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.

Protein Sirt1 points to new therapies for type 2 diabetes

Opening the possibility of new therapies for type 2 diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a protein called Sirt1 enhances the secretion of insulin in mice and allows them to better control blood glucose levels. Their study appears in the August 17 issue of Cell Metabolism.

18 Aug 2005

New insight into the neural computational function represented by "error-related negativity"

Deciphering the subtle, complex electrical signals emanating from the brain has yielded important insights into the still-mysterious neural mechanisms that underlie behavior.

18 Aug 2005

U.S. beverage industry praised for helping in childhood obesity battle

The American Beverage Association (ABA) has approved a policy aimed at limiting the sale of soft drinks in school vending machines as the nation fights obesity.

17 Aug 2005

First clear evidence that olfaction is uniquely a "dual" sense

In the August 18, 2005, issue of Neuron, researchers report that the smell of chocolate activated different brain regions according to whether the odor was introduced into the olfactory system through the mouth or through the nose.

17 Aug 2005

Biochemical switch that affects how neurons fire in a part of the brain associated with learning

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a biochemical switch that affects how neurons fire in a part of the brain associated with learning, findings that may aid in understanding schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease.

17 Aug 2005

Stem Cell Sciences to commercialise breakthrough in neural stem cell technology

Stem Cell Sciences has announced that it has an exclusive license to a new patented technology to derive and grow neural stem cells. This technology has been licensed from the University of Edinburgh.

16 Aug 2005

Gene expression levels may reveal stage of Huntington's disease

A survey of the genome of patients with Huntington's Disease (HD) has identified potential markers of the progression of this devastating neurological disorder.

16 Aug 2005

Mission to teach patients about modern treatments for sinusitis

Coughing, headaches, fatigue, post-nasal drip and intense pressure throughout the face. For millions of Americans, these aren't just the side effects of a short bout with the flu, but what they experience every day living with sinusitis.

16 Aug 2005

Weight control protein may yield new approaches for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes

The findings in mice further suggest that particular variants of the protein SH2-B might underlie obesity in humans, the researchers said.

16 Aug 2005

Greatest challenge for parents is the balance between homework, sports, music and sleep

"It is important for parents to identify the sleep needs of their children especially as they prepare for another school year," says Dr. Kohler. "Getting kids in school sleep mode can take time and sleep needs for teens are different from elementary school children."

16 Aug 2005

Adult stem cells may play a role in the development of some forms of cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that stem cells in a certain region of the brain may be the source of a particular type of incurable brain tumor and may be implicated in other types of brain cancers as well.

16 Aug 2005

New hope for those deaf from immune system attack

A new study may one day help those deafened by immune system attack, and possibly also lead to a test that could show which patients may be helped by immediate steroid treatment.

16 Aug 2005

Method to propagate mouse brain stem cells derived from ES cells

It's hard to grow stem cells in a dish. In particular, while it is possible to multiply mouse embryonic stem cells in culture, propagating stem cells that are specific to distinct tissues (e.g. neural stem cells) has proven to be a challenge.

16 Aug 2005

Babies recognize unfamiliar musical rhythms far more readily than adults can

Babies have us beat when it comes to picking up languages and distinguishing faces from foreign cultures. But babies also have the beat: Researchers at Cornell University and the University of Toronto find that babies also can recognize unfamiliar musical rhythms far more readily than adults can.

15 Aug 2005

Experimental therapy could offer new way to treat spine damage

An experimental therapy that combines stem cells and gene therapy to repair spinal cord injuries in rats may lead to a new way to treat the same injury in humans.

15 Aug 2005

Even a couple of drinks could harm an unborn baby

A new study is suggesting that mothers who drink even low levels of alcohol during pregnancy could permanently damage their children's intelligence.

15 Aug 2005

Key toxin could provide for world's first treatment for Alzheimer's

Dr Karen Cullen at Sydney University’s Institute for Biomedical Research is part of a collaborative team which has identified a key component in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, a finding which may produce the world’s first effective treatment to combat the debilitating effects of the disease.

15 Aug 2005

Combined gene therapy eliminates glioblastoma multiforme in lab studies

Despite aggressive treatment, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) - the most common and deadly of brain cancers - usually claims the lives of its victims within six to 12 months of diagnosis. Because GBM is so aggressive, the disease has been the target of a number of laboratory and clinical studies investigating the effectiveness of gene therapy to deliver novel therapies to the brain.

15 Aug 2005

Folates best at preventing Alzheimer's disease

According to results from a long-term study on aging, adults who eat the daily recommended allowance of folates significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

15 Aug 2005