Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Brain Canada issues statement reinforcing need for government support for brain research funding

Brain Canada today issued a statement reinforcing the pressing need for targeted Federal government support for brain research funding in Canada.

2 Apr 2011

Study findings on novel ST2 cardiac biomarker to be presented at ACC 2011

A novel cardiac biomarker, ST2, will be highlighted in three presentations at the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans this week.

1 Apr 2011

AANS offers tips to prevent head injuries

The theme of 2011 National Neurosurgery Awareness Week, April 10-16, 2011, is There's Always Another Game, but You Only Have One Brain. NNAW is held annually in celebration of American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meetings.

1 Apr 2011

HLS receives state permission to build new rehabilitation hospital in Ocala, Florida

HealthSouth Corporation today announced that it has received permission from the state to proceed with building a comprehensive physical rehabilitation hospital in Ocala, Fla.

1 Apr 2011

Study: MicroRNA can predict risk of BM in lung cancer patients

Conducting genetic profiles using microRNA can help doctors predict which lung cancer patients are likely to also develop brain metastasis, according to a study published today by Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

1 Apr 2011

Researchers study role of acetylation in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have determined that a well-known chemical process called acetylation has a previously unrecognized association with one of the biological processes associated with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The findings were published in the latest issue of Nature Communications.

1 Apr 2011

New research: 'Good cholesterol' can act as special delivery vehicle for cancer destruction

High-density lipoprotein's hauls excess cholesterol to the liver for disposal, but new research suggests "good cholesterol" can also act as a special delivery vehicle of destruction for cancer.

1 Apr 2011

Insulin could play a new role in fighting Alzheimer's disease: Research

A low dose of insulin has been found to suppress the expression in the blood of four precursor proteins involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, according to new clinical research by University at Buffalo endocrinologists. The research, published in March online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggests that insulin could have a powerful, new role to play in fighting Alzheimer's disease.

1 Apr 2011

NIH combats obesity epidemic with new strategic research plan

To combat the obesity epidemic, the National Institutes of Health is encouraging diverse scientific investigations through a new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research.

1 Apr 2011

OPO staff working with ICU team can help recover more organs from brain dead donors

More than twice as many lungs and nearly 50 percent more kidneys could be recovered for transplant operations if intensive care physicians were to work with organ procurement organization (OPO) coordinators to monitor and manage donor bodies after brain death has occurred, according to an analysis by UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physicians that is now in the online version of the American Journal of Transplantation.

1 Apr 2011

NAMI launches new schizophrenia website and brochure

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has launched a new website on schizophrenia and published a new brochure on the medical condition which affects more than 2.4 million American adults each year.

1 Apr 2011

Study shows immune therapy can prevent pregnancy in mammals including humans

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have shown that it is possible to immunize mammals to control fertility. They say their technique could possibly be used on other mammals -- including humans -- because fertility hormones and their receptors are species-non-specific and are similar in both females and males.

1 Apr 2011

Insight into traumatic brain injury

Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have described for the first time how the brain's memory center repairs itself following severe trauma - a process that may explain why it is harder to bounce back after multiple head injuries.

1 Apr 2011

Study: Amygdala plays a key role in long-term memories

When we suddenly get the answer to a riddle or understand the solution to a problem, we can practically feel the light bulb click on in our head. But what happens after the 'Aha!' moment? Why do the things we learn through sudden insight tend to stick in our memory?

1 Apr 2011

Scientists to develop new techniques for autism detection and treatment

To parents, learning that a child has been diagnosed with autism can be overwhelming. Children with the disorder can seem trapped in a world of their own, without friends or even a conception of friendship. Many prefer to play alone. Some lose the ability to speak more than a few words.

1 Apr 2011

How brain's memory center repairs itself after severe trauma

1 Apr 2011

Closer to deciphering the 'language of the brain'

The moment we open our eyes, we perceive the world with apparent ease. But the question of how neurons in the retina encode what we "see" has been a tricky one. A key obstacle to understanding how our brain functions is that its components-neurons-respond in highly nonlinear ways to complex stimuli, making stimulus-response relationships extremely difficult to discern.

1 Apr 2011

Study confirms D-penicillamine and trientine effective against Wilson disease

Results from the first ever European-wide retrospective analysis presented today at the International Liver CongressTM have shown both D-penicillamine and trientine continue to be effective treatments, providing positive survival rates in patients with Wilson disease free from a liver transplant.

1 Apr 2011

Seat of emotion in the brain critical for creating long-term memories

1 Apr 2011

New research sheds light on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

New research published today in The Journal of Physiology sheds light on areas of the brain thought to be the root cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - the poorly understood condition also known as 'cot death'.

1 Apr 2011