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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.

Older diabetes patients with high stress levels are more likely to experience memory loss

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied more than 900 men and women aged between 60 and 75 with type-2 diabetes, which tends to be common after the age of 40.

23 Feb 2010

Head and neck tumors in close proximity to sensitive areas may lead to brain injury, visionary risk or hearing loss

When head and neck tumors - from sinus tumors to acoustic neuromas attached to the hearing and balance nerve at the base of the skull - are located in close proximity to such sensitive areas such as the brain and eyes, they are particularly dangerous due to possible brain injury, visionary risk or hearing loss.

23 Feb 2010

Newborn Possibilities program for babies at-risk for neurological injury

For every 1,000 children born in the U.S. today, two to three are at risk for developing cerebral palsy because of injuries to the brain that may have occurred prior to or during birth. There is currently no cure for cerebral palsy, but Newborn Possibilities is a first-of-its-kind program recently launched in Tucson, which may offer new options for newborns at-risk for neurological injury.

23 Feb 2010

Acute stroke care and clinical outcomes improve substantially with stroke program

Acute stroke care and clinical outcomes have improved significantly at hospitals participating in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program, according to a large study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.

23 Feb 2010

AAN guideline evaluates drugs’ safety and efficacy for treatment of muscle cramps

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends that the drug quinine, although effective, should be avoided for treatment of routine muscle cramps due to uncommon but serious side effects.

23 Feb 2010

FDA grants Fast Track designation for Curemark's CM-AT autism treatment

Curemark LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that its CM-AT autism treatment, now in Phase III clinical trials, has been designated as a Fast Track drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

22 Feb 2010

Neuroscience evidence in courts: A double-edged sword

A lawyer is trying to convince a jury that his client really is crazy. It's usually a tough argument to sell in a court of law. But what if the lawyer has a picture of his client's brain that shows there's something biologically wrong with it? Can that evidence help persuade a jury? Should it even be allowed as evidence?

22 Feb 2010

New gene locus influencing risk for atrial fibrillation identified

Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac arrhythmia - a chronic irregularity of heartbeat - which affects an estimated 1 million people in Germany. Although the condition is not acutely life-threatening, it does increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses, such as cardiac insufficiency, stroke and dementia. In the third of a series of genomewide asssociation studies, an international team of researchers, led by LMU physician PD Dr. Stefan K--b, now reports the identification of a new gene locus that has a significant influence on risk for atrial fibrillation.

22 Feb 2010

HHMI investigator to discuss how brain creates and controls emotions

Scientists know little about how the brain creates and controls emotions - an uncertainty that presents a major obstacle in the effort to develop treatments for emotional disorders. "The study of the brain science of emotion is in its infancy," says Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator David Anderson, "yet emotional and psychiatric disorders continue to take an enormous toll on human society."

22 Feb 2010

Researchers identify common gene variant associated with atrial fibrillation

An international research team has identified a common gene variant associated with a form of the irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. In their report in the journal Nature Genetics, being published online, the investigators describe finding that variations affecting a protein that may help control the heart's electrical activity appear to increase the risk of what is called lone atrial fibrillation (AF), a type seen in younger individuals with no other form of heart disease.

22 Feb 2010

Study proposes potential molecular mechanism at play in mild TBI

Douglas Smith, MD, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair and professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will present information on the molecular mechanism at play in mild TBI (mTBI), commonly called concussions. Although mTBI affects over 1 million people each year in the United States, it is generally ignored as a major health issue. However, this 'mild' form of injury induces persisting neurological and cognitive problems in many of these patients, exacting an enormous emotional and financial toll on society.

22 Feb 2010

Information on early brain development and the importance of sleep during early life to be presented

Marcos Frank, PhD, associate professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will present information on early brain development and the importance of sleep during early life when the brain is rapidly maturing and highly changeable.

