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.

What your mother did when she was a child may have an effect on your memory

A new study by researchers from Rush University Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine using mice indicate that a child's memory and the severity of learning disorders may be affected by what his or her mother did when she was a child.

3 Feb 2009

Preventing prostate cancer the complex way

Blocking a specific protein complex prevents the formation of tumors in mice genetically predisposed to develop prostate cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Neural mapping paints a haphazard picture of odor receptors

Despite the striking aromatic differences between coffee, peppermint, and pine, a new mapping of the nose's neural circuitry suggests a haphazard patchwork where the receptors for such disparate scents are as likely as not to be neighbors.

3 Feb 2009

Novel gene may cause restless legs syndrome in a large family

In 2005, a woman who had trouble sleeping asked Siong-Chi Lin, M.D., for help. Dr. Lin, a sleep disorders specialist at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida, diagnosed restless legs syndrome.

3 Feb 2009

Discovery of new schizophrenia gene

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine are one gene closer to understanding schizophrenia and related disorders.

3 Feb 2009

Green tea may counteract anticancer effects of cancer therapy, bortezomib (Velcade)

Green tea products have become regarded as a valuable health supplement, as studies have shown evidence of its benefit against a variety of diseases, including cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Genetics may predict risk for relapse among alcohol-dependent patients

In Poland, alcohol dependence (AD) affects about four percent of the population, causing about 10,000 deaths per year.

3 Feb 2009

At last a male contraceptive jab!

At last a male contraceptive jab has been developed and is all set to be trialled - and Sydney men will be the first guinea pigs!

3 Feb 2009

Effects of brain exercise depend on opponent

Playing games against a computer activates different brain areas from those activated when playing against a human opponent.

3 Feb 2009

Animal eggs no source for embryonic stem cells

Stem cell researchers in the U.S. say that eggs from cows, rabbits and other animals are not a good source for creating embryonic stem cells.

3 Feb 2009

New inhibitors could be new class of cancer drugs

A team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators has developed a group of chemical compounds that could represent a new class of drugs for treating cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Heart drug improve learning and memory in middle-aged rats

A team of Arizona psychologists, geneticists and neuroscientists has reported that a safe and effective drug used to treat vascular problems in the brain has improved spatial learning and working memory in middle-aged rats.

2 Feb 2009

Fasudil could reduce risk of Alzheimer's

A drug used to improve blood flow to the brain also could help improve learning and memory and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study released today by investigators at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Arizona State University.

2 Feb 2009

Economic burden of migraine in the U.S.

A new study published in Value in Health reviews the economic burden of migraine in the U.S. and recent clinical findings of the health risks of this neurological condition.

2 Feb 2009

Brain perceives optical illusions as real motion

Ever get a little motion sick from an illusion graphic designed to look like it's moving?

2 Feb 2009

MR spectroscopy may help avoid invasive procedures and treatments for recurrent brain lesions

A clinical decision model which uses MR spectroscopy to help physicians differentiate between recurrent tumors and changes in the brain tissue due to radiation treatments, may help patients avoid invasive procedures and treatments, according to a study performed at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, MI.

2 Feb 2009

Insulin may slow or prevent damage caused by toxic proteins in Alzheimer's disease

A Northwestern University-led research team reports that insulin, by shielding memory-forming synapses from harm, may slow or prevent the damage and memory loss caused by toxic proteins in Alzheimer's disease.

2 Feb 2009

Heavy dope smoking can damage developing brain in teens, young adults

Adolescents and young adults who are heavy users of marijuana are more likely than non-users to have disrupted brain development, according to a new study.

2 Feb 2009

Genetic change prevents cell death in mouse model of Parkinson's disease

By shifting a normal protective mechanism into overdrive, a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist has completely shielded mice from a toxic chemical that would otherwise cause Parkinson's disease.

2 Feb 2009

The end of sex as we once knew it

Women are not from Venus any more than men are from Mars. But even though both sexes are perfectly terrestrial beings, they are not lacking in other differences. And not only in their reproductive organs and behavior, either, but in such unsexy characteristics as the propensity for drug abuse, fine motor control, reaction to stress, moods and many brain structures.

2 Feb 2009