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.

Bilingualism enhances multi-tasking skills

Once likened to a confusing tower of Babel, speaking more than one language can actually bolster brain function by serving as a mental gymnasium, according to researchers.

18 Feb 2011

Scientists integrate multimedia patient data into PDF document

Who wouldn't want to send his heartbeat electronically? Not only scientists and doctors, but also lovers can now indulge in this desire. Researchers at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in collaboration with colleagues at the university hospitals of Jena and Münster, the Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Berlin and the Erlangen-based company 3D-Shape GmbH have, for the first time, embedded multimedia patient data into an electronic publication.

18 Feb 2011

Scientists find working memory highly dependent on fast inhibitory cells

Usually, we associate rhythms with dance and music. But they also play an important role in the brain. When billions of neurons communicate with each other, certain rhythmic activity patterns arise. The proper metre in this interplay is provided by nerve cells that do not excite other cells, but inhibit their activity instead. One type of these inhibiting cells acts in a particularly fast and efficient way and is therefore thought to be crucial for memory formation and information processing in neuronal networks.

18 Feb 2011

Canadian experts to discuss on latest developments in speech research at AASS

Three leading Canadian language and speech experts will take centre stage in discussions on the latest developments in speech research at this year's annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.

18 Feb 2011

Emotional response to challenging situations predict body's response to stress

Your emotional response to challenging situations could predict how your body responds to stress, according to research published this month in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

18 Feb 2011

Pittsburgh researchers awarded funds for testing brain-computer interfaces in patients with spinal cord injuries

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been awarded funding for two projects that will place brain-computer interfaces (BCI) in patients with spinal cord injuries to test if it is possible for them to control external devices, such as a computer cursor or a prosthetic limb, with their thoughts.

18 Feb 2011

Longer looks: KHN's best health policy picks from thought-provoking publications

A law under consideration in South Dakota would expand the definition of "justifiable homicide" to include killings that are intended to prevent harm to a fetus—a move that could make it legal to kill doctors who perform abortions.

18 Feb 2011

Scientists discover axons can send signals to cell body

Neurons are complicated, but the basic functional concept is that synapses transmit electrical signals to the dendrites and cell body, and axons carry signals away.

18 Feb 2011

$Helmets reduce skull fractures in skiers, snowboarders$

Helmets reduce skull fractures in skiers, snowboarders

A compelling clinical article published online in the March 2011 issue of Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, entitled Helmet Use Reduces Skull Fractures in Skiers and Snowboarders Admitted to the Hospital discusses skull fractures incurred by young skiers and snowboarders and the role helmets play in reducing these head injuries.

18 Feb 2011

Researchers identify normal movement mechanisms of PrPC in brain

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the motors that move non-infectious prion proteins (PrPC) - found within many mammalian cells - up and down long, neuronal transport pathways.

18 Feb 2011

Avenir team discovers how Neisseria meningitidis disseminates into bloodstream

Although, in the majority of cases, the localized presence of Neisseria meningitidis in the throat has no consequence, it can sometimes lead to meningitis or septicaemia. The seriousness of these two infections is driving researchers from around the world to improve their understanding of the mode of operation of this bacterium, which, once it leaves its favourite location becomes extremely dangerous.

18 Feb 2011

Two studies investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes

Two studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes. Researchers in Milan, Italy re-examine the role of bone marrow stem cells in diabetic therapy and islet cell regeneration and Canadian researchers offer improved strategies for optimizing pancreatic islet culture in vitro.

18 Feb 2011

Research shows possible link between warm weather and cognition in people with MS

People with multiple sclerosis may find it harder to learn, remember or process information on warmer days of the year, according to new research released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.

18 Feb 2011

Statin drug may help prevent blindness in diabetics

New University of Georgia research has found that a statin drug that is often known by the brand-name Lipitor may help prevent blindness in people with diabetes.

17 Feb 2011

AAN honors three researchers with 2011 Potamkin Prize for dementia study

The American Academy of Neurology is awarding its 2011 Potamkin Prize to three researchers for their work in dementia. Dennis Dickson, MD, with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, Eva Maria Mandelkow, MD, PhD, and Eckhard Mandelkow, PhD, both of the Max-Planck-Unit for Structural Molecular Biology in Hamburg, Germany, will receive the Award during the AAN's 63rd Annual Meeting in Hawaii, April 9 - 16, 2011.

17 Feb 2011

1000th clinical trial added to Cancer Research UK's patient information website

Cancer Research UK has added the 1000th clinical trial to its award winning patient information website, CancerHelp UK, on the 10th anniversary of the launch of its clinical trials database today.

17 Feb 2011

Acorda reports fourth quarter net revenue of $133.1 million for full year ended December 31, 2010

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2010.

17 Feb 2011

Radio frequency exposure from mobile phones does not appear to increase risk of brain cancer

Radio frequency exposure from mobile phone use does not appear to increase the risk of developing brain cancers by any significant amount, a study by University of Manchester scientists suggests.

17 Feb 2011

Researchers discover substance that reinforces brain's self-healing functions after stroke

The only acute treatment for a stroke currently available is thrombolysis. This uses drugs that dissolve the blood clot responsible for the stroke, but it only reaches around 10 per cent of stroke patients in time to prevent lasting damage. For other patients, there are no other effective drugs that reduce the loss of brain function following a stroke.

17 Feb 2011

Brain enzyme blocks accumulation of tau proteins, slows down progression of neural degeneration

Increasing puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase, the most abundant brain peptidase in mammals, slowed the damaging accumulation of tau proteins that are toxic to nerve cells and eventually lead to the neurofibrillary tangles, a major pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, according to a study published online in the journal, Human Molecular Genetics.

17 Feb 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Bilingualism enhances multi-tasking skills

Scientists integrate multimedia patient data into PDF document

Scientists find working memory highly dependent on fast inhibitory cells

Canadian experts to discuss on latest developments in speech research at AASS

Emotional response to challenging situations predict body's response to stress

Pittsburgh researchers awarded funds for testing brain-computer interfaces in patients with spinal cord injuries

Longer looks: KHN's best health policy picks from thought-provoking publications

Scientists discover axons can send signals to cell body

Helmets reduce skull fractures in skiers, snowboarders

Researchers identify normal movement mechanisms of PrPC in brain

Avenir team discovers how Neisseria meningitidis disseminates into bloodstream

Two studies investigate frontiers of islet cell transplantation for treating diabetes

Research shows possible link between warm weather and cognition in people with MS

Statin drug may help prevent blindness in diabetics

AAN honors three researchers with 2011 Potamkin Prize for dementia study

1000th clinical trial added to Cancer Research UK's patient information website

Acorda reports fourth quarter net revenue of $133.1 million for full year ended December 31, 2010

Radio frequency exposure from mobile phones does not appear to increase risk of brain cancer

Researchers discover substance that reinforces brain's self-healing functions after stroke

Brain enzyme blocks accumulation of tau proteins, slows down progression of neural degeneration

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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