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.

Protox announces presentations on PRX302 for BPH at 2010 AUA Annual Meeting

Protox Therapeutics Inc., a leader in the development of receptor targeted fusion proteins, today announced that two oral podium presentations on the company's lead candidate, PRX302, will be made at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA). These presentations will include six month data from the Phase 2b clinical study of PRX302 called TRIUMPH, in patients with moderate to severe benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

1 Jun 2010

Enrollment and dosing in NeuroDerm's Phase I clinical trial of ND0611 completed

NeuroDerm, Ltd. announced today the successful enrollment and dosing in its Phase I clinical trial of ND0611. ND0611, a proprietary drug formula administered via a dermal patch, is designed to maintain continuous therapeutic levodopa concentrations for improving the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

1 Jun 2010

Europe spends just 5% of total cancer research funds on metastases

On average, about five percent of total cancer research funding is spent on investigating metastases (the spread of cancer cells around the body) in Europe, yet metastatic disease is the direct or indirect cause of 90 percent of all cancer deaths, according to an editorial in the European Journal of Cancer (EJC).

1 Jun 2010

Socioeconomic factors predict ADHD-medication in Swedish schoolchildren

A major study of more than a million children has found strong links between receiving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and limited maternal education, single parent families and welfare benefits, according to the June issue of Acta Paediatrica.

1 Jun 2010

Sticky gel composed of MPEG-pDHA may help seal wounds created by surgery: Study

A compound found in sunless tanning spray may help to heal wounds following surgery, according to new results published by plastic surgeons from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City and biomedical engineers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where the novel compound was developed.

1 Jun 2010

More insight into key receptor that influences effectiveness of serotonin-related antidepressants

University of Michigan scientists have provided the most detailed picture yet of a key receptor in the brain that influences the effectiveness of serotonin-related antidepressants, such as Prozac.

1 Jun 2010

Commonalities between flies and humans make valuable new model for galactosemia

Galactosemia is a metabolic disease resulting from an inherited defect that prevents the proper metabolism of galactose, a sugar commonly found in dairy products, like milk. Exposure of affected people to galactose, can damage most of their organ systems and can be fatal. The ability to study the disease is limited by a lack of animal models.

1 Jun 2010

Elekta acquires Resonant Medical

Elekta today announced the acquisition of Resonant Medical Inc., Montreal Canada. Through this acquisition, Elekta adds exciting new solutions for image guidance as well as highly skilled R&D resources in the field of oncology imaging and motion management.

From Elekta 1 Jun 2010

Amorfix provides update on development of blood test for vCJD

Amorfix Life Sciences, a company focused on treatments and diagnostics for misfolded protein diseases, provides an update on the development of a blood test for vCJD, one of its six product development programs.

31 May 2010

Education slows down development of dementia: Researchers

Researchers have discovered that education not only delays the early symptoms of dementia, but can also slow down the development of the disease - a finding that could result in faster diagnosis and treatment of dementia, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

31 May 2010

Brain's cardiovascular, hormonal and asymmetric activation response when we get angry: UV scientists

When we get angry, the heart rate, arterial tension and testosterone production increases, cortisol (the stress hormone) decreases, and the left hemisphere of the brain becomes more stimulated. This is indicated by a new investigation lead by scientists from the University of Valencia that analyses the changes in the brain's cardiovascular, hormonal and asymmetric activation response when we get angry.

31 May 2010

Deep-brain stimulation makes difference in the lives of people with Parkinson disease

A surgical treatment that stimulates distressed neural networks through electrodes threaded directly into a person's brain has quietly made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people with Parkinson disease, essential tremor, and dystonia over the course of the past decade. But while it steadies patients' shaking limbs with surprising effect, its benefits on some patients' minds and personal lives have been more mixed.

31 May 2010

Illinois General Assembly passes Angel Tax Credit with overwhelming bipartisan support

The Illinois General Assembly late yesterday passed—with overwhelming bipartisan support—an Angel Tax Credit that incentivizes early-stage investment in Illinois technology companies. The Governor, whose office worked hard to pass the credit, is expected to sign the bill (SB 2093) or a second measure (SB 3710) with an identical Angel Tax Credit sent to the Senate yesterday by the House.

31 May 2010

IMRT avoids xerostomia, but effectiveness on controlling cancer unclear

An advanced type of cancer radiation is more successful than traditional radiation in avoiding "dry mouth" when treating head and neck cancers, but it is unknown whether the treatment is better or worse at reducing the size of tumors, according to a new comparative effectiveness review funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

31 May 2010

Researchers identify body's natural self-repair mechanism that kicks in after spinal-cord injury

Researchers in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine have made an important discovery that could lead to more effective treatments for spinal-cord injuries. Karim Fouad and David Bennett have identified one of the body's natural self-repair mechanisms that kick in after injury.

31 May 2010