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.

HPN President announces gift to UCLA to advance research for Neural Regeneration

Dr. Richard Merkin, President and CEO of Heritage Provider Network, and the Merkin Family Foundation announce the generous gift to the UCLA Department of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to advance research for Neural Regeneration.

29 Jan 2011

HBA to honor Pfizer chief medical officer as its 2011 Woman of the Year

The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association announced that its 2011 "Woman of the Year" is Freda Lewis-Hall, MD, chief medical officer of Pfizer. In her distinguished 30-year career, Dr. Lewis-Hall has held leadership roles in direct patient care, academics, media, government, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

29 Jan 2011

CIHR announces $8.6 million for new research on Alzheimer's disease

the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of State for Seniors, today announced $8.6 million for new research on Alzheimer's disease.

29 Jan 2011

BioTime announces acquisition of CTI assets

BioTime, today announced that it has acquired substantially all the assets of Cell Targeting, a Cleveland, Ohio-based biotechnology company conducting research in regenerative medicine.

29 Jan 2011

Scientists discover key clue that can lead to sudden cardiac deaths

Australian researchers have come one step closer to understanding how the rhythm of the heartbeat is controlled and why many common drugs, including some antibiotics, antihistamines and anti-psychotics, can cause a potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythm.

29 Jan 2011

New research shows mini-stroke creates lasting damage to brain cells

Each year, approximately 150,000 Canadians have a transient ischemic attack, sometimes known as a mini-stroke. New research published today in Stroke, the journal of the American Heart Association shows these attacks may not be transient at all. They in fact create lasting damage to the brain

29 Jan 2011

UMMS, Lundbeck announce research collaboration to develop targeted therapy for HD

The University of Massachusetts Medical School and Lundbeck Inc. today announced a research collaboration aimed at further development of a targeted therapy to slow or halt the progression of Huntington's disease.

29 Jan 2011

New research shows CEUS can improve diagnosis of variety of medical conditions in children

New research released here Thursday shows that "contrast-enhanced ultrasound" can safely improve the diagnosis of a variety of medical conditions in children - without exposing them to ionizing radiation.

29 Jan 2011

Genentech, Biogen announce FDA approval of Rituxan to treat follicular lymphoma

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and Biogen Idec today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Rituxan as a maintenance treatment for patients with advanced follicular lymphoma who responded to initial treatment with Rituxan plus chemotherapy.

28 Jan 2011

Neuralstem ends litigation with ReNeuron

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has reach a settlement with ReNeuron, Ltd. ending litigation between the parties.

28 Jan 2011

Connectome remains dynamic during development, says Scripps Research

Connected highways of nerve cells carry information to and from different areas of the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Scientists are trying to draw a complete atlas of these connections-sometimes referred to as the "connectome"-to gain a better understanding of how the brain functions in health and disease.

28 Jan 2011

NIH awards CCTSI $2.2 million grant to advance personalized medicine

A federal grant totaling $2.2 million shows how the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Anschutz Medical Campus are using technology to advance the cutting-edge field of personalized medicine -- tailoring treatments to the individual based on their genetic make-up.

28 Jan 2011

Misaligned research, medical challenges and harsh economics thwart efforts against Alzheimer's disease

Misaligned research, medical challenges and harsh economics are thwarting efforts to slow the destructive course of Alzheimer's disease in the United States, according to a trio of nationally regarded Alzheimer's researchers writing a "Perspective" in Jan. 27 issue of the journal Neuron.

28 Jan 2011

New insight on rehabilitating brain function in addicts

People with addictions to stimulants tend to choose instant gratification or a smaller but sooner reward over a future benefit, even if the future reward is greater. Reduced value of a future reward, called "delay discounting" by neuroscientists, is the major challenge for treatment of addiction. A new study in the February 2011 (Vol. 69, Issue 3) Biological Psychiatry appears to present a strategy for increasing the value of future rewards in the minds of addicts.

28 Jan 2011

Transcranial magnetic stimulation helps rats to learn more quickly

What sounds like science fiction is actually possible: thanks to magnetic stimulation, the activity of certain brain nerve cells can be deliberately influenced. What happens in the brain in this context has been unclear up to now. Medical experts from Bochum under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Klaus Funke (Department of Neurophysiology) have now shown that various stimulus patterns changed the activity of distinct neuronal cell types.

28 Jan 2011

Prototype drug halts GVHD in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation

A prototype drug already shown to hold promise for treating autoimmune disorders like lupus, arthritis and psoriasis halts established graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in mouse models of bone marrow transplantation, research at the University of Michigan and the University of Florida shows.

28 Jan 2011

Arena reduces workforce by 25% and provides update on lorcaserin

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today a reduction of its US workforce of approximately 25%, or 66 employees. As a result of the workforce reduction, which Arena plans to complete around March 28, 2011, the company expects to incur restructuring charges, primarily in the first quarter of 2011, of approximately $3.8 million in connection with one-time employee termination costs.

28 Jan 2011

ALS Biopharma receives ADDF grant to develop therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation announced today that it has awarded a grant of $195,000 to ALS Biopharma, LLC to develop therapeutics targeted at clearing toxic proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease.

28 Jan 2011

New molecular player responsible for regulation of appetite and metabolism

A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida and Washington University School of Medicine adds a new twist to the body of evidence suggesting human obesity is due in part to genetic factors. While studying hormone receptors in laboratory mice, neuroscientists identified a new molecular player responsible for the regulation of appetite and metabolism.

28 Jan 2011

Protein Erk necessary for nerve fibers to be wrapped with myelin

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have pinpointed a crucial function for a key player in the development of the nervous system. They found that this player - a protein called Erk - is necessary for nerve fibers to be wrapped with an insulating substance called myelin, which allows messages to be sent from the brain to the peripheral limbs and back again.

28 Jan 2011