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.

Precisely mapped allosteric binding site will facilitate design of drugs with minimal side effects

Structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have obtained a precise molecular map of the binding site for an allosteric inhibitor in a subtype of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor, which is commonly expressed in brain cells.

17 Jun 2011

Self-perception of body traced to specialized multisensory neurons

By taking advantage of a "body swap" illusion, researchers have captured the brain regions involved in one of the most fundamental aspects of self-awareness: how we recognize our bodies as our own, distinct from others and from the outside world. That self-perception is traced to specialized multisensory neurons in various parts of the brain that integrate different sensory inputs across all body parts into a unified view of the body.

17 Jun 2011

Fast-acting antidepressant effect of ketamine

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists are shedding new light on why the anesthetic drug ketamine produces a fast-acting antidepressant response in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

17 Jun 2011

Inaccurate number sense is one cause of math learning disabilities

A new study published today in the journal Child Development finds that having a poor "gut sense" of numbers can lead to a mathematical learning disability and difficulty in achieving basic math proficiency. This inaccurate number sense is just one cause of math learning disabilities, according to the research led by Dr. Michele Mazzocco of the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

17 Jun 2011

Biomedical engineers analyze and duplicate the neural mechanism of learning in rats

Scientists have developed a way to turn memories on and off-literally with the flip of a switch. Using an electronic system that duplicates the neural signals associated with memory, they managed to replicate the brain function in rats associated with long-term learned behavior, even when the rats had been drugged to forget.

17 Jun 2011

Experimental vaccine shows promise for patients with newly diagnosed brain tumors

An experimental vaccine developed by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute targets overactive antigens in highly aggressive brain tumors and improves length of survival in newly diagnosed patients, according to new data that was presented in a poster session at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

17 Jun 2011

Varicocele surgery may increase testosterone production

17 Jun 2011

Cedars-Sinai receives National Eye Institute grant to develop gene therapy for corneal disease

Cedars-Sinai stem cell researchers investigating ways to prevent eye problems in diabetic patients have been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Eye Institute to develop gene therapy in corneal stem cells to alleviate damage to corneas that can cause vision loss.

17 Jun 2011

Hopkins research suggests that blood vessels and support cells may be real targets of treatment for diabetic nerve damage

Blood vessels and supporting cells appear to be pivotal partners in repairing nerves ravaged by diabetic neuropathy, and nurturing their partnership with nerve cells might make the difference between success and failure in experimental efforts to regrow damaged nerves, Johns Hopkins researchers report in a new study.

16 Jun 2011

Low testosterone linked to varicoceles

As many as 15 percent of men have varicoceles, masses of enlarged and dilated veins in the testicles. There is new evidence that varicoceles, long known to be a cause of male infertility, interfere with the production of testosterone -- a crucial hormone to maintaining men's health. There is good news too: Microsurgery can increase testosterone levels in these men. Results of new research by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are in a recent edition of BJU International.

16 Jun 2011

Lumosity announces $32.5M Series C financing round

Lumosity announced today it has raised $32.5 million in Series C financing. Lumosity leverages cutting-edge neuroscience to create games and exercises that improve core cognitive abilities and enable users to remember more, think faster and perform better at work and school.

16 Jun 2011

Swim centre personnel, lifeguards more effectively carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Swim centre personnel and lifeguards have higher stamina and carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation more effectively than personnel in the emergency healthcare services, even though they have undergone extreme exertion. Their life-saving efforts may be crucial while waiting for an ambulance. This is the conclusion of research carried out at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

16 Jun 2011

European scientists develop efficient methods for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's

PredictAD is an EU-funded research project that develops objective and efficient methods for enabling earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Diagnosis requires a holistic view of the patient combining information from several sources, such as, clinical tests, imaging and blood samples.

16 Jun 2011

UCLA's new center to explore links between brain, digestive system in chronic disorders

Investigators at UCLA's Center for Neurobiology of Stress have been studying the links between the brain and digestive system in the development and treatment of common chronic digestive disorders in adults and children.

16 Jun 2011

Study provides insight into how humans and other vertebrates generate sounds

Cornell researchers have identified regions of a fish brain that reveal the basic circuitry for how humans and other vertebrates generate sound used for social communication.

16 Jun 2011

Lund University professor receives Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Parkinson's research

Anders Björklund from Lund University in Sweden has been awarded the Robert A. Pritzker Prize for his many years of leadership in research on Parkinson's disease. The prize has long been an institution in American architecture and this year, for the first time, it is also being awarded to recognise cutting-edge medical research.

16 Jun 2011

Music and drama therapy improve physical, emotional components of Parkinson's

Twice a month a jam session takes place on the third floor of Northwestern Memorial's Prentice Women's Hospital. A diverse group of men and women, ranging in age and ethnicity, gather in a circle with instruments in hand and sing together. This is no ordinary jam band; all its members have Parkinson's disease.

16 Jun 2011

Children born pre-term have persistent drive to succeed

In the longest running U.S. study of premature infants who are now 23 years old, University of Rhode Island Professor of Nursing Mary C. Sullivan has found that premature infants are less healthy, have more social and school struggles and face a greater risk of heart-health problems in adulthood.

16 Jun 2011

Stem cell technology corrects genetic defect in rare blinding disorder

Researchers have used cutting-edge stem cell technology to correct a genetic defect present in a rare blinding disorder, another step on a promising path that may one day lead to therapies to reverse blindness caused by common retinal diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa which affect millions of individuals.

16 Jun 2011

Study establishes potential genetic link to human REM sleep behaviour disorder

Researchers at the University of Toronto are the first to indentify a potential cause for a severe sleep disorder that has been closely linked to Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

16 Jun 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Precisely mapped allosteric binding site will facilitate design of drugs with minimal side effects

Self-perception of body traced to specialized multisensory neurons

Fast-acting antidepressant effect of ketamine

Inaccurate number sense is one cause of math learning disabilities

Biomedical engineers analyze and duplicate the neural mechanism of learning in rats

Experimental vaccine shows promise for patients with newly diagnosed brain tumors

Varicocele surgery may increase testosterone production

Cedars-Sinai receives National Eye Institute grant to develop gene therapy for corneal disease

Hopkins research suggests that blood vessels and support cells may be real targets of treatment for diabetic nerve damage

Low testosterone linked to varicoceles

Lumosity announces $32.5M Series C financing round

Swim centre personnel, lifeguards more effectively carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation

European scientists develop efficient methods for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's

UCLA's new center to explore links between brain, digestive system in chronic disorders

Study provides insight into how humans and other vertebrates generate sounds

Lund University professor receives Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Parkinson's research

Music and drama therapy improve physical, emotional components of Parkinson's

Children born pre-term have persistent drive to succeed

Stem cell technology corrects genetic defect in rare blinding disorder

Study establishes potential genetic link to human REM sleep behaviour disorder

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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