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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.

Study unveils surprising mechanism that controls brain formation

A study from The Scripps Research Institute has unveiled a surprising mechanism that controls brain formation. The findings have implications for understanding a host of diseases, including some forms of mental retardation, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism.

10 Feb 2011

EHSI applauds promising new stem cell treatment for Parkinson's

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. applauded a new study today revealing a promising new stem cell treatment for Parkinson's.

10 Feb 2011

L-methylfolate in combination with antidepressant drug helps major depressive disorder patients

Data published in the January issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, www.psychiatrymmc.com, suggest when L-methylfolate, a medical food available commercially as Deplin®, and by prescription, is used for dietary management of depression in combination with an antidepressant drug at the start of depression therapy, it results in significantly more patients experiencing major improvement and more rapid improvement than antidepressant monotherapy alone.

10 Feb 2011

Mg significantly reduces neonatal brain injury linked with maternal inflammation, infection

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in San Francisco, researchers will present findings that showed that in rats, the use of magnesium sulfate significantly reduced the neonatal brain injury associated with maternal inflammation or maternal infection.

10 Feb 2011

New research: Motorcycle helmets appear to reduce cervical spine injury

Motorcycle helmets, long known to dramatically reduce the number of brain injuries and deaths from crashes, appear to also be associated with a lower risk of cervical spine injury, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests.

10 Feb 2011

Study: New curcumin-hybrid compound may help protect, regenerate brain cells after stroke

Whether or not you're fond of Indian, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern food, stroke researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center think you may become a fan of one of their key spices.

10 Feb 2011

FDA grants Neuralstem orphan drug designation for treatment of ALS with spinal cord stem cells

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Orphan Products Development has granted it orphan drug designation for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) with its human spinal cord derived neural stem cells (NSI-566RSC), currently in a Phase I safety study to evaluate the safety of the product and the surgical route of administration in a wide range of ALS patients.

10 Feb 2011

New study: Fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly improves child's mobility

Performing delicate surgery in the womb, months before birth, can substantially improve outcomes for children with a common, disabling birth defect of the spine. Experts at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia co-led a new landmark study showing that fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly reduces the need to divert fluid from the brain, improves mobility and improves the chances that a child will be able to walk independently.

9 Feb 2011

People with memory problems may face high risk of stroke

People who have memory problems or other declines in their mental abilities may be at higher risk for stroke, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.

9 Feb 2011

Johns Hopkins funds 12 research groups to launch new BSi program on cognitive disorders

The Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute has funded a total of $5 million to 12 different research groups at Hopkins to launch the new Synapses, Circuits and Cognitive Disorders Program. The new BSi program aims to understand the fundamentals of brain function by focusing on the synapse — the point of contact between two nerve cells — to better understand cognitive disorders.

9 Feb 2011

New study: Testosterone administration leads to significant reduction in mind reading

A new study from Utrecht and Cambridge Universities has for the first time found that an administration of testosterone under the tongue in volunteers negatively affects a person's ability to 'mind read', an indication of empathy. The findings are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

9 Feb 2011

CeNeRx announces FDA approval of CXB909 IND for neuroprotection and neurodegenerative disorders

CeNeRx BioPharma, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), today announced FDA approval of its IND and reported the first clinical results in humans for CXB909, a novel agent that has demonstrated utility in preclinical models of neuroprotection and neurodegenerative disorders.

9 Feb 2011

Research findings highlight potential for noninvasive MSC delivery to treat Parkinson disease

Successful intranasal delivery of stem cells to the brains of rats with Parkinson disease yielded significant improvement in motor function and reversed the dopamine deficiency characteristic of the disease.

9 Feb 2011

AcademyHealth recognizes military health research study with 2011 HSR Impact Award

AcademyHealth today recognized research that improves access to behavioral health care for returning U.S. service members with the 2011 Health Services Research Impact Award.

9 Feb 2011

Study: Parkinson’s disease undermines language processing ability in Dutch native speaker patients

It is becoming more generally known that Parkinson's disease not only influences a patient's motor functions. Patients often also suffer from depression, fear and incontinence, for example. However, the disease also undermines the language processing ability. University of Groningen researcher Katrien Colman has found clear indications of this in Dutch native speaker patients.

9 Feb 2011

Topical cream used to treat skin diseases activates two distinct neuronal signaling pathways

Scratching deep beneath the surface, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and three South Korean institutions have identified two distinct neuronal signaling pathways activated by a topical cream used to treat a variety of skin diseases. One pathway produces the therapeutic benefit; the other induces severe itching as a side effect.

9 Feb 2011

Men with high levels of CCP genes more likely to have fatal form of prostate cancer

A genetic pattern could predict how aggressive prostate cancer is before treatment, and whether the disease will come back in men who have already been treated, according to research published1 in the Lancet Oncology.

9 Feb 2011

Two new studies report GOT may improve health outcomes of stroke patients

Much of the devastation of stroke and head trauma is due to damage caused the overproduction of a substance in the brain called glutamate. Preventing this damage has been impossible, until now, as many drugs don't cross the so-called blood-brain barrier, and those that do often don't work as intended. But a method originally devised at the Weizmann Institute of Science may, in the future, offer a way to avert such glutamate-induced harm.

9 Feb 2011

New research provides evidence that cerebellum can also store memories for mental skills

Movements become skilled and automatic with practise, so tasks like riding a bicycle can be performed without much attention or mental effort. New research by scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London provides evidence that the cerebellum, a part of the brain used to store memories for skilled movements, could also store memories important for mental skills - such as the rules used to interpret traffic light signals.

9 Feb 2011

Life Sciences Discovery Fund announces nearly $600,000 in awards

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced nearly $600,000 in awards to support commercial development of technologies to improve the diagnosis and management of major health conditions.

9 Feb 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study unveils surprising mechanism that controls brain formation

EHSI applauds promising new stem cell treatment for Parkinson's

L-methylfolate in combination with antidepressant drug helps major depressive disorder patients

Mg significantly reduces neonatal brain injury linked with maternal inflammation, infection

New research: Motorcycle helmets appear to reduce cervical spine injury

Study: New curcumin-hybrid compound may help protect, regenerate brain cells after stroke

FDA grants Neuralstem orphan drug designation for treatment of ALS with spinal cord stem cells

New study: Fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly improves child's mobility

People with memory problems may face high risk of stroke

Johns Hopkins funds 12 research groups to launch new BSi program on cognitive disorders

New study: Testosterone administration leads to significant reduction in mind reading

CeNeRx announces FDA approval of CXB909 IND for neuroprotection and neurodegenerative disorders

Research findings highlight potential for noninvasive MSC delivery to treat Parkinson disease

AcademyHealth recognizes military health research study with 2011 HSR Impact Award

Study: Parkinson’s disease undermines language processing ability in Dutch native speaker patients

Topical cream used to treat skin diseases activates two distinct neuronal signaling pathways

Men with high levels of CCP genes more likely to have fatal form of prostate cancer

Two new studies report GOT may improve health outcomes of stroke patients

New research provides evidence that cerebellum can also store memories for mental skills

Life Sciences Discovery Fund announces nearly $600,000 in awards

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st 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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