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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.

Dopamine vital for rhythmic expression in specific brain regions: Research

Daily sleeping and eating patterns are critical to human well-being and health. Now, a new study from Concordia University has demonstrated how the brain chemical dopamine regulates these cycles by altering the activity of the "clock-protein" PER2. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, these findings may have implications for individuals with Parkinson's Disease with disrupted 24-hour rhythms of activity and sleep.

21 Oct 2010

Alexion announces results of eculizumab two open-label Phase 2 studies for aHUS treatment

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its two open-label Phase 2 studies investigating eculizumab (Soliris) as a treatment for patients with atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) have met the primary and key secondary endpoints with high clinical and statistical significance, in interim analyses.

21 Oct 2010

Arena reports results of APD916 Phase 1 clinical trial for narcolepsy with cataplexy

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of APD916, a novel drug candidate discovered by Arena that targets the histamine H3 receptor for the treatment of narcolepsy with cataplexy.

20 Oct 2010

Envoy expands drug discovery collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute

Envoy Therapeutics, Inc., a recently-formed drug discovery company, today announced that it has expanded its research collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute aimed at identifying new drugs for neurological and psychiatric diseases.

20 Oct 2010

Abbott third quarter worldwide sales increase 11.8% to $8.7 billion

Abbott today announced financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2010.

20 Oct 2010

NMT releases new device for treatment of post-operative nausea

Neurowave Medical Technologies™ today announced the release of an innovative new device for the treatment of post-operative nausea, medically referred to as emesis. Reletex™ is a novel transdermal neuromodulation device that is non-invasive and drug-free, and has been demonstrated to alleviate nausea when used as an adjunct to anti-emetics.

20 Oct 2010

Euroscience deeply concerned over governments' proposed cuts in research investment

Across the European Union and the wider Europe, governments are engaged in cutting public expenditure and we are entering an unprecedented period of austerity. Thus, public support for research is now at risk in a manner not seen before and just at the time when Europe faces new challenges from the rising new economies, especially in Asia, and when threats to our quality of life from climate change, demographic change and energy, food and resource availability and sustainability are becoming evermore threatening and urgent.

20 Oct 2010

CRN reinforces importance of DHA before, during and after pregnancy

In response to a study regarding fish oil use during pregnancy published in the October 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry, reminds pregnant and lactating women of the undisputed importance of consuming the recommended amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) throughout pregnancy.

20 Oct 2010

A new way of seeing the world

Scientists at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University have discovered that our brains have the ability to determine the shape of an object simply by processing specially-coded sounds, without any visual or tactile input. Not only does this new research tell us about the plasticity of the brain and how it perceives the world around us, it also provides important new possibilities for aiding those who are blind or with impaired vision.

20 Oct 2010

New brush optrode improves optical scanning of brain activity

One of the main techniques for measuring and monitoring mental activity, called functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), can often be impaired because a person's hair gets in the way. But now, thanks to a team of researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas at Arlington, a novel device called a "brush optrode" is providing increased sensitivity with fiber tips designed to thread through hair to enhance scalp contact.

20 Oct 2010

Neuralstem updates Phase I human clinical trial of spinal cord stem cells for ALS

Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

20 Oct 2010

Aspirin before cardiac surgery reduces postoperative cardiocerebral complications

A study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2010 Annual Meeting revealed that use of aspirin before cardiac surgery reduced postoperative cardiocerebral complications, including stroke, myocardial ischemia, heart block and cardiac arrest by more than 33 percent when compared to patients who did not use aspirin.

20 Oct 2010

Study finds different activity patterns of genes in brain of individuals with different genetic backgrounds

Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have found that the same genes have different activity patterns in the brain in individuals with different genetic backgrounds. These findings may help to explain individual differences in the effectiveness and side-effect profiles of therapeutic drugs and thus have implications for personalized medicine. The study is available in this week's online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (www.pnas.org).

20 Oct 2010

Research offers important insight into symptoms of Parkinson's disease

An international collaboration led by academics at the University of Sheffield, has shed new light into Parkinson's disease, which could help with the development of cures or treatments in the future.

20 Oct 2010

Consumption of fish oil capsules during pregnancy does not reduce post-natal depression

A University of Adelaide study has found no evidence that taking fish oil capsules during pregnancy can help reduce the risk of post-natal depression, contrary to international recommendations.

20 Oct 2010

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

Hospital Compare, an HHS website that allows patients to compare hospitals online using various indicators of quality, is intended to help them choose better facilities for their medical care. But a new report in the Archives of Surgery says the website doesn't help Medicare beneficiaries in need of certain high-risk surgeries find better facilities.

20 Oct 2010

NHLBI launches multicenter study of body cooling treatment in infants and children after cardiac arrest

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched the first large-scale, multicenter study to investigate the effectiveness of body cooling treatment in infants and children who have had cardiac arrest. The Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest (THAPCA) trials total more than $21 million over six years.

20 Oct 2010

Gene that protects against alcoholism discovered

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have discovered a gene variant that may protect against alcoholism.

20 Oct 2010

Study shows impaired insulin sensitivity may serve as mediator between obesity and cognitive decline

Because of impairments in their insulin sensitivity, obese individuals demonstrate different brain responses than their normal-weight peers while completing a challenging cognitive task, according to new research by psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin.

20 Oct 2010

Pradaxa capsules receive FDA approval for reducing stroke and systemic embolism risk in AFib patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) capsules to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib).

20 Oct 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Dopamine vital for rhythmic expression in specific brain regions: Research

Alexion announces results of eculizumab two open-label Phase 2 studies for aHUS treatment

Arena reports results of APD916 Phase 1 clinical trial for narcolepsy with cataplexy

Envoy expands drug discovery collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute

Abbott third quarter worldwide sales increase 11.8% to $8.7 billion

NMT releases new device for treatment of post-operative nausea

Euroscience deeply concerned over governments' proposed cuts in research investment

CRN reinforces importance of DHA before, during and after pregnancy

A new way of seeing the world

New brush optrode improves optical scanning of brain activity

Neuralstem updates Phase I human clinical trial of spinal cord stem cells for ALS

Aspirin before cardiac surgery reduces postoperative cardiocerebral complications

Study finds different activity patterns of genes in brain of individuals with different genetic backgrounds

Research offers important insight into symptoms of Parkinson's disease

Consumption of fish oil capsules during pregnancy does not reduce post-natal depression

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

NHLBI launches multicenter study of body cooling treatment in infants and children after cardiac arrest

Gene that protects against alcoholism discovered

Study shows impaired insulin sensitivity may serve as mediator between obesity and cognitive decline

Pradaxa capsules receive FDA approval for reducing stroke and systemic embolism risk in AFib patients

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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