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.

Clioquinol appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease

Clioquinol, an antibiotic that was banned for internal use in the United States in 1971 but is still used in topical applications, appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease in mice and in cell culture, according to a study reported by San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) researchers.

12 Sep 2005

Key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells

In many patients with type 2 diabetes, the liver acts like a sugar factory on overtime, churning out glucose throughout the day, even when blood sugar levels are high. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered a key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells.

12 Sep 2005

Genetic basis for susceptibility to alcohol abuse confirmed

A new set of experiments in mice confirms that a brain receptor associated with the reinforcing effects of marijuana also helps to stimulate the rewarding and pleasurable effects of alcohol.

12 Sep 2005

Young adults have a greater ability to hold their tongue than older adults

If you suffered from piles, would you want your friends asking about your condition in public? Most people wouldn't, yet new research suggests that the older you become the more likely you are to make someone blush with embarrassment in that way.

10 Sep 2005

Workshop - stem cells in reproduction and in the brain

"Once we have found the factors by which body cells can be re-programmed into stem cells, then therapeutic cloning might become superfluous," said Hans R. Scholer, director of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Munster, Germany, at an international scientific symposium on stem cell research in Kobe, Japan.

10 Sep 2005

New tool to measure coma depth

Mayo Clinic neurologists have created the first new, reliable and easy-to-use clinical tool in 30 years for measuring coma depth, a proposed replacement for the Glasgow Coma Scale. The new scoring system, called the FOUR (Full Outline of UnResponsiveness) Score, will be described in the October issue of Annals of Neurology.

10 Sep 2005

Safe, non-surgical method of identifying brain infections such as brain abscess

Researchers at Westmead Millennium Institute have discovered a safe, non-surgical method of identifying brain infections such as brain abscess, and an accurate and rapid way of diagnosing meningitis.

10 Sep 2005

Scientists characterize the most infectious prion protein particles

A new study of prions - apparently malformed proteins that initiate deadly brain diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans - has yielded surprising information about how the size of prions relates to their infectivity.

10 Sep 2005

Sugar-coated markers of brain cell development may help success of stem cell transplants

Four sugar-coated faces made by stem cells as they differentiate into brain cells during development have been identified by scientists.

10 Sep 2005

At last, the seven secrets of eternal youth!

There are it seems seven different factors which we should be concentrating on in our search for eternal youth and they have nothing to do with plastic surgery and crazy diets!

10 Sep 2005

Cannabis drug could help fight obesity

Apparently scientists have discovered that a natural component of cannabis suppresses the appetite and that discovery may lead to a new class of drugs for treating obesity.

10 Sep 2005

It's pure science fiction! - human embryo to be created from two mothers

Scientists in Britain have been given permission to create a human embryo that will have genetic material from two mothers.

10 Sep 2005

Human brain still evolving, who knows what the future has to offer!

According to a team of University of Chicago scientists they have found strong evidence that the human brain is still evolving.

10 Sep 2005

When it comes to pain - mind over matter works

According to experts in the U.S., they have strong scientific proof that mind over matter works for relieving pain.

10 Sep 2005

Two die from mosquito-borne disease, experts say public must protect themslves from bites

According to health officials, a rare mosquito-borne disease has killed a young girl and an elderly man who lived in neighboring towns, and they are urging people to protect themselves against the insects.

10 Sep 2005

Two die from mosquito-borne disease, experts say public must protect themslves from bites

According to health officials, a rare mosquito-borne disease has killed a young girl and an elderly man who lived in neighboring towns,and they are urging people to protect themselves against the insects.

7 Sep 2005

Researchers discover discrete region of the monkey brain that processes pitch

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a discrete region of the monkey brain that processes pitch, the relative high and low points of sound, by recognizing a single musical note played by different instruments.

7 Sep 2005

Call for more donations of brains to help researchers discover new treatments for neurological disorders

Speaking at the BA Festival of Science, at Trinity College, Dublin, Dr Kirstin Goldring from Imperial College London and Charing Cross Hospital is calling for more donations of brains to help researchers discover new treatments for neurological disorders.

7 Sep 2005

Putting the risk of breast cancer and postmenopausal Hormone Therapy (HT) into perspective

Two similar comprehensive literature reviews and an editorial about the varying risk with different postmenopausal hormone therapy regimens have been published this month in Human Reproduction Update.

7 Sep 2005

Anorexia may be caused by change in brain chemical

A new study has found that women who have had a certain type of anorexia nervosa show a change in the activity of a chemical in their brain that is widely associated with anxiety and other affective disorders, for as long as one year after recovery.

7 Sep 2005