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.

New insight into embryonic tissue separation

As our bodies form, cells within the embryo divide and separate. Certain cells come together to form the outer layer, or ectoderm, of the early embryo, and give rise to tissue such as the skin and nervous system.

6 Apr 2011

Elevated levels of sodium limit body's natural responses to stress

All those salty snacks available at the local tavern might be doing more than increasing your thirst: They could also play a role in suppressing social anxiety.

6 Apr 2011

Device to treat resistant hypertension lowers blood pressure by 33 points

A device designed to treat people with resistant hypertension helped lower blood pressure by 33 points, a substantial drop that would otherwise require patients to take an additional three or four drugs, on top of this subgroup's usual regimen of up to five drugs, to control their difficult-to-treat condition.

6 Apr 2011

Retrovirus XMRV may not be associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the central nervous system

There has been substantial mystery surrounding the origins of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a condition affecting as many as four million Americans and marked by symptoms that include a sense of weariness that sleep does not improve and difficulty with memory and concentration.

6 Apr 2011

Major depression linked to premature aging of immune cells: Study

Certain cases of major depression are associated with premature aging of immune cells, which may make people more susceptible to other serious illness, according to findings from a new UCSF-led study.

6 Apr 2011

Huntingtin protein is responsible for metabolic imbalances in hypothalamus

In Huntington's disease, the mutant protein known as huntingtin leads to the degeneration of a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia, causing the motor disturbances that represent one of the most defining features of the fatal disease.

6 Apr 2011

FDA approves NeuroVasx cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System

NeuroVasx announced today that the FDA has approved the cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System as a Humanitarian Use Device for the treatment of large, giant and wide-neck cerebral aneurysms, which are typically the most difficult to treat. The HDE allows for the treatment of up to 4,000 patients per year in the U.S.

6 Apr 2011

Treating obstructive sleep apnea in stroke patients improves recovery from stroke

A new study shows that patients in stroke rehabilitation treated for their co-existing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) recovered better from stroke than those whose OSA was not treated.

6 Apr 2011

Neurocrine completes NBI-98854 Phase IIa study in schizophrenia patients with dyskinesia

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced today that it has completed the dosing and preliminary assessment of the initial cohort of Tardive Dyskinesia patients using its proprietary Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 inhibitor, NBI-98854.

6 Apr 2011

Meditation for pain succeeds: Study

According to a new study meditation may help in reducing pain. For the study researchers mildly burned 15 men and women in a lab on two separate occasions, before and after the volunteers attended four 20-minute meditation training sessions over the course of four days. During the second round, when the participants were instructed to meditate, they rated the exact same pain stimulus - a 120-degree heat on their calves - as being 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense, on average.

5 Apr 2011

RE-LY trial results suggest Pradaxa capsule reduces risk of stroke in AF patients

Two new retrospective subanalyses of the RE-LY trial, involving Pradaxa capsules, suggested that the reduction in stroke risk achieved with PRADAXA 150mg over warfarin occurred irrespective of CHA2DS2-VASc risk score and the type of non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

5 Apr 2011

Previously unknown mechanism blocks rewarding effects of alcohol on the brain

In order to develop new medications for alcoholism, researchers need to understand how alcohol acts on the brain's reward system. A previously unknown mechanism has been shown to block the rewarding effects of alcohol on the brain, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

5 Apr 2011

Scientists identify gene influencing levels of alcohol consumption

Scientists have identified a gene that appears to play a role in regulating how much alcohol people drink, in a study of over 47,000 people published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

5 Apr 2011

Cocaine-addicted individuals show heightened response to drug-related images

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University (SBU) have conducted the most comprehensive study to date of how cocaine users respond to drug-related and other emotional stimuli, making use of comparisons with a matched control group and exploring the effects of recent cocaine use and abstinence. The findings appear in a paper published online in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

5 Apr 2011

National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression is now Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression) continues its 25-year mission to alleviate the suffering of mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.

5 Apr 2011

Autistic individuals have strong visual abilities

Researchers directed by Dr. Laurent Mottron at the University of Montreal's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders have determined that people with autism concentrate more brain resources in the areas associated with visual detection and identification, and conversely, have less activity in the areas used to plan and control thoughts and actions.

5 Apr 2011

Acamprosate can help treat patients with autism, Fragile X syndrome

In small, early clinical trials, adults and children with autism and Fragile X syndrome have shown improved communication and social behavior when treated with acamprosate, according to Craig Erickson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine and chief of the Riley Hospital for Children Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Indiana University Health.

5 Apr 2011

Neuropeptide ghrelin impacts alcoholism, binge-eating and sugar consumption

The substance ghrelin plays an important role in various addictions, such as alcoholism and binge-eating. It also impacts on sugar consumption, which is due, in part, to genetic factors, reveals new research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

5 Apr 2011

Alcohol binge-drinking in teen years could affect decision-making and related behaviors as adults

Adolescents represent the majority of people who binge drink. This may come as a surprise to some, but recent surveys indicate that episodes of heavy alcohol drinking within the previous two weeks are reported by 12 percent of 8th graders, 22 percent of 10th graders, 28 percent of 12th grade seniors and 44 percent of college students.

5 Apr 2011

UC researchers sequence individual glioblastoma genomes and track abnormalities through the bloodstream

Medical scientists know this about glioblastoma multiforme: the malignant brain tumor is aggressive, it is elusive, and it appears in different permutations.

5 Apr 2011