dangerous memory lapses that signal dementia in its earliest stages. If trials are successful, it could be in widespread use in under a year. The developer, Cambridge Cognition, said the mobile electronic test will allow GPs to access patients presenting memory problems more quickly, simply and accurately than with tradition paper-based tests.

8 Sep 2011

Stents for blocked brain arteries may not be as successful in prolonging survival as believed: Study

A study out this Wednesday says that insertion of an artery-opening device called a stent into the brain to improve blood flow to prevent a second stroke may do more harm than managing high-risk patients with drugs and lifestyle changes. Blocked brain arteries caused by the build-up of fatty deposits called plaque account for more than 50,000 of the 795,000 strokes occurring in the United States each year. Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States.

8 Sep 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Human gliomas release excess levels of glutamate and trigger seizures

NIH awards $13M grant to BMC for brain abnormality study in former ELGANS

Study pinpoints relationship between primary brain tumors and onset of epileptic seizures

Preterm babies may be experiencing pain during procedures: Study

Viewpoints: 4th Circuit decision; Advice for the FDA; Docs and the AMA

Chemical biology researchers to meet at Scientific Oktoberfest in München

Au. sediba demonstrates unique combination of features, never before seen in early human ancestors

Ultrasonic neuromodulation can be quickly applied in neurocritical care situations

Tics are not a rare or uncommon disorder

Einstein led consortium to spearhead Central Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS

Feds stop brain stent stroke study after failures

PKC epsilon enzyme might be target for treatment of nicotine addiction, alcohol abuse

Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee recommends FDA approval of J&JPRD's rivaroxaban

Seeds of violence may be planted before a child is born: Research

Scientists discover new gene mutation responsible for late-onset Parkinson's

Study: Early motor experiences can shape infants' preferences for objects and faces

Sagene completes SPI-1972 pre-IND meeting with FDA for erectile dysfunction

Many people cultivate an “illusion of control”, even in situations when they are clearly not, depression research shows

Simple universal test to detect Alzheimer’s early

Stents for blocked brain arteries may not be as successful in prolonging survival as believed: Study

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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