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.

Rituxan receives FDA approval for treating two rare diseases

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Rituxan (rituximab), in combination with glucocorticoids (steroids), to treat patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), two rare disorders that cause blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis).

20 Apr 2011

Combination therapy restores skilled use of limb in rodent model

After the acute treatment window closes, the only effective treatment for stroke is physical/occupational therapy. Now scientists from Children's Hospital Boston report a two-pronged molecular therapy that leads to significant recovery of skilled motor function in a rat model of stroke.

20 Apr 2011

Flexibility of the brain can predict learning capability

An international team of scientists has developed a way to predict how much a person can learn, based on studies at UC Santa Barbara's Brain Imaging Center.

20 Apr 2011

Acorda receives patent for AMPYRA tablets to improve walking in MS patients

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed U.S. Patent Application No. 11/010,828 entitled "Sustained Release Aminopyridine Composition."

20 Apr 2011

Positive results from first human masitinib phase 2 study in Alzheimer's disease published in peer-reviewed journal

AB Science SA, a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), announces the publication of results from the first human phase 2 study of masitinib carried-out in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

20 Apr 2011

Treatment commences in NeuroVive-HCL's 1,000 patient European cardioprotection trial

NeuroVive Pharmaceutical and Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL) today announced the enrollment and treatment of the first patient in the European multicenter trial of myocardial infarction (the CIRCUS study). NeuroVive's advanced CicloMulsion(TM) cremophor-free IV cyclosporine formulation is used in this study of 1,000 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction to examine cyclosporine's ability to protect cardiac tissue.

20 Apr 2011

A cluttered brain doesn't remember

Lapses in memory occur more frequently with age, yet the reasons for this increasing forgetfulness have not always been clear. According to new research from Concordia University, older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks.

20 Apr 2011

FDA approves Rituxan-corticosteroid combination for Wegener's Granulomatosis and Microscopic Polyangiitis

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group and Biogen Idec announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rituxan® (rituximab), in combination with corticosteroids, as a new medicine for adults with Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) and Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA).

20 Apr 2011

First hand transplant in western United States

Ms Emily Fennell, a 26-year-old California woman became the first person in the western United States to receive a hand transplant.

19 Apr 2011

Alzheimer’s diagnostic guidelines released

Neurologists and experts have come up with a set of guidelines to better diagnose Alzheimer's disease in the clinic for the first time in nearly three decades. The advice also helps doctors identify the earliest signs of the degenerative condition, even before symptoms of memory loss begin. The hope is that they can help patients prepare early, and eventually treat, the disease.

19 Apr 2011

Effects of obesity on the brain: first evidence of sex-related differences

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19 Apr 2011

New guidelines allow definition of pre-Alzheimer's

The emphasis on the need to diagnose Alzeheimer's during its earliest stages is also evident in Congress, where legislation introduced this month would create new, specific Medicare cost codes for early-disease diagnosis to address these steps, including the discussions between the physician and caregivers.

19 Apr 2011

EMA CHMP grants positive opinion for Biogen Idec's AVONEX PEN

Biogen Idec announced today that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion recommending the approval of AVONEX® PEN™ for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and patients with a single demyelinating event.

19 Apr 2011

NeuroVive, HCL initiate CicloMulsion Phase III trial in myocardial infarction

NeuroVive Pharmaceutical and Hospices Civils de Lyon today announced the enrollment and treatment of the first patient in the European multicenter trial of myocardial infarction.

19 Apr 2011

Gene mutation in Tibetian Terrier dogs causes hereditary form of Parkinson's disease in humans

University of Missouri researchers believe both man and animal will benefit from their discovery that the same gene mutation found in Tibetan Terrier dogs can also be found in a fatal human neurological disorder related to Parkinson's disease.

19 Apr 2011

Pupil measurements can predict patients' response to cognitive therapy

The scientific foundation of psychiatry is growing rapidly, yet it is a branch of medicine distinctive for the relative absence of biological tests in routine clinical practice.

19 Apr 2011

New BGU technology for physically disabled

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev software engineering students have developed innovative technology that could enable people to operate a computer without using a keyboard or mouse - only their brainwaves.

19 Apr 2011

Spinal fluid analysis can help detect early stage Alzheimer's disease

A new study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows how analysing spinal fluid can help to detect Alzheimer's disease at an early stage. The researchers behind the study hope that their findings will contribute to a greater international breakthrough for this type of diagnostic method.

19 Apr 2011

Study examines brain processes behind facial recognition

When you think you see a face in the clouds or in the moon, you may wonder why it never seems to be upside down.

19 Apr 2011

Bexion earns Biotech Innovation Award for new cancer treatment approach

Bexion Pharmaceuticals was named the Biotech Innovation Award winner at the Cincinnati USA Innovation Awards program sponsored by the Cincinnati Business Courier, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and CincyTech.

19 Apr 2011