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.

Research: Mechanical stress plays a vital role in brain function

In the human brain, mechanical stress the amount of pressure applied to a particular area requires a delicate balance. Just the right force keeps neurons together and functioning as a system within the body, and proper nerve function is dependent on this tension.

30 Nov 2010

Neuroplasticity helps children with learning disabilities improve cognitive functioning capacities

Brain School, a new book from Eaton Arrowsmith School's (EAS) founder and director, Howard Eaton, tells the amazing story of how children with learning disabilities such as Dyslexia, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and ADHD overcame educational obstacles by reorganizing their brains.

30 Nov 2010

New tool helps doctors gauge how well they care for people with Parkinson's disease

The American Academy of Neurology has developed a new tool to help doctors gauge how well they are caring for people with Parkinson's disease. The new quality measures are published in the November 30, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Nov 2010

CAMH neuroscientists develop novel protein peptide for targeted treatment of depression

Neuroscientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have developed a protein peptide that may be a novel type of highly targeted treatment for depression with a low side-effect profile. Depression affects one in ten Canadians at some time in their lives and is a leading cause of disability worldwide.

30 Nov 2010

Molecular switch plays crucial role in addictive behavior and memory processes

Learning and memory formation are based on the creation of new connections between neurons in the brain. Also, behaviors such as nicotine addiction manifest themselves in long-term changes of neuronal connectivity and can - at least in this respect - be viewed as a form of learning.

30 Nov 2010

New findings could drive medical advances in genetic disorders that cause infertility

A hormone responsible for the onset of puberty can end up stuck in the wrong part of the body if the nerve pathways responsible for its transport to the brain fail to develop properly, according to research funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

30 Nov 2010

Researchers conduct real-time metabolic imaging in human patient with prostate tumor

A UCSF research collaboration with GE Healthcare has produced the first results in humans of a new technology that promises to rapidly assess the presence and aggressiveness of prostate tumors in real time, by imaging the tumor's metabolism.

30 Nov 2010

biOasis commences research agreement with NRC

biOasis Technologies Inc. announced today that it has commenced a sponsored research agreement with the National Research Council of Canada. Under the terms of the agreement, the NRC will evaluate the ability of biOasis' compounds to cross the blood-brain barrier using time-domain in vivo optical imaging.

30 Nov 2010

Functional MRI reveals effectiveness of acupuncture in relieving pain

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers have captured pictures of the brain while patients experienced a pain stimulus with and without acupuncture to determine acupuncture's effect on how the brain processes pain. Results of the study, which the researchers say suggest the effectiveness of acupuncture, were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2010

Ageing reversed in mice: Study

A scientific team at Harvard-affiliated medical centers genetically manipulated mice to age faster. Then they used gene therapy to lengthen telomeres. Telomeres are compounds found at the ends of strands of DNA that are related to age. This lengthening of telomeres reversed age-related problems such as decreased brain function and infertility.

29 Nov 2010

Common, overprescribed drugs lead to election dopiness and immaturity

As Bill Maher, New York Magazine, the Washington Post and countless cable news and Internet sources have pointed out, the 2010 midterm campaigns and elections seem to have brought to light an American electorate capable of shocking illogic, ignorance and even violence.

29 Nov 2010

DePuy Spine, Lanx, Medtronic, Zimmer Spine and Codman support NREF's post-residency clinical fellowships

The NREF has reached agreements with Medtronic, Lanx and Zimmer Spine to provide funding to the NREF in support of the Foundation's post-residency clinical fellowship grant program. The NREF is pleased to report that it has renewed its agreements with Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. and DePuy Spine, Inc., who supported the inaugural year of the fellowship program in 2010.

29 Nov 2010

Toshiba to showcase episode-based care solutions at RSNA annual meeting

Containing costs while delivering high-quality, effective care is a directive of healthcare reform. With episode-based care as part of the reform mandate, many healthcare providers are uncertain about its effect on both patient outcomes and their bottom-line. Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. is partnering with leading healthcare providers to develop solutions to address episode-based care by effectively utilizing patient-focused imaging technology and a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to treatment.

29 Nov 2010

Depressed and suicidal individuals linked to low levels of stress hormone cortisol

Depressed and suicidal individuals have low levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood and saliva. They also have substances in their spinal fluid that suggest there is increased inflammation in the brain. These findings could help to develop new methods for diagnosing and treating suicidal patients.

29 Nov 2010

Walking may slow cognitive decline in adults with MCI, Alzheimer's disease

Walking may slow cognitive decline in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, as well as in healthy adults, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

29 Nov 2010

New strategy to prevent memory deficits in mouse model with AD

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) in San Francisco have discovered a new strategy to prevent memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

28 Nov 2010

Raising legal drinking age: Debate continues

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally confirmed a proposal to raise the legal drinking age to 21 in her state that will be considered in Cabinet this week. The bill is proposed by the Christian Democrats MP Fred Nile.

28 Nov 2010

Temporal gating can form basis for selecting alternative options in brain

In every waking minute, we have to make decisions sometimes within a split second. Neuroscientists at the Bernstein Center Freiburg have now discovered a possible explanation how the brain chooses between alternative options. The key lies in extremely fast changes in the communication between single nerve cells.

26 Nov 2010

Phase 3 trial: TYSABRI improves vision in MS patients

Results recently presented from a study of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking TYSABRI (natalizumab) are supported by a Canadian woman's improved vision since starting the therapy.

25 Nov 2010

New findings provide insight into brain development

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified key components of a signaling pathway that controls the departure of neurons from the brain niche where they form and allows these cells to start migrating to their final destination. Defects in this system affect the architecture of the brain and are associated with epilepsy, mental retardation and perhaps malignant brain tumors.

25 Nov 2010