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.

Pitt awarded $2.5 million to model how the brain and immune system function in response to illness, infection

In an effort to promote the application of mathematics to medical treatment, researchers in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Mathematics will undertake a $2.5 million project to create models of how the brain and immune system function and change over time in response to certain illnesses, infections, and treatment.

24 Jun 2008

Laser "microscalpel" to target individual cancer cells

Mechanical engineering Assistant Professor Adela Ben-Yakar at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a laser "microscalpel" that destroys a single cell while leaving nearby cells intact, which could improve the precision of surgeries for cancer, epilepsy and other diseases.

24 Jun 2008

Researchers develop brain-machine interfaces that learn with the brain

Devices known as brain-machine interfaces could someday be used routinely to help paralyzed patients and amputees control prosthetic limbs with just their thoughts. Now, University of Florida researchers have taken the concept a step further, devising a way for computerized devices not only to translate brain signals into movement but also to evolve with the brain as it learns.

24 Jun 2008

New discovery could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's

Rutgers researcher Karl Herrup and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that a protein that suppresses cell division in brain cells effectively "puts the brakes" on the dementia that comes with Alzheimer's disease (AD). When the brakes fail, dementia results.

24 Jun 2008

Study uncovers how Ritalin works in brain to boost cognition, focus attention

Stimulant medications such as Ritalin have been prescribed for decades to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and their popularity as "cognition enhancers" has recently surged among the healthy, as well.

24 Jun 2008

Amorfix achieves target sensitivity with its Alzheimer's disease diagnostic test

Amorfix Life Sciences has announced that its diagnostic test for the presence of aggregated Abeta in Alzheimer's disease is ready to be applied to patient samples.

24 Jun 2008

Nerve cells derived from embryonic stem cells and transplanted into mice may lead to improved brain therapies

Scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have, for the first time, genetically programmed embryonic stem (ES) cells to become nerve cells when transplanted into the brain, according to a study published today in The Journal of Neuroscience.

24 Jun 2008

Neurological assessment of older adults: A crystal ball to the future

Standard neurological exams of older adults are good predictors of future brain health and quality of life. These tests should become part of the physician's routine examination of older adults say faculty from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research in an editorial in the June 23, 2008 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jun 2008

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's under the microscope

A detailed discussion by top researches in the field into current Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research features as article of the month in the prestigious journal, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

24 Jun 2008

Subtle but detectable neurological abnormalities appear to predict risk of death in older individuals

Subtle but clinically detectable neurological abnormalities, such as reduced reflexes and an unstable posture, may be associated with the risk of death and stroke in otherwise healthy older adults, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jun 2008

General anesthesia can increase post-surgical pain

The general anesthesia that puts patients into unconscious sleep so they do not feel surgical pain can increase the discomfort they feel once they wake up, say researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center.

24 Jun 2008

Neurological assessment of older adults should become routine examinations

24 Jun 2008

Automated magnetic resonance imaging technique assists in earlier Alzheimer's diagnosis

An automated system for measuring brain tissue with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help physicians more accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease at an earlier stage according to a new study published in the July issue of the journal Radiology.

24 Jun 2008

Currently used pain assessment tools may be underestimating the pain response in infants

Dr Slater and colleagues (University College London, UK) studied the association between cortical pain responses in young infants and currently used pain assessment tools which are based on behavioural and physiological measures, such as change in facial expression.

24 Jun 2008

More government in health care is not a prescription for reform

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI) today launched BigGovHealth.org, a new initiative to expose the consequences of greater government control in health care.

24 Jun 2008

Hunger hormone ghrelin increases during stress, may have antidepressant effect

New research at UT Southwestern Medical Center may explain why some people who are stressed or depressed overeat.

24 Jun 2008

Researchers create molecule that nudges nerve stem cells to mature

Inspired by a chance discovery during another experiment, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have created a small molecule that stimulates nerve stem cells to begin maturing into nerve cells in culture.

24 Jun 2008

Drug rapamycin reverses mental retardation caused by tuberous sclerosis complex

UCLA researchers discovered that an FDA-approved drug reverses the brain dysfunction inflicted by a genetic disease called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Because half of TSC patients also suffer from autism, the findings offer new hope for addressing learning disorders due to autism. Nature Medicine publishes the findings in its online June 22 edition.

23 Jun 2008

Hedgehog signaling is critical for maintenance of the adult coronary vasculature

A set of promising new anticancer agents could have unforeseen risks in individuals with heart disease, suggests research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

23 Jun 2008

Management of hypertension immediately after stroke

A research project at the University of Leicester in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, indicates that early reduction of high blood pressure following stroke is feasible and safe, and both Labetalol & Lisinopril were found to be suitable a medications for this purpose.

23 Jun 2008