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.

Astrocytes modulate adenosine - thought to be important in controlling wake-to-sleep transitions and epileptic seizures

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated that star-shaped glial cells in the brain called astrocytes are directly involved in regulating communication between neurons.

10 Oct 2005

Potential new treatment for stroke

"The study was designed to test if IL-1ra is safe in stroke patients and showed promising results," said Professor Rothwell, a world-renowned neuroscientist based in the University's Faculty of Life Sciences.

From The University of Manchester 10 Oct 2005

People with epilepsy 4 times more likely to have attempted suicide before ever having a seizure

A new study concludes that widespread screening for cardiovascular risk by measuring blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein produced by the liver, should not be advocated.

10 Oct 2005

New way to measure the impact of AIDS on the living brain

A new University of California - Los Angeles/University of Pittsburgh imaging study for the first time shows the selective pattern of destruction inflicted by AIDS on brain regions that control motor, language and sensory functions. High-resolution 3-D color scans created from magnetic resonance images (MRI) vividly illustrate the damage.

10 Oct 2005

Eating fish lowers risk of dementia

Consuming fish at least once a week was associated with a 10 percent per year slower rate of cognitive decline in elderly people, according to a new study from the Archives of Neurology.

10 Oct 2005

Eyes reveal risk of stroke

Looking into our eyes may help doctors predict who is at risk for stroke. A new study found that people with changes in the small blood vessels in their eyes are more likely to later suffer a stroke than people without these signs.

10 Oct 2005

High fat foods can soothe inflammation

"Take two cheeseburgers and call me in the morning," may sound like far-fetched medical advice. After all, high fat foods can worsen blockages in blood vessels.

10 Oct 2005

Association between long-term smoking and diminished mental proficiency

Smokers often say that smoking a cigarette helps them concentrate and feel more alert. But years of tobacco use may have the opposite effect, dimming the speed and accuracy of a person’s thinking ability and bringing down their IQ, according to a new study led by University of Michigan researchers.

10 Oct 2005

Depression both increases the risk for developing epilepsy and is also common among people with epilepsy who experience many seizures

Researchers have found provocative evidence that the brain dysfunction that underlies epilepsy may also determine whether people are at risk for suicide. The study, published online October 10, 2005 in the Annals of Neurology, also suggests that depression and suicide may have different brain mechanisms.

10 Oct 2005

Significant new research centre - the Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre

The centre, based at the UCL (University College London) Department of Human Communication Science, will see ESRC inject £4.5 million over an initial 5 year period into a study of deafness, linguistic systems and communication that will run over a 10 year programme.

10 Oct 2005

Prozac helps learning and memory in people with Huntington's disease

People with Huntington's disease have progressive motor problems, cognitive deficits (dementia) and psychiatric symptoms (the most common is depression) that usually start to appear in mid-life. There is no cure and death usually results within 10 to 20 years of symptom onset, or faster in the childhood-onset form of the disease.

9 Oct 2005

Researchers find gene that is important for the control of fundamental rhythms in nematode worms

University of Utah biologists found a gene that controls rhythmic events in a worm's life: swallowing food, laying eggs and pooping.

9 Oct 2005

Recommendation that physicians be a little more cautious in deciding against tPA treatment

Although use of the clot-dissolving drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has revolutionized the treatment of acute stroke patients, many of those who could receive the drug do not because their initial symptoms appear mild or improve soon after they arrive at the hospital.

9 Oct 2005

Site in the brain that controls language in right-handed people shifts with aging

...a discovery that might offer hope in the treatment of speech problems resulting from traumatic brain injury or stroke.

9 Oct 2005

Osmolyte findings could have implications for the study of Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) have developed a new way to predict the ability of certain small molecules to protect proteins in the cells of a wide variety of organisms living in extreme environments.

9 Oct 2005

New information regarding the genetic, cellular and neurological bases of susceptibility to autism and schizophrenia

Two New Jersey research teams are reporting discoveries about the biological nature of psychiatric disorders that may bring them closer to the ultimate goal of finding cures for complex diseases, such as autism and schizophrenia.

9 Oct 2005

Brain needs the middle ear to track depth

When you jaywalk, your ability to keep track of that oncoming truck despite your constantly changing position can be a lifesaver. But scientists do not understand how such constant updating of depth and distance takes place

5 Oct 2005

New role for the blood protein serum amyloid P in the body's response to medical materials

Using a technique called proteomics, the researchers identified many of the blood proteins that stick (adsorb) to the surfaces of medical devices. Blood proteins that adsorb to the surfaces of materials unfold and can be recognized by the body, which then mounts a response against the device.

5 Oct 2005

The cocktail party problem

Known as "the cocktail party problem," the ability of the brain's auditory processing centers to sort a babble of different sounds, like cocktail party chatter, into identifiable individual voices has long been a mystery.

5 Oct 2005

Large tumors that block the sinuses can be removed endoscopically through the nose

The endoscopic approach worked well not only to remove large inverted papillomas in 18 patients ages 36 to 74 but also to watch for regrowth of the tumors that have a high recurrence rate and a small chance of becoming cancer. Patients were treated as outpatients and 56 percent remained disease-free at 29 months.

5 Oct 2005

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Astrocytes modulate adenosine - thought to be important in controlling wake-to-sleep transitions and epileptic seizures

Potential new treatment for stroke

People with epilepsy 4 times more likely to have attempted suicide before ever having a seizure

New way to measure the impact of AIDS on the living brain

Eating fish lowers risk of dementia

Eyes reveal risk of stroke

High fat foods can soothe inflammation

Association between long-term smoking and diminished mental proficiency

Depression both increases the risk for developing epilepsy and is also common among people with epilepsy who experience many seizures

Significant new research centre - the Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre

Prozac helps learning and memory in people with Huntington's disease

Researchers find gene that is important for the control of fundamental rhythms in nematode worms

Recommendation that physicians be a little more cautious in deciding against tPA treatment

Site in the brain that controls language in right-handed people shifts with aging

Osmolyte findings could have implications for the study of Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease

New information regarding the genetic, cellular and neurological bases of susceptibility to autism and schizophrenia

Brain needs the middle ear to track depth

New role for the blood protein serum amyloid P in the body's response to medical materials

The cocktail party problem

Large tumors that block the sinuses can be removed endoscopically through the nose

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