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.

HH&S, CDC announce eight finalists for 2011 Sentinel for Health Awards

Hollywood, Health & Society, a program of the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are announcing eight finalists for the Sentinel for Health Awards.

29 Aug 2011

Lundbeck Canada makes landmark donation of $2.7M to support depression research

Lundbeck Canada has made a landmark donation of $2.7 million to support ground-breaking research at the University Health Network to identify biomarkers that will enhance the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from major depression and bipolar disorder.

29 Aug 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim initiates two afatinib phase II studies in HER2-positive breast cancer

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the initiation of two phase II studies, 1200.89 and LUX-Breast 2, evaluating afatinib in patients with metastatic breast cancer, who have an overexpression of the erbB2 (HER2) protein, so called HER2-positive patients. Afatinib is an irreversible ErbB Family Blocker, which binds to all erbB-family kinases including erbB2.

29 Aug 2011

Harmful effects of tobacco smoke on atherosclerosis are greater in women than in men

The harmful effects of tobacco smoke on atherosclerosis, one of the driving forces of cardiovascular disease, are greater in women than in men.

29 Aug 2011

Elevating free radical levels suppresses appetite in obese mice

Obesity is growing at alarming rates worldwide, and the biggest culprit is overeating. In a study of brain circuits that control hunger and satiety, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that molecular mechanisms controlling free radicals-molecules tied to aging and tissue damage-are at the heart of increased appetite in diet-induced obesity.

29 Aug 2011

Study investigates brain mechanisms that contribute to infants' prowess at learning languages

Babies and children are whizzes at learning a second language, but that ability begins to fade as early as their first birthdays.

29 Aug 2011

One in three AF patients at high risk of stroke are not being prescribed VKA therapy

New data show that, worldwide, one in three patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are at high risk for stroke are not being prescribed anticoagulant therapy, particularly vitamin K antagonists (VKA) – medicines known to significantly lower stroke risk in these patients.

29 Aug 2011

Medical engineers develop sensor chip to monitor cancerous tumors

A surgery is usually one of the first therapy options in cancer treatment. However, some tumors, such as brain tumors, can be difficult to operate on if there is a risk of damaging surrounding nerve tissue.

29 Aug 2011

Autism link to vaccines dispelled by a large review of studies

According to a report issued by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM), vaccines are largely safe, and do not cause autism or diabetes. This conclusion followed a review of more than 1,000 published research studies.

26 Aug 2011

New imaging device enables scientists to see tumor cells traveling in the brain

For the first time, scientists can see pathways to stop a deadly brain cancer in its tracks. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have imaged individual cancer cells and the routes they travel as the tumor spreads.

26 Aug 2011

IOM report: Vaccines generally safe, no link to autism

Vaccines can cause certain side effects but serious ones appear very rare - and there's no link with autism and Type 1 diabetes, the Institute of Medicine says in the first comprehensive safety review in 17 years. The report released Thursday isn't aimed at nervous parents. And the side effects it lists as proven are some that doctors long have known about, such as fever-caused seizures and occasional brain inflammation.

26 Aug 2011

IOM report: Few health problems are clearly associated with vaccines

An analysis of more than 1,000 research articles concluded that few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines.

26 Aug 2011

RE Children's Project donates $111,000 to UCLA researchers for Rasmussen Encephalitis study

The Rasmussen Encephalitis (RE) Children's Project, a foundation that supports scientific research to find a cure for this devastating neurological disease, has donated $111,000 to researchers in the departments of neurosurgery and pathology/lab medicine (neuropathology) at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

26 Aug 2011

Researchers to develop diagnostic test for folate receptor autoantibody

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have received a $50,000 grant from the SUNY Research Foundation Technology Accelerator Fund to develop a diagnostic test for the folate receptor autoantibody. This autoantibody is associated with neural tube defects, subfertility, cerebral folate deficiency in infants and autism spectrum disorders.

26 Aug 2011

U.S. DoD awards $1.1M grant to Cleveland Clinic researcher for lupus research

The U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded a $1.1 million grant to a Cleveland Clinic researcher to investigate why females are disproportionately affected by lupus.

26 Aug 2011

Parkinson's important protein linked with fat metabolism

National Institutes of Health researchers have found that Parkin, an important protein linked with some cases of early-onset Parkinson's disease, regulates how cells in our bodies take up and process dietary fats.

26 Aug 2011

Research: Brains of older adults are wiser than younger ones

The brains of older people are not slower but rather wiser than young brains, which allows older adults to achieve an equivalent level of performance, according research undertaken at the University Geriatrics Institute of Montreal by Dr. Oury Monchi and Dr. Ruben Martins of the Univeristy of Montreal.

26 Aug 2011

GCC hormone receptor may also help fight obesity

The hormone receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) has been established as a suppressor of colorectal cancer tumors, but new evidence from Thomas Jefferson University suggests it may also help fight one of the country's biggest pandemics: obesity.

26 Aug 2011

Omega-3s decreases severity of brain damage after stroke

A diet rich in omega-3s reduces the severity of brain damage after a stroke, according to a study conducted by Universit- Laval researchers. The team, co-directed by professors Jasna Kriz and Fr-d-ric Calon, showed that the extent of brain damage following a stroke was reduced by 25% in mice that consumed DHA type omega-3s daily.

26 Aug 2011

DaTscan allows doctors to differentiate Parkinson's from other movement disorders

Thanks to a new diagnostic imaging technique, physicians now have an objective test to evaluate patients for parkinsonian syndromes, such as Parkinson's disease. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is among the first institutions in the country to offer DaTscan-, the only FDA-approved imaging agent for assessment of movement disorders.

26 Aug 2011