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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 identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Numerous studies have shown that the brain molecule neuropeptide Y (NPY) helps to restore calm after stressful events. A team of University of Michigan-led researchers has now found that people whose genes predispose them to produce lower levels of NPY are more responsive to negative stimuli in key brain circuits related to emotion - and are therefore less resilient in the face of stress and may be at higher risk for developing a major depressive disorder.

8 Feb 2011

Congress focuses on cognitive treatment for troops with traumatic brain injuries

A bipartisan group of 74 lawmakers issued a letter Friday demanding that the Pentagon's health plan cover a treatment for brain-injured soldiers known as cognitive rehabilitation therapy.

8 Feb 2011

Cleveland Clinic, JumpStart Ventures invest $500,000 in SironRX Therapeutics

JumpStart Ventures, the non-profit that invests in and partners with innovative, early-stage companies in Northeast Ohio, and Cleveland Clinic, announced a combined investment commitment of $500,000 in SironRX Therapeutics, Inc. The Cleveland-based company is developing a topical therapy to enhance healing of and decrease scar formation in wounds.

8 Feb 2011

Schizophrenia patients who consume antipsychotics appear to lose small amount of brain tissue

Patients with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications appear to lose a small but measurable amount of brain tissue over time, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Feb 2011

Transition reports second quarter 2011 net income of $24.28M vs. $6.05M net loss for second quarter 2010

Transition Therapeutics Inc., a product-focused biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for disease indications with large markets, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2010.

8 Feb 2011

Immune system genes linked to personality traits, mental illness and suicidal behaviour

Genes linked to the immune system can affect healthy people's personality traits as well as the risk of developing mental illness and suicidal behaviour, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

8 Feb 2011

Study: Cannabis use appears to be linked with earlier onset of psychotic illness

Cannabis use appears to be associated with an earlier onset of psychotic illness, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies posted online today that will appear in the June print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Feb 2011

Law allowing use of unproven brain devices in "orphan" neuropsychiatric disorders needs to be strengthened: Experts

Warning that patients could be at risk, an interdisciplinary group of multinational investigators is calling on the U.S. Congress and federal regulators to tighten a law that permits use of brain devices to treat rare neuropsychiatric disorders without supporting clinical trials or stringent patient oversight.

7 Feb 2011

Nutritional deficiencies among indigenous populations: two studies

They find iodine deficiency for the first time among an Aboriginal population in the NT. This deficiency was previously thought to occur only in the nation’s south-eastern states. The study involved nearly 400 teenagers of aboriginal origin living in remote as well as urban areas of the Darwin Health Region, which covers 120,000 km-square of the top end of the NT.

7 Feb 2011

Mothballs may cause brain damage in babies: Experts

Pediatricians have called for a ban on the sale of mothballs containing the chemical naphthalene citing evidence that these can lead to severe blood problems and even brain damage for significant numbers of Australian babies.

7 Feb 2011

Ornim receives FDA 510(k) clearance for non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in tissue

Ornim, Inc. is pleased to announce the receipt of 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the CerOx 3210F monitor. Additionally to its previous clearance for non-invasive monitoring of regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation in the brain or skeletal muscle, the CerOx 3210F is now also intended for use as a non-invasive monitor of blood flow in tissue of adults.

7 Feb 2011

AstraZeneca, Targacept commence TC-5214 Phase 2b clinical trial for major depressive disorder

AstraZeneca and Targacept, Inc. today announced initiation of a Phase 2b clinical trial of TC-5214, a nicotinic channel blocker, as a "switch" monotherapy treatment for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who do not respond adequately to initial antidepressant therapy. This study is in addition to the companies' Phase 3 RENAISSANCE Program for TC-5214 as an adjunctive treatment for MDD.

7 Feb 2011

Progenics, Salix enter exclusive worldwide license agreement for RELISTOR

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide (except Japan) agreement by which Salix has licensed rights to RELISTOR® (methylnaltrexone bromide).

7 Feb 2011

Toshiba's Aquilion ONE dynamic volume CT system to improve stroke diagnosis, treatment

Containing costs while delivering high-quality, effective care is a directive of healthcare reform. Episode-based care is part of the reform mandate and is a payment approach that reimburses on expected costs for clinically defined episodes rather than fee-for-service.

7 Feb 2011

Allergies appear to reduce glioma risk

The more allergies one has, the lower the risk of developing low- and high-grade glioma, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

7 Feb 2011

Positive results from EpiCept NP-1 Phase IIb trial in patients with CPN

EpiCept Corporation today announced positive results from a Phase IIb trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of EpiCept NP-1 in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. EpiCept NP-1 is a topical analgesic cream containing two FDA-approved drugs, amitriptyline and ketamine, in development for the relief of pain from various peripheral neuropathies.

7 Feb 2011

Genomic study identifies link between Native American ancestry, relapse in young leukemia patients

The first genome-wide study to demonstrate an inherited genetic basis for racial and ethnic disparities in cancer survival linked Native American ancestry with an increased risk of relapse in young leukemia patients. The work was done by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Children's Oncology Group.

6 Feb 2011

New research: Binge drinking in rural areas is more of a problem than previously thought

Binge drinking is often considered to be a problem of towns and cities but new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Public Health shows that binge drinking in rural areas is more of a problem than previously thought.

6 Feb 2011

Blood test for screening mad cow disease to come soon: Study

UK scientists have developed a new blood test that can diagnose cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), a rare, fatal brain disease caused by proteins known as prions. These prions are also responsible for the mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). This test could in near future be used to identify contaminated blood and prevent transmission of the disease during blood transfusions, the researchers said.

6 Feb 2011

Technique that cleared mouse of HIV-like virus sparks hope for new therapy

In a breakthrough, Australian researchers have developed a method to boost the immune system. This technique is seen to be capable of clearing an “HIV-like” infection from a mouse. This could in future lead to a cure for HIV and other chronic viral infections in humans. The findings from Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are centred on a naturally occurring cell signalling hormone called interleukin-7 (IL-7).

6 Feb 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Congress focuses on cognitive treatment for troops with traumatic brain injuries

Cleveland Clinic, JumpStart Ventures invest $500,000 in SironRX Therapeutics

Schizophrenia patients who consume antipsychotics appear to lose small amount of brain tissue

Transition reports second quarter 2011 net income of $24.28M vs. $6.05M net loss for second quarter 2010

Immune system genes linked to personality traits, mental illness and suicidal behaviour

Study: Cannabis use appears to be linked with earlier onset of psychotic illness

Law allowing use of unproven brain devices in "orphan" neuropsychiatric disorders needs to be strengthened: Experts

Nutritional deficiencies among indigenous populations: two studies

Mothballs may cause brain damage in babies: Experts

Ornim receives FDA 510(k) clearance for non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in tissue

AstraZeneca, Targacept commence TC-5214 Phase 2b clinical trial for major depressive disorder

Progenics, Salix enter exclusive worldwide license agreement for RELISTOR

Toshiba's Aquilion ONE dynamic volume CT system to improve stroke diagnosis, treatment

Allergies appear to reduce glioma risk

Positive results from EpiCept NP-1 Phase IIb trial in patients with CPN

Genomic study identifies link between Native American ancestry, relapse in young leukemia patients

New research: Binge drinking in rural areas is more of a problem than previously thought

Blood test for screening mad cow disease to come soon: Study

Technique that cleared mouse of HIV-like virus sparks hope for new therapy

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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