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.

Research explains one of the fundamental mysteries of multiple sclerosis

Scientists have pinpointed a chemical messenger that frees some white blood cells from the body's normal constraints, allowing the cells to act like renegades that could damage nerves in the central nervous system. The work, to be published in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Immunology and just published on-line, helps explain one of the fundamental mysteries of multiple sclerosis (MS).

11 Jul 2005

New roles for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in treating stroke

In a study appearing online on July 7 in advance of print publication of the August 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Armin Schneider and colleagues from Axaron Biosciences describe new roles for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in treating stroke and other central nervous system roles of this protein.

11 Jul 2005

Meth abuse biggest drug problem in country USA

In a recent crime survey of 45 states and 500 county law enforcement agencies in the U.S., it has been found that as far as rural and small town America is concerned, methamphetamine has overtaken cocaine as the biggest drug problem.

11 Jul 2005

Steak back on the menu after mad cow disease tests prove negative

Beef and steak lovers in the U.S. can relax and throw a few more steaks on the barbie, now that tests on over 60 cows culled from the same herd of an animal which was found to be infected with mad cow disease, have tested negative.

11 Jul 2005

Arizona has three confirmed cases of West Nile in horses

A third case of West Nile Virus has been discovered in a horse near Lavine, Arizona.

7 Jul 2005

Nitric oxide good for some prem babies but not for others

According to two new studies, although nitric oxide can halve the risk of developmental problems in premature babies with undeveloped lungs, the gas could be harmful to newborns who are too small and too ill.

7 Jul 2005

Patients suffering from oral cancer have increased levels of certain bacteria in their saliva

Six common species of bacteria were found at significantly higher levels in the saliva of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) than in the saliva of healthy individuals.

6 Jul 2005

Neurological complication may result from rapid withdrawal from pregabalin

A report in the July Annals of Neurology describes a serious adverse event experienced by a participant in a clinical trial that may raise a new caution about the use of antiepileptic drugs for conditions other than epilepsy.

6 Jul 2005

Researchers have discovered a key regulatory molecule for Huntington's disease

Researchers have discovered a key regulatory molecule whose overactivation by the abnormal protein produced in Huntington's disease (HD) causes the central pathologies of the disease.

6 Jul 2005

Novel inhibitor offsets neurotoxic effects of tPA - possible new stroke treatments

A research team lead by the Burnham Institute has synthesized and tested a new series of inhibitors that can prevent the type of nerve cell injury and death associated with many neurodegenerative diseases and stroke.

6 Jul 2005

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of drug fentanyl

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises.

6 Jul 2005

Study details safety and efficacy of new Merci Retriever treatment for stroke patients

The recently released July issue of "Stroke," the official journal of the American Stroke Association, published new data on the safety and efficacy of the Merci Retriever System, the first medical device cleared by the FDA to remove blood clots from the brain in patients suffering an ischemic stroke.

6 Jul 2005

Tourette's and obsessive compulsive disorders linked to strep throat

A new study is suggesting that Strep throat infections can triple a child's risk of developing compulsive behaviors or tics, an indication that the same antibodies that attack the infection may also damage brain cells.

6 Jul 2005

Potential novel treatment targets for the most common form of childhood epilepsy

New research suggests novel treatment targets for the most common form of childhood epilepsy - with the potential to have fewer side effects than traditional therapy. The findings from Wake Forest University School of Medicine are reported in the July issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology.

6 Jul 2005

Functional analysis of human hematopoietic stem cell gene expression using zebrafish

What do you get when you mix RNA chips and zebrafish? A new two-stage method for studying human gene expression differs in human stem cells and progenitor cells, according to a new article in the open access journal PLoS Biology.

6 Jul 2005

Experimental treatment shown to reverse the loss of nerve fibres in Parkinson's Disease

Analysis of the brain of a patient suffering from Parkinson's Disease has shown that the experimental treatment he received caused regrowth of the nerve fibres that are lost in this disease. The findings are reported in the July issue of Nature Medicine.

6 Jul 2005

Drug therapy may be effective in treating both the manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder

The condition (bipolar I and II) affects approximately 8 million Americans, who have relied on a combination of drugs to manage their symptoms, and who remain at high risk of committing suicide because of the difficulty in treating the disorder.

6 Jul 2005

Memory aids help people with schizophrenia remember things just as well as healthy people

When encouraged to use memorization strategies commonly employed by healthy individuals, people with schizophrenia can be helped to remember information just as well as their healthy counterparts, a process that in itself seems to spur a normalization of memory-related activities in the brains of people with schizophrenia, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

6 Jul 2005

Showering in manganese-contaminated water could have permanent effects on the nervous system

A new analysis based on animal studies suggests that showering in manganese-contaminated water for a decade or more could have permanent effects on the nervous system. The damage may occur even at levels of manganese considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

6 Jul 2005

Withdrawn experimental drug found to reverse Parkinson's brain damage

Neuroscientists at Frenchay hospital in Bristol have discovered that an experimental drug for Parkinson's disease has been shown to trigger new nerve growth in the brain, the first time any treatment has been found to reverse the brain damage caused by the condition.

5 Jul 2005

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Research explains one of the fundamental mysteries of multiple sclerosis

New roles for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in treating stroke

Meth abuse biggest drug problem in country USA

Steak back on the menu after mad cow disease tests prove negative

Arizona has three confirmed cases of West Nile in horses

Nitric oxide good for some prem babies but not for others

Patients suffering from oral cancer have increased levels of certain bacteria in their saliva

Neurological complication may result from rapid withdrawal from pregabalin

Researchers have discovered a key regulatory molecule for Huntington's disease

Novel inhibitor offsets neurotoxic effects of tPA - possible new stroke treatments

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of drug fentanyl

Study details safety and efficacy of new Merci Retriever treatment for stroke patients

Tourette's and obsessive compulsive disorders linked to strep throat

Potential novel treatment targets for the most common form of childhood epilepsy

Functional analysis of human hematopoietic stem cell gene expression using zebrafish

Experimental treatment shown to reverse the loss of nerve fibres in Parkinson's Disease

Drug therapy may be effective in treating both the manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder

Memory aids help people with schizophrenia remember things just as well as healthy people

Showering in manganese-contaminated water could have permanent effects on the nervous system

Withdrawn experimental drug found to reverse Parkinson's brain damage

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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