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.

Oxygen Biotherapeutics 2010 first quarter net loss increases to $3 million

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc., a development stage biomedical company focused on developing oxygen-rich intravenous and topical products, today announced results for the fiscal year (FY) first quarter ended July 31, 2010.

10 Sep 2010

Obesity key lies in the brain: Study

According to a new international study led in Australia by the Monash Obesity and Diabetes Institute (MODI) at Monash University, high fat diets that lead to obesity and weight gain make the brain immune to signals that tell the body to stop eating and to burn energy.

9 Sep 2010

Seaside reports positive data from STX209 Phase 2 study in ASD

Seaside Therapeutics, Inc. announced today positive data from an open-label Phase 2 study of STX209 conducted in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The primary endpoint of the study, an improvement on the Irritability subscale of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-I), achieved statistical significance (p<0.001).

9 Sep 2010

Study suggests PTSD symptoms common in Second Generation population

In groups with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as the survivors of the Nazi Death Camps, the adjustment problems of their children, the so called "Second Generation", have received attention by researchers. Studies suggested that some symptoms or personality traits associated with PTSD may be more common in the Second Generation than the general population.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers investigate familial prosopagnosia to recognize faces

In our dynamic 3D world, we can encounter a familiar face from any angle and still recognize that face with ease, even if the person has, for example, changed his hair style. This is because our brain has used the 2D snapshots perceived by our eyes (like a camera) to build and store a 3D mental representation of the face, which is resilient to such changes.

9 Sep 2010

Nation's four leading ADHD organizations seek to end persistent myths about ADHD

Four national organizations – ADHD Coaches Organization; Attention Deficit Disorder Association; ADDitude magazine; and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – are issuing a joint call to the public to assist children, adults, and families who are affected by ADHD.

9 Sep 2010

JHN launches network to advance neuroscience care

Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience (JHN) is launching the Jefferson Neuroscience Network (JNN) to promote collaboration among area hospitals to advance neuroscience care throughout the region. Chestnut Hill Hospital is the first hospital to join JNN. Through this collaboration, Jefferson and Chestnut Hill will provide the most sophisticated care and expertise available to patients with time-sensitive neurovascular diseases.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers find minocycline antibiotics effective for fragile X syndrome

One of the antibiotics most commonly prescribed to treat adolescent acne can increase attention spans and communication and decrease anxiety in patients with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental impairment, according to a new survey study that is the first published on parents' reports of their children's responses to treatment with the medication.

9 Sep 2010

New gene required for memory formation identified

A team led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist has for the first time identified a new gene that is required for memory formation in Drosophila, the common fruit fly. The gene may have similar functions in humans, shedding light on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or human learning disabilities.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists to develop test for Mad Cow Disease detection

The eyes may or may not be windows to the soul, as the old adage goes, but scientists are reporting evidence that a peek into the eyes of cattle may become the basis for a long sought test to detect infection with the agent that causes Mad Cow Disease. That test could help prevent the disease from spreading in the food supply. A study on using the tell-tale glow given off by eyes infected with the Mad Cow agent appears in ACS' semi-monthly journal Analytical Chemistry.

9 Sep 2010

UCLA psychologist explains measure to overcome drug addiction

Millions of Americans suffer from severe addictions that can ruin lives and are extremely difficult to control. Nearly 2 million enter roughly 12,000 addiction treatment programs in the U.S. each year.

9 Sep 2010

Santarus, VeroScience enter agreement to commercialize CYCLOSET drug for type 2 diabetes

Santarus, Inc., S2 Therapeutics, Inc. and VeroScience LLC today announced that they have entered into a distribution and license agreement granting Santarus exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialize CYCLOSET (bromocriptine mesylate) tablets in the U.S.

9 Sep 2010

Hospitals find new ways to serve growing senior, immigrant, suburban populations

News outlets report on hospital industries in Houston, Texas; Irvine, Calif. and Madison County, La.

9 Sep 2010

Advaxis receives USPTO patent for Listeria vaccine

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved Advaxis, Inc.,the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) immunotherapy company, intellectual property protection to patent application 11/223,945 - a live, attenuated Listeria vaccine that secretes novel fragments of the tumor antigen HER2/neu (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), when using the company's proprietary listeriolysin O (LLO) fusion platform technology.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers discover low levels of DHA associated with chronic neurodegenerative disease

UC Irvine researchers have discovered that markedly depleted amounts of an omega-3 fatty acid in brain tissue samples from Alzheimer's patients may be due to the liver's inability to produce the complex fat, also contained in fish-oil supplements.Low levels of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, have been associated with the chronic neurodegenerative disease affecting millions of Americans, but no cause had been identified.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists discover natural mechanism to discard amyloid protein

Chemists at the University of California, San Diego, have identified how a protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease interferes with the ability of cells to get rid of debris. They also found a natural mechanism by which this protein, amyloid beta, itself may be discarded.

9 Sep 2010

NIH awards second $8 million grant for research into health effects of botanical estrogens

An ongoing research initiative into the health effects of botanical estrogens will get an $8 million boost from the National Institutes of Health.

9 Sep 2010

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics announces long-term data from ICT-107 Phase I clinical trial for GBM

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies, today announced long-term data from a Phase I clinical trial of ICT-107, the Company's lead cancer vaccine candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers synthesize new compounds to reduce A-beta 42 peptide in Alzheimer's disease

A team of scientists, led by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers, has synthesized hundreds of new compounds with the potential of reducing the production of the A-beta 42 peptide, a primary component of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

9 Sep 2010

'Cloud computing improves' speed of analyzing RNA sequencing data

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed new software that greatly improves the speed at which scientists can analyze RNA sequencing data. RNA sequencing is used to compare differences in gene expression to identify those genes that switched on or off when, for instance, a particular disease is present.

9 Sep 2010