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.

Sniffing women's tears reduces sexual arousal in men

Emotional crying is a universal, uniquely human behavior. When we cry, we clearly send all sorts of emotional signals. In a paper published online today in Science Express, scientists at the Weizmann Institute have demonstrated that some of these signals are chemically encoded in the tears themselves. Specifically, they found that merely sniffing a woman's tears - even when the crying woman is not present -- reduces sexual arousal in men.

7 Jan 2011

Scientists identify type of cell at the origin of brain tumors

Scientists have identified the type of cell that is at the origin of brain tumors known as oligodendrogliomas, which are a type of glioma - a category that defines the most common type of malignant brain tumor.

7 Jan 2011

Majority of U.S. adults strongly support innovative programs to discourage teen pregnancy

Every hour in the United States, about 40 children are born to teenage mothers. Americans consistently rate teen pregnancy as one of the top 10 biggest health problems for young people and the U.S. still has the highest teen birth rate among all industrialized countries -- despite decreases in the birth rate during the past 20 years.

7 Jan 2011

Babies' brains process language the same way as adults

Babies, even those too young to talk, can understand many of the words that adults are saying - and their brains process them in a grown-up way.

7 Jan 2011

Impulse Monitoring announces acquisition of Great Lakes Intraoperative Monitoring

Impulse Monitoring, Inc. (IMI), a leading provider of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) services to hospitals, today announced that it has acquired the assets of Great Lakes Intraoperative Monitoring, LP (GLIM), a subsidiary of Williamsville, NY-based Archer Medical Diagnostic Testing, Inc.

7 Jan 2011

Unexpected discovery holds promise for PTSD, other anxiety disorders

An unexpected discovery by UCLA life scientists holds promise for the future development of treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders, and potentially for Alzheimer's disease and other memory-impairment diseases.

7 Jan 2011

Radiosurgery may bring improvement for patients with extremely severe -compulsive disorder

For patients with extremely severe -compulsive disorder (OCD), a procedure called radiosurgery may bring improvement when other treatments have failed, according to a study in the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

7 Jan 2011

Low incentive fails to 'switch off' brain regions involved in mind-wandering among ADHD children

Brain scans of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have shown for the first time why people affected by the condition sometimes have difficulty in concentrating. The study, by experts at The University of Nottingham, may explain why parents often say that their child can maintain concentration when they are doing something that interests them, but struggles with boring tasks.

7 Jan 2011

Amorfix's AD diagnostic assay detects aggregated beta amyloid in spinal fluid

Amorfix Life Sciences, a product development company focused on diagnostics and therapeutics for misfolded protein diseases, today announced preliminary results indicating that their human Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnostic assay can detect a signal from aggregated beta amyloid in the spinal fluid (CSF) from AD patients.

7 Jan 2011

Cells that give rise to neurons maintain high levels of ROS

For years, the majority of research on reactive oxygen species (ROS) - ions or very small molecules that include free radicals - has focused on how they damage cell structure and their potential link to stroke, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses.

7 Jan 2011

Study: Tβ4 can protect endothelial progenitor cells

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, reported that a team of cardiovascular researchers in China have shown that Tβ4 can protect endothelial progenitor cells derived from the blood of healthy human volunteers.

7 Jan 2011

Researchers identify genetic mutation responsible for acromegaly disease

An international research team, spearheaded by scientists from the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, has identified the genetic mutation responsible for a disease known as "gigantism" or acromegaly.

7 Jan 2011

NARSAD awards $12.6 million for mental health research

NARSAD: The Brain and Behavior Research Fund awards $12.6 million in new research grants, strengthening its investment in the most promising ideas to lead to breakthroughs in understanding and treating mental illness.

7 Jan 2011

New research: NFKBIA gene loss induces glioblastoma development

New research shows that loss of a gene called NFKBIA promotes the growth of glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer, and suggests that therapies that stabilize this gene may improve survival for certain glioblastoma patients.

7 Jan 2011

Isis Pharmaceuticals announces addition of two new drugs to development pipeline

Isis Pharmaceuticals, announced today that it has added two new drugs to its development pipeline, ISIS-FGFR4Rx and ISIS-STAT3Rx.

7 Jan 2011

Urine tests could detect Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Australian researchers have found a novel and easy way to detect a common and debilitating anxiety disorder called the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD. Scientists at the Centenary Institute in Sydney discovered a gene responsible for a rare kidney disorder is also behind OCD. This may make detecting OCD easier through a simple urine test. This test could also identify babies with risk of early-onset OCD. OCD affects up to 3 per cent of all Australians and in its worst cases can be completely debilitating, causing people to have to stay at home. OCD sufferers feel intense anxiety and are compelled to practice rituals - such as hand washing or arranging objects.

6 Jan 2011

Antigenics announces name change to Agenus

Antigenics Inc. today announced that effective immediately it is changing its name to Agenus Inc. The company's stock will continue to be traded on NASDAQ under the symbol AGEN. The new name reflects the broadening of the company's product portfolio of clinical candidates beyond autologous antigen-based vaccines, as well as its commitment to actively pursuing licensing opportunities to leverage its development capabilities and expand its product portfolio.

6 Jan 2011

Synageva BioPharma, to-BBB to evaluate brain drug delivery technology

Synageva BioPharma Corp. and to-BBB technologies BV, the Dutch drug brain delivery company, have entered into a research collaboration to evaluate the potential of transporting therapeutic proteins across the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system.

6 Jan 2011

First web-based TBI screening tool for veterans

A team of researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine has developed the first web-based screening tool for Traumatic Brain Injury. This instrument has recently been used by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who participated in the Sixth Annual Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute in Orlando to determine if they sustained a TBI.

6 Jan 2011

J&JPRD submits New Drug Application to FDA for rivaroxaban

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. announced today that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for rivaroxaban, an investigational, oral, once-daily anticoagulant, for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

6 Jan 2011