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.

People born during a famine in China have an increased risk of schizophrenia

...consistent with previous research suggesting a link between fetal nutritional deficiency and schizophrenia, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on violence and human rights.

2 Aug 2005

Research to investigate new drug for Parkinsons disease

Researchers at the University of Sydney have received a grant to investigate the potential of a new drug to treat the abnormal posture and balance that affects people with Parkinson's disease ultimately confining them to a wheelchair.

2 Aug 2005

New technology may offer a useful rehabilitation and home exercise tool for people with tetraplegia

People affected by paralysis could enjoy more independence, better health and a higher quality of life thanks to an innovative system designed to improve fitness and increase arm strength.

2 Aug 2005

Hospital funding gives radiotherapy cancer boost

Australia's state of Victoria will continue to treat all urgent radiotherapy patients within 48 hours, with an additional $8.9 million for state-of-the-art equipment, Health Minister Bronwyn Pike announced.

2 Aug 2005

Masked hypertension poses hidden hazard

Patients with "masked" hypertension that is not detected by routine office blood pressure measurements appear to have stroke and death rates similar to that of patients with sustained high blood pressure; whereas patients with so-called "white coat" hypertension appear to have no greater risk than people with normal blood pressure, according to a new study in the Aug. 2, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Aug 2005

Single hit of meth damages fetal development in mice

Canadian scientists have found from animal experiments, that just one single exposure to methamphetamine during fetal development induces DNA damage in the brain and increases the risk of long-term abnormal motor development.

2 Aug 2005

Smoking during pregnancy linked to childrens' anti-social behaviour

It has been well documented that smoking during pregnancy can harm the developing baby, but now, according to researchers, women who smoke during pregnancy may increase the risk of their child displaying anti-social behaviour.

2 Aug 2005

Aging profile of the human brain differs greatly from that seen in chimpanzees

Researchers have found that the two primary areas of the human brain appear to age in radically different ways: The cortex used in higher-level thought undergoes more extensive changes with age than the cerebellum, which regulates basic processes such as heartbeat, breathing and balance.

2 Aug 2005

Drugs with similar chemical attributes as Ecstasy might offer useful alternatives to current therapies for Parkinson's disease

Amphetamines, including the drug popularly known as Ecstasy, can reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's disease in mice with an acute form of the condition, according to new research at Duke University Medical Center.

2 Aug 2005

Aging and gene expression in the primate brain

While medical science and a healthy lifestyle can help increase life expectancy, many aspects of aging and longevity are beyond our control. Published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Michael Eisen and colleagues shed light on these genetic factors by identifying sets of genes whose expression changes with age in human and chimp brains.

2 Aug 2005

Living Cell Technologies announces results for treating Huntington's disease

Living Cell Technologies announced pre-clinical results today showing its brain protection product, NeurotrophinCell (NtCell) produces a marked reduction in the size of brain lesions in a Huntington's disease (HD) model.

2 Aug 2005

MediciNova starts phase II clinical trial of MN-166 for multiple sclerosis

MediciNova today announced the enrollment of patients in a Phase II clinical study with MN-166 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. MN-166 is an orally administered drug with a novel mechanism of action that includes the inhibition of phosphodiesterase IV.

2 Aug 2005

Brain may interpret the information it receives from sensory neurons using a code more complicated than scientists previously thought

...according to new research from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. By studying how monkeys perceive a vibrating object when it touches the skin, scientists found that changes in an animal's attention over time influence how a sensory signal is interpreted.

1 Aug 2005

People have signs of Alzheimer's years before diagnosis

Psychologists say that after examining dozens of Alzheimer's studies, they now have a clear picture of the cognitive problems which will develop in people with the degenerative brain disease.

1 Aug 2005

People can show early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease years before they are officially diagnosed

By combing through dozens of Alzheimer's disease (AD) studies, psychologists have gained a clear picture of cognitive problems in people who will develop the degenerative brain disease.

1 Aug 2005

Study finds right-brain strokes harder to diagnose

According to a new German study, the findings suggest that because of differences in symptoms, strokes affecting the right side of the brain may be under diagnosed compared with to those affecting the left side.

31 Jul 2005

Riluzole appears to have significant antiobsessional, antidepressant, and antianxiety properties

A medication used to ease symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, also is helpful in treating people with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), according to a pilot study at Yale School of Medicine.

31 Jul 2005

Researchers reveal secret of key protein in brain and heart function

Brown University biologists have solved the structure of a critical piece of synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97) found in abundance in the heart and head, where it is believed to play a role in everything from cardiac contractions to memory creation. Results are published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

31 Jul 2005

Action of dopamine may be particularly important for understanding psychiatric conditions

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which chronically high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine exert their effects on the brain.

28 Jul 2005

Anti-inflammatory function of Alzheimer's disease drugs revealed

The mechanism in anti-Alzheimer's disease drugs that inhibits the production of a destructive, inflammation-causing protein in the brain has been revealed by researchers at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem.

28 Jul 2005