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.

AAN honors Mayo Clinic researcher with John Dystel Prize for MS work

The American Academy of Neurology is awarding the 2011 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research to Brian G. Weinshenker, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and a Fellow with the AAN.

1 Apr 2011

First MR images to show complete borders in human cerebral cortex

Understanding functional properties of the brain’s structural units is one of the main aims of brain research. Until now only fragmentary borders of brain areas could be identified in vivo since the resolution in MR images was not high enough.

31 Mar 2011

Clontech launches new SMARTer Ultra Low RNA Kit

Clontech Laboratories, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., today announced the launch of its SMARTer Ultra Low RNA Kit for Illumina Sequencing, which was developed in collaboration with Illumina, Inc.

31 Mar 2011

Vanda to initiate tasimelteon Phase IIb/III clinical trial in Major Depressive Disorder

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced its plans to initiate a Phase IIb/III clinical trial of tasimelteon in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The trial is expected to begin during the second half of 2011. Tasimelteon is currently being evaluated in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Sleep/Wake Disorder (N24HSWD) in blind individuals without light perception.

31 Mar 2011

Protox reports net loss of $4.5 million for year ended December 31, 2010

Protox Therapeutics Inc., a leader in the development of receptor targeted therapeutic fusion proteins, today announced financial results and achievements for the year ended December 31, 2010.

31 Mar 2011

Researchers suggest link between dopamine-related genes and person's risk of addiction

There is growing evidence that the risk factors for addiction change throughout the lifespan. The risk factors for developing addiction in adolescence are the most intensively studied because this life phase is associated with the highest addiction risk.

31 Mar 2011

Brain involuntary rotates reflected letters and words in the mirror

Human beings understand words reflected in a mirror without thinking about it, just like those written normally, at least for a few instants. Researchers from the Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain and Languages (Spain) have shown this in a study that could also help to increase our understanding of the phenomenon of dyslexia.

31 Mar 2011

Researchers develop new virus-based nerve-tracing technique

If, as Shakespeare's Juliet declared, a rose by any other name smells as sweet - to you and to me and to anyone else who sniffs it - then one might assume that our odor-sensing nerve cells are all wired in the same way. Alas, they are not, according to a new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute.

31 Mar 2011

Study finds Gamma Knife procedure effective for brain metastases treatment

The volume of normal brain tissue exposed to radiation during treatment for multiple metastases appears to depend on which stereotactic radiosurgery system is employed, according to a recent study in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

31 Mar 2011

Coro Health earns ALFA recognition for senior care programs

Coro Health, LLC, a provider of technology-based wellness therapies designed to improve the quality of life for seniors and caregivers, today announced it has been recognized as Program to Watch by the Assisted Living Federation of America 2011 Best of the Best Awards program.

31 Mar 2011

Revenues grow, but states wrestle with shortfalls in Medicaid needs

A new Census Bureau report find revenues for local and state governments are growing but many states are still having difficulty funding Medicaid programs. In Conn., the governor says he has reservations about a proposal to create a new entity to oversee state health care. California and New Jersey officials are having trouble finding cuts to balance the budget. And hospital officials in Texas are urging lawmakers to not trim health care.

31 Mar 2011

HRI to host healthy hearing teen initiative at DGA Theatre in NYC

The House Research Institute announced that it will host "Sound Rules! A Sound & Hearing Celebration" for teens at the Director's Guild of America Theatre in New York City on May 4.

31 Mar 2011

Boceprevir drug can help cure hard-to-treat hepatitis C

The drug boceprevir helps cure hard-to-treat hepatitis C, says Saint Louis University investigator Bruce R. Bacon, M.D., author of the March 31 New England Journal of Medicine article detailing the study's findings.

31 Mar 2011

20-year data shows bariatric surgery to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke in diabetics

In the longest study of its kind, bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with diabetes. These results and other groundbreaking research were presented at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes, hosted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.

31 Mar 2011

IAN launches major survey to study elopement, wandering behavior in individuals with ASD

Today, the Interactive Autism Network, with support from leading autism advocacy groups, launches the first major survey to study the experience of wandering and elopement, or escaping, among individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

31 Mar 2011

Amyloid plaques in normal older individuals may be early signs of Alzheimer's

Researchers using two brain-imaging technologies have found that apparently normal older individuals with brain deposits of amyloid beta - the primary constituent of the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients - also had changes in brain structure similar to those seen in Alzheimer's patients.

31 Mar 2011

Positive mood can negatively impact working memory storage capacity

Most people have had trouble remembering something they just heard. Now, a University of Missouri researcher found that forgetfulness may have something to do with being in a good mood. Elizabeth Martin, a doctoral student of psychology in the College of Arts and Science, has found that being in a good mood decreases your working memory capacity.

31 Mar 2011

Tips on neurobiology of learning

Everyone would like MDs to have the best education - and to absorb what they are taught. The lead article in the April 4 issue of the journal Academic Medicine connects research on how the brain learns to how to incorporate this understanding into real world education, particularly the education of doctors.

31 Mar 2011

Eating disorders - hitting early and hard

Children as young as seven have been admitted to hospitals for eating disorders. A peak support group has reported a doubling of calls about children under the age of 12 in the past decade. Being hit so early with these disorders also means malnutrition leading to retarded growth, osteoporosis, infertility and changes in brain structure say experts.

30 Mar 2011

New stereo-EEG method can detect epileptic foci during surgeries

The neurosurgery department of HUCH has started to utilize stereo-EEG method for localizing the epileptic focus in severe epilepsy for epilepsy surgery purposes. The department is also getting ready to introduce the so-called deep brain stimulation therapy in the treatment of epilepsy.

30 Mar 2011