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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.

Discovery of new compounds may dispel cravings of methamphetamine and cocaine addiction

Sarah Steele and Langtian "Ren" Yuan were both self-admittedly inexperienced Duke freshmen in the spring of 2006. But then they followed helpful directions of an assistant chemistry professor, added their own patience and ingenuity, and ended up identifying compounds that might allay the powerful cravings of methamphetamine and cocaine addiction.

9 Dec 2009

Experts call on Europe's policy makers to take urgent action against preventable strokes

A report launched today by experts from medical and patient communities calls on Europe's policy makers to take urgent action against preventable strokes that strike thousands of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients each year

9 Dec 2009

State and national medical societies join to oppose the 'Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act'

Tens of thousands of physicians in America, who are deeply concerned over the direction of health reform legislation, have joined forces to deliver a strong message to Congress: it’s not too late to get it right; slow down and change course.

9 Dec 2009

Psychological trauma leaves a trail of damage in a child's brain, reveal scientists

Psychological trauma leaves a trail of damage in a child's brain, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Their new study gives the first direct evidence that children with symptoms of post-traumatic stress suffer poor function of the hippocampus, a brain structure that stores and retrieves memories. The research helps explain why traumatized children behave as they do and could improve treatments for these kids.

9 Dec 2009

NeuroPace announces clinical trial results demonstrating the RNS System

NeuroPace, Inc. today announced that results from its pivotal trial demonstrated the RNS- System, a novel investigational device that utilizes responsive brain neurostimulation, significantly reduced the frequency of seizures among people who have a common form of epilepsy that is difficult to treat with medication.

9 Dec 2009

TMZ and small molecule combination appears to lower tumor resistance

University of Florida researchers have found a way to use just a fraction of the normal dosage of a highly toxic, debilitating chemotherapy drug to achieve even better results against colon cancer cells.

9 Dec 2009

Kennedy Krieger Institute opens new center for individuals with muscle disorders

Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today the opening of the new Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders that will improve and expand services to individuals with muscle disorders such as muscular dystrophy and congenital myopathy in the Baltimore/Washington region and across the nation. The Center provides expert clinical care to children and adults with these disorders, and offers leading research programs both in the clinical and laboratory setting.

9 Dec 2009

CDC awards Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine $19.7M for TB research

John L. Johnson, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and pulmonologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center has been awarded a 10 year, $19.7M contract from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an international clinical trials site for the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (TBTC).

9 Dec 2009

Biomarkers can be important in identifying PTSD symptoms, says researchers

Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) frequently experience high rates of PTSD along with symptoms of depression and pain. However, little is known about why these symptoms occur together or the most effective treatments that can be used to alleviate them. One approach that may yield new insights is to search for biomarkers -- indicators of a biological state that can be easily and reliably measured in people with an illness -- to see if their presence or absence can predict symptoms that an individual will experience and identify optimal treatment strategies.

9 Dec 2009

Most antidepressant medications raise serotonin levels and miss key target of clinical depression

A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) - is highly elevated during clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants, according to an important study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study has important implications for our understanding of why antidepressants don't always work.

9 Dec 2009

FDA cleared, non-invasive prescription therapeutic device for NVP now available

PrimaBella™, the only non-invasive prescription therapeutic device cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy (NVP), is now available. Providing a non-invasive, drug-free treatment for morning sickness, PrimaBella™ has been proven to be safe for both mother and developing baby and can offer quick relief -- the majority of patients report an immediate improvement in NVP symptoms.

9 Dec 2009

National Institute on Aging awards grant to study age-related brain disorders

Dr. Rong Zhang, a researcher at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, has been awarded a four-year grant from the National Institute on Aging to research the connection between exercise and brain function as people age.

9 Dec 2009

Neuroscientists suggest risky therapy for aging brain may be avoidable by focusing on hormone target

Estrogen seems to act like a middleman in its positive effect on the brain, raising the possibility that future drugs may bypass the carcinogenic hormone altogether while reaping its benefits.

8 Dec 2009

CDC awards $19.7 million contract to study new drugs for tuberculosis treatment

8 Dec 2009

The National Fragile X Foundation awards $100,000 grant for study of minocycline in FXS children

The National Fragile X Foundation has awarded a translational research seed grant of $100,000 to Dr. Randi J. Hagerman at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute in California for a study of minocycline in the treatment of children with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Hagerman is an internationally recognized clinician and clinical researcher on FXS, the most common cause of inherited mental impairment.

8 Dec 2009

FDA probes excessive radiation dose cases

The Associated Press/Wall Street Journal: "Federal health regulators are investigating reports of dangerous radiation levels at two more California hospitals, following earlier unsafe medical scans at a Los Angeles facility. The Food and Drug Administration is probing the use of CT scans at Glendale Adventist Medical Center and Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. The brain scans are used to diagnose strokes.

8 Dec 2009

BHR Pharma files an IND for its BHR-100 intravenous progesterone infusion product

BHR Pharma, LLC (BHR) announced today that it has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its proprietary BHR-100 intravenous progesterone infusion product.

8 Dec 2009

Hemaquest Pharmaceuticals' HQK-1001 holds promise for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia

HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals presented data from new preclinical studies and early results from clinical trials of its lead drug candidate, HQK-1001, in sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans.

8 Dec 2009

West Nile Virus can become more widespread in Europe than previously thought, says new report

Potentially fatal mosquito-borne West Nile fever (WNF) can become much more widespread in Europe than previously thought, say scientists in a new report just out in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology(1).

8 Dec 2009

CeNeRx BioPharma's TriRima reversibly inhibits MAO-A, confirms PET imaging study

CeNeRx BioPharma, Inc., a clinical stage company developing innovative treatments for diseases of the central nervous system, today announced that a newly published PET imaging study in human subjects confirms that CeNeRx's novel compound TriRima(TM) reversibly inhibits MAO-A (monoamine oxidase A), an enzyme in the brain that plays a key role in the regulation of mood.

8 Dec 2009

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Discovery of new compounds may dispel cravings of methamphetamine and cocaine addiction

Experts call on Europe's policy makers to take urgent action against preventable strokes

State and national medical societies join to oppose the 'Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act'

Psychological trauma leaves a trail of damage in a child's brain, reveal scientists

NeuroPace announces clinical trial results demonstrating the RNS System

TMZ and small molecule combination appears to lower tumor resistance

Kennedy Krieger Institute opens new center for individuals with muscle disorders

CDC awards Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine $19.7M for TB research

Biomarkers can be important in identifying PTSD symptoms, says researchers

Most antidepressant medications raise serotonin levels and miss key target of clinical depression

FDA cleared, non-invasive prescription therapeutic device for NVP now available

National Institute on Aging awards grant to study age-related brain disorders

Neuroscientists suggest risky therapy for aging brain may be avoidable by focusing on hormone target

CDC awards $19.7 million contract to study new drugs for tuberculosis treatment

The National Fragile X Foundation awards $100,000 grant for study of minocycline in FXS children

FDA probes excessive radiation dose cases

BHR Pharma files an IND for its BHR-100 intravenous progesterone infusion product

Hemaquest Pharmaceuticals' HQK-1001 holds promise for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia

West Nile Virus can become more widespread in Europe than previously thought, says new report

CeNeRx BioPharma's TriRima reversibly inhibits MAO-A, confirms PET imaging study

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st 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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