Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Same brain lesions associated with dementia responsible for mild memory loss in old age

New research suggests that old age may not play a role in why older people become forgetful. According to a study published in the September 15, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, the same brain lesions that are associated with dementia are responsible for mild memory loss in old age.

16 Sep 2010

Researchers find clue behind ASD affecting males than females

New research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), both in Toronto, Canada provides further clues as to why Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects four times more males than females. The scientists discovered that males who carry specific alterations of DNA on the sole X-chromosome they carry are at high risk of developing ASD. The research is published in the September 15 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

16 Sep 2010

Mild memory loss can indicate progressive dementia: Research

Simply getting older is not the cause of mild memory lapses often called senior moments, according to a new study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. The study, published in the September 15, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that even the very early mild changes in memory that are much more common in old age than dementia are caused by the same brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

16 Sep 2010

Researchers find association between physical fitness and children’s brain development

Researchers have found an association between physical fitness and the brain in 9- and 10-year-old children: Those who are more fit tend to have a bigger hippocampus and perform better on a test of memory than their less-fit peers.

16 Sep 2010

NIH awards grants to map human brain's connections in high resolution

The National Institutes of Health today awarded grants totaling $40 million to map the human brain's connections in high resolution. Better understanding of such connectivity promises improved diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders.

16 Sep 2010

FDA clears Arctic Sun 5000 patient cooling device for therapeutic hypothermia, normothermia

Medivance today announced the introduction of its next-generation therapeutic temperature management device, the non-invasive Arctic Sun 5000. The new patient cooling device has received FDA 510 (k) clearance and offers the fastest initiation of treatment, simplest programming capabilities and easiest access to treatment data on the market.

15 Sep 2010

COTI selected for Canadian life sciences partnering mission

Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. announced today that the Company was selected by the Consulate General of Canada and BIOTECanada to attend a life sciences partnering mission in Boston, MA. This initiative is being held in conjunction with the BioPharm America conference taking place September 15-17, 2010.

15 Sep 2010

Survey reveals inadequate provision for women with secondary breast cancer

57% of breast care nurses who took part in a UK survey for the charity Breast Cancer Care feel that there is inadequate provision for women with secondary breast cancer, a progressive incurable disease that kills half a million women worldwide every year after the cancer spreads to other organs. Many said that they felt ill equipped to care for women with secondary breast cancer and that their time was dominated by meeting the needs of women with primary breast cancer.

15 Sep 2010

MRI brain scans can accurately predict young person's age

Using MRI technology and mathematical analysis, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and Washington University in St. Louis are now able to accurately predict a young person's age simply by studying their brain scans. The research, which will likely have several clinical applications, including assessment and diagnosis, is published in the current edition of the journal Science.

15 Sep 2010

AVANIR's AVP-923 Phase III STAR trial results published in 'Annals of Neurology' website

AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the electronic publication of the results of the pivotal Phase III STAR trial of its investigational drug AVP-923 (dextromethorphan/quinidine) in the Annals of Neurology. The publication entitled "Dextromethorphan Plus Ultra-Low-Dose Quinidine Reduces Pseudobulbar Affect" evaluated two low dose formulations compared to placebo in the treatment of pseudobulbar affect (PBA) in patients with underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or multiple sclerosis (MS).

15 Sep 2010

Study on spinal cord stem cells paves way for post stroke symptom treatment

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that its spinal cord stem cells survived in rat brains affected by stroke and differentiated predominantly into neurons. The transplanted animals showed significant improvement in some motor skill and strength measurements. The study entitled, "Intracerebral Implantation of Adherent Human Neural Stem Cells To Reverse Motor Deficits in Chronic Stroke Rats," was presented earlier today by senior study author, Dr. Shinn-Zong Lin, M.D., Ph.D., at the Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Conference

15 Sep 2010

Mechanism behind gene mutation leading to development of cleft palate

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a new mechanism that explains why a certain gene mutation causes craniofrontonasal syndrome (CFNS), a disorder that causes cleft palate and other malformations in the face, brain, and skeleton. Cleft palate affects one of every 1,000 newborns. The research is published in the September 15 issue of Genes & Development.

15 Sep 2010

Tranquil living environments can positively affect human brain function: Research

Tranquil living environments can positively affect the human brain function, according to researchers at the University of Sheffield. The research, which was published in the journal NeuroImage, uses functional brain imaging to assess how the environment impacts upon our brain functions.

15 Sep 2010

UT Southwestern receives $8 million NIH grant to study influence of brain and liver on inflammation

An $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will enable UT Southwestern Medical Center to investigate how fat tissue "talks" to the brain and the liver to promote inflammation-related disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

15 Sep 2010

Mechanism linking brain activity to sleep discovered

Washington State University researchers have discovered the mechanism by which the brain switches from a wakeful to a sleeping state. The finding clears the way for a suite of discoveries, from sleeping aids to treatments for stroke and other brain injuries.

15 Sep 2010

USF receives grant for studying ways to protect fetal brain from maternal infection

University of South Florida (USF) neuroscientists have been awarded a $400,000 federal grant to study ways of protecting the developing fetal brain from the damaging effects of maternal infections, a suspected cause for certain types of autism.

15 Sep 2010

Micrus stockholders approve merger agreement with Johnson & Johnson

Micrus Endovascular Corporation announced today that its stockholders approved a proposal to adopt the merger agreement which provides that Micrus is to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, among other business, at its 2010 annual meeting of stockholders.

15 Sep 2010

Video games train people to make right decisions faster

Cognitive scientists from the University of Rochester have discovered that playing action video games trains people to make the right decisions faster. The researchers found that video game players develop a heightened sensitivity to what is going on around them, and this benefit doesn't just make them better at playing video games, but improves a wide variety of general skills that can help with everyday activities like multitasking, driving, reading small print, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and navigating around town.

14 Sep 2010

Mini-Psych School 2010 program to focus on mental health in children, youth

For the past five years, the Douglas Mental Health University Institute has been offering the Mini-Psych School, the only public education program of its kind in Quebec. This year, the program will be focussing on mental health in children and youth.

14 Sep 2010

Emergency physicians to present research studies at Research Forum 2010

The risks associated with boarding admitted patients in the emergency department – including patient mortality – as well as proposed solutions will be key themes of Scientific Assembly, the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians. In addition, emergency physicians will present more than 450 research studies during 2010 Research Forum, the premier, annual scientific research event focused on the latest advances in the practice of emergency medicine.

14 Sep 2010