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.

fMRI helps identify early brain marker of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have found a new marker which may aid in early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the October issue of Radiology.

26 Sep 2007

New chemotherapy regimen prolongs survival in difficult-to-treat childhood brainstem gliomas

Childhood brainstem gliomas (BSGs) are rare but can be very difficult to treat successfully and they tend to have poor survival rates.

26 Sep 2007

Discovery of structure in malaria with potential for a vaccine target

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI) have identified the biochemical mechanism behind the adhesive protein that give rise to particularly serious malaria in children.

25 Sep 2007

Potential new therapeutic target for obesity

A hormone system linked to reducing food consumption appears to do so by increasing stress-related behaviors, according to a new study.

25 Sep 2007

Think twice before liposuction

The death of a Canadian woman during liposuction will make many think twice before having such a procedure.

25 Sep 2007

New skin patch treatment for Alzheimer's approved by the European Commission

A skin patch to treat Alzheimer's disease has been approved by the European Commission.

25 Sep 2007

Viewing dye-packed vesicles causes them to explode

It's a long-standing question: Can just the act of observing an experiment affect the results, According to a new study by Rockefeller University scientists, if the experiment uses a fluorescent dye called acridine orange, the answer is a resounding yes."

25 Sep 2007

Scientists capture first optical images of carbon nanotubes inside a living organism

Using fruit flies, the researchers confirmed that a technique developed at Rice -- near-infrared fluorescent imaging -- was capable of detecting DNA-sized nanotubes inside living fruit flies.

25 Sep 2007

Eye movement can affect our cognitive processes

A pair of Beckman Institute researchers has discovered that by directing the eye movements of test subjects they were able to affect the participants' ability to solve a problem, demonstrating that eye movement is not just a function of cognition but can actually affect our cognitive processes.

25 Sep 2007

Potential new treatment approach for schizophrenia

A new study reports important evidence for a potential new treatment approach for those diagnosed with schizophrenia.

25 Sep 2007

Music training may offer benefits for literacy skills

Music training, with its pervasive effects on the nervous system's ability to process sight and sound, may be more important for enhancing verbal communication skills than learning phonics, according to a new Northwestern University study.

25 Sep 2007

Lymph nodes can be crucial for spreading low doses of infective prion agents

Lymph nodes can be crucial for spreading low doses of infective prion agents - the pathogens responsible for conditions such as scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - into the nervous system, according to new research published in the online open access journal BMC Veterinary Research.

25 Sep 2007

Genetic influences on addictions - new findings

Previous research has extensively studied the association of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) with alcoholism.

25 Sep 2007

Technique that measures human face from 3D facial images may help diagnose fetal alcohol syndrome

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most extreme expression of alcohol's adverse effects on the developing fetus, and is part of the wider fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

25 Sep 2007

Ventrolateral nucleus of the thalamus plays role in sensory perception

The ventrolateral nucleus (VL) of the thalamus is connected to the cerebellum and motor cortex and therefore thought to be involved in motor function.

25 Sep 2007

Research shows how genetic mutation causes epilepsy in infants

New research from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne has shown why mutation in a single gene can cause epilepsy in infants.

24 Sep 2007

Brain surgery with eyes wide open!

A team of Australian neurosurgeons have performed a landmark brain surgery procedure while the patient was awake.

24 Sep 2007

New UK stem cell and regenerative medicine research centre

The new Wolfson Centre for Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering and Modelling (STEM) will be officially opened at the University of Nottingham on the 21st September, 2007 by Sir Keith O’Nions, Director General Science and Innovation at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

24 Sep 2007

Genetic risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder identified

New research in primates suggests that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to the ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.

24 Sep 2007