22 Feb 2010

Roots of many adult diseases sprout in poverty: Scientist to discuss at AAAS meeting

The roots of many adult diseases sprout in poverty and other burdens on the socially disadvantaged. Rockefeller University-s Bruce S. McEwen, a self-described molecular sociologist, will talk about the effects such environmental stressors have on the brain and in turn other organ systems in a talk in San Diego this Friday at the 2010 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

22 Feb 2010

Cash-strapped school districts are making mistake by cutting music from K-12 curriculum: Neuroscientist

At an 11 a.m. press briefing, Saturday, Feb. 20, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, a Northwestern University neuroscientist will argue that music training has profound effects that shape the sensory system and should be a mainstay of K-12 education.

22 Feb 2010

Let babies sleep: Napping supports abstract learning

Anyone who grew up in a large family likely remembers hearing "Don't wake the baby." While it reinforces the message to older kids to keep it down, research shows that sleep also is an important part of how infants learn more about their new world.

22 Feb 2010

Siestas can dramatically boost and restore brain power

If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don't roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour's nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.

21 Feb 2010

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Johns Hopkins Children's Center neurovirologist Robert Yolken, M.D., and collaborators from the Stanley Medical Research Institute have developed a large repository of brain and tissue samples to advance the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia.

20 Feb 2010

Religious belief and practice of psychiatry: Beyond boundaries

"The boundary between religious belief and the practice of psychiatry is becoming increasingly porous," say the editors in the Preface to Religion and Psychiatry: Beyond Boundaries. "No longer can psychiatrists in a multi-faith, multi-cultural globalized world hide behind the dismissal of religious belief as pathological, or behind a biomedical scientism, as they are more frequently confronted by distressed patients for whom religious belief may determine their choice of symptoms and their compliance with treatment."

20 Feb 2010

Civil fraud and racketeering lawsuit against several entities affiliated with Dahn Yoga filed

Andrew Myers, a 29-year-old former Virginia resident, filed a civil fraud and racketeering lawsuit this week in U.S. District Court against several entities affiliated with Dahn Yoga®, a nationwide chain of facilities that purports to offer a "unique type of yoga" for the body and mind using "Brain Education™" techniques.

20 Feb 2010

Enzyme can allow nerve cells in brain to grow and form complex networks: Study

Brain researcher Hiroshi Kawabe has discovered the workings of a process that had been completely overlooked until now, and that allows nerve cells in the brain to grow and form complex networks. The study shows that an enzyme which usually controls the destruction of protein components has an unexpected function in nerve cells: it controls the structure of the cytoskeleton and thus ensures that nerve cells can form the tree-like extensions that are necessary for signal transmission in the brain.

20 Feb 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Older diabetes patients with high stress levels are more likely to experience memory loss

Head and neck tumors in close proximity to sensitive areas may lead to brain injury, visionary risk or hearing loss

Newborn Possibilities program for babies at-risk for neurological injury

Acute stroke care and clinical outcomes improve substantially with stroke program

AAN guideline evaluates drugs’ safety and efficacy for treatment of muscle cramps

FDA grants Fast Track designation for Curemark's CM-AT autism treatment

Neuroscience evidence in courts: A double-edged sword

New gene locus influencing risk for atrial fibrillation identified

HHMI investigator to discuss how brain creates and controls emotions

Researchers identify common gene variant associated with atrial fibrillation

Study proposes potential molecular mechanism at play in mild TBI

Information on early brain development and the importance of sleep during early life to be presented

Roots of many adult diseases sprout in poverty: Scientist to discuss at AAAS meeting

Cash-strapped school districts are making mistake by cutting music from K-12 curriculum: Neuroscientist

Let babies sleep: Napping supports abstract learning

Siestas can dramatically boost and restore brain power

Brain and tissue sample repository to help advance understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases

Religious belief and practice of psychiatry: Beyond boundaries

Civil fraud and racketeering lawsuit against several entities affiliated with Dahn Yoga filed

Enzyme can allow nerve cells in brain to grow and form complex networks: Study

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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