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.

Increased dementia risk after stroke

One in four stroke victims will suffer from cognitive impairment severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia within three to six months of the attack, according to new research from the University of New South Wales.

20 Aug 2004

Research sheds shed light on a common cause of miscarriage in humans

Top poker players know that the face mirrors the brain. Specialists in embryonic development wouldn’t disagree. In fact, because the same clumps of primordial cells mold the final features of both, a close look at a child’s face can often yield clues about less visible problems within the skull

20 Aug 2004

Enzyme activation key to body clock

Feel like time is repeating itself and won’t move on? It could be your internal clock is backpedaling because your PKG-II is out of whack.

20 Aug 2004

Sea snail offers natural healing powers for a range of illnesses from chronic pain to diseases of the brain

A beautiful, but often deadly, snail from the sea has been revealed as a largely untapped source of natural healing powers for a range of illnesses from chronic pain to diseases of the brain.

20 Aug 2004

Manitoba's first human case of West Nile virus infection

The first human case of West Nile virus infection this year has been identified in Manitoba. The individual, a Winnipeg resident in his sixties, is currently in hospital. The individual has been reported to Health Canada as a probable case of West Nile neurological syndrome.

20 Aug 2004

Stem cell research may one day help cerebral palsy

Natural chemicals that assist healing may one day help transplanted adult stem cells integrate into an injured brain, helping children with cerebral palsy recover lost function, according to researchers at the Medical College of Georgia.

18 Aug 2004

Authors redefine aging as any change in an organism over time

Voyager Pharmaceutical have announced the publication of a paper co-authored by its chief scientist, Richard Bowen, M.D., and Craig Atwood, Ph.D., research director of the University of Wisconsin Memory Research Program and the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute.

18 Aug 2004

Newly discovered protein switch may be key to understanding sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression

University of California researchers have found that a newly discovered protein switch which they named neuropeptide S appears to work in the brain to enhance wakefulness and reduce anxiety in laboratory animals. According to Rainer Reinscheid and his colleagues, the protein could help in the understanding of sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression.

18 Aug 2004

Embryonic stem cell therapy show benefits in rebuilding damaged heart

Despite improvements in earlier diagnosis and treatment, cardiovascular disease is far and away the leading cause of death in the U.S. and the world.

18 Aug 2004

Researchers to conduct a series of studies on human circulation

Penn State College of Medicine researchers recently were awarded a five-year, $7 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to conduct a series of studies on human circulation.

18 Aug 2004

Corkscrew-like device that removes blood clots from the brains of stroke sufferers

The device "appears fairly safe and has the potential to make dramatic differences in stroke therapy," said Wayne Clark, M.D., professor of neurology and director of the Oregon Stroke Center.

18 Aug 2004

Researchers find way to detect dangerous brain swelling in diabetic children

A rare swelling of the brain that is nonetheless the most common diabetes-related cause of death for children with the disease could be caught earlier — potentially saving lives — if practitioners learn to recognize key signs, researchers at the University of Florida report.

18 Aug 2004

Organ transplant recipients infected with West Nile virus develop more severe neurological illness

West Nile virus is an infection which in the last three years has had a significant impact in the United States. The virus is spread from birds to humans via mosquito bites. Symptoms include headache, fever and disorientation, and the disease can cause serious illness in a small percentage of infected people.

18 Aug 2004

Exposure to natural and man-made substances in the environment accounts for at least two-thirds of all the cases of cancer in the U.S.

These environmental factors include lifestyle choices like cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, lack of exercise and excessive sunlight exposure. Other factors include exposure to certain medical drugs, hormones, radiation, viruses, bacteria, and chemicals that may be present in the air, water, food and workplace.

18 Aug 2004

Catheter delivered devices may be just as effective as drug therapy in treating strokes of unidentified origin

A percutaneous catheter procedure to correct a heart abnormality caused by an open patent foramen ovale (PFO), a flap that should be closed in an adult heart, may be just as effective as drug therapy in treating patients who have had strokes of unidentified origin, perhaps caused by this condition.

18 Aug 2004

Mother’s milk may not be best for preterm babies

The study by Lydia Furman, M.D., of Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and colleagues found that other influences, such as health problems at birth and social factors like the mother’s race, marriage and education were more important in predicting any mental and motor development problems among the infants.

17 Aug 2004

Critical shortage of support services for parents raising children with autism

The findings come hard on the heels of controversy over the tragic death of autistic ten-year-old Jason Dawes at the hands of his mother, who had received only three of the 20 hours per week of early intervention that her child needed since the age of 18 months.

17 Aug 2004

Immunotherapy and chemotherapy combined, slows tumor progression and extends survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have found that the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy significantly slowed tumor progression and extended survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

17 Aug 2004

Neural basis of memory loss

Most forms of memory loss are caused by some type of brain injury - particularly to the hippocampus. Amnesia can arise from brain damage that interferes with memory storage, retrieval, or consolidation. What ultimately causes amnesia - a failure to store memories or a failure to retrieve them - is not clear.

16 Aug 2004

The prion appears to function as an evolutionary stepping stone

“This prion,” explains Lindquist, “has a capacity to hide and release genetic information throughout the entire genome that can contribute to new traits in a complex way.”

16 Aug 2004