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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.

Saving sight in premature babies: The past, present and future of ROP treatment

Highlights of today's Scientific Program of the 2009 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) - Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) Joint Meeting include: John T. Flynn, MD, Columbia University School of Medicine, discussing the ever-tougher challenges Eye M.D.s face in caring for the vision of the tiniest premature babies; and a report by Bradford W. Lee, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, on barriers to glaucoma follow-up as perceived by patients in an urban, culturally diverse clinic.

26 Oct 2009

Internet training can improve brain activity in older adults

You can teach an old dog new tricks, say UCLA scientists who found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web.

26 Oct 2009

Research reveals that mutation of chromosome 16 increases risk of schizophrenia

An international team of researchers led by geneticist Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), has identified a mutation on human chromosome 16 that substantially increases risk for schizophrenia.

26 Oct 2009

Supplemental oxygen during stroke is effective to combat brain tissue damage

Scientists have countered findings of previous clinical trials by showing that giving supplemental oxygen to animals during a stroke can reduce damage to brain tissue surrounding the clot.

26 Oct 2009

Study: High protein levels are associated with heart attack and not stroke

People with high levels of a protein called C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation in the blood, may be at higher risk for heart attack and death but not stroke, according to a study published in the October 20, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Oct 2009

Study shows diabetics who are nearsighted may be less susceptible to diabetic retinopathy

Two studies are of particular note in today's Scientific Program of the 2009 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO): a report by Swiss neuro-ophthalmic researchers about vision exam clues that should make ophthalmologists suspect an atypical variant of Alzheimer's disease; and new evidence from a Singapore National Eye Center study that diabetics who are nearsighted may be less susceptible to diabetic retinopathy.

26 Oct 2009

APC enzyme may be effective for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A chemical cousin of a drug currently used to treat sepsis dramatically slows the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, in mice. The results offer a bit of good news in efforts to develop a therapy to stop or slow the progression of a disease that generally kills its victims within just a few years.

26 Oct 2009

Dr. Shelagh Coutts receives award for developing new brain scan

Award-winning neurologist Dr. Shelagh Coutts is on the fast track of developing new brain scanning techniques for rapid and effective diagnosis of mini-strokes.

26 Oct 2009

Hypothalamic dysfunction can cause Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Dr. Oz's guest Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, best-selling author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! (Avery Penguin Group) and Pain Free 1-2-3 (McGraw-Hill), suffered from CFS when he was in medical school and had to drop out for a year to recover.

24 Oct 2009

Brookwood to support "The Race for Hope Philadelphia": Event to raise funds for brain tumor research

Brookwood is a proud supporter of The Race for Hope Philadelphia. Jacquie Beck, Senior VP of eLearning at Brookwood, has been named "Team Captain of the Week" for this important event which takes place November 1, 2009.

24 Oct 2009

Antidepressants are not effective for many people

More than half the people who take antidepressants for depression never get relief.

24 Oct 2009

Elekta to demonstrate stereotactic solutions at the 2009 CNS Annual Meeting

At the 2009 Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Annual Meeting, October 24-28 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Elekta will demonstrate how its line of stereotactic solutions expand treatment capabilities and bring new hope for patients presenting serious conditions.

From Elekta 24 Oct 2009

John Muir Health earns Network Cancer Program accreditation

John Muir Health’s Walnut Creek and Concord campuses have earned a three-year accreditation with commendation as a Network Cancer Program (NCP) from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC), a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients. John Muir Health is one of only two hospitals in California and the only one in the San Francisco Bay Area to receive the recognition.

24 Oct 2009

University neurologists launch multiple sclerosis research study

Neurologists at the University at Buffalo are beginning a research study that could overturn the prevailing wisdom on the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS).

24 Oct 2009

Updated data on XL184 study in patients with glioblastoma multiforme presented

Exelixis, Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported updated phase 2 clinical data which show that XL184 demonstrated activity in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.

24 Oct 2009

TransMolecular announces final results from its Phase 2 clinical study of 131I-TM601

TransMolecular, Inc., a developer of innovative oncology drugs through targeted delivery technologies, today announced final results from its Phase 2 clinical study comparing the toxicity and overall survival of three versus six intracavitary injections of its anti-cancer compound 131I-TM601 in the treatment of recurrent malignant glioma.

24 Oct 2009

2009 Inspiration Gala raises $1.27 million for BC Cancer Foundation

The 2009 Inspiration Gala raised $1.27 million for the BC Cancer Foundation and colorectal cancer research at the BC Cancer Agency last night, as nearly 400 guests dined and donated during the emotion-filled, sold-out event.

24 Oct 2009

Nutri5, an effective natural product for the relief of menopausal symptoms

Earlier this year, the BBC reported that "HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy - can shrink women's brains"1, after a study was published which showed that brain volume in women taking HRT was smaller in two key areas involved in thinking and memory.

23 Oct 2009

Ontario Health Coalition names recipients of the Dan Benedict, Ethel Meade and Volunteer Awards

Each year the Ontario Health Coalition gives awards to those who have made an exceptional contribution to the protection of public health care.

23 Oct 2009

Scientists demonstrate how second set of cells carry signals from the inner ear to the brain

Deep in the ear, 95 percent of the cells that shuttle sound to the brain are big, boisterous neurons that, to date, have explained most of what scientists know about how hearing works. Whether a rare, whisper-small second set of cells also carry signals from the inner ear to the brain and have a real role in processing sound has been a matter of debate.

23 Oct 2009