Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Steroid treatment for prematurity put to the test

Babies whose mothers received steroid injections before giving birth have no higher risk of heart disease at age 30 than those whose mothers received a placebo treatment.

30 May 2005

New finding in studying dopamine transporter

Confirming findings in a previous study, Yale researchers observed an altered availability of the dopamine transporter in healthy persons with a genetic variation linked to substance abuse and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

30 May 2005

Discovery may lead to therapies to treat the neurological disease

Opening a window to understand the molecular basis of a hereditary ataxia, Dartmouth Medical School researchers have identified an enzyme activity that is inactivated in all reported mutant forms of a disease protein. The discovery may lead to therapies to treat the neurological disease.

29 May 2005

Fluorescence device to diagnose atherosclerosis and tumors

In a presentation at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Biophotonics Research and Technology Development Laboratory described recent progress on a device that stimulates, collects and measures light emissions from body tissues to diagnose critical atherosclerotic plaques (vulnerable plaques) and aggressive brain tumors.

29 May 2005

New evidence for cause of dyslexia

Addressing a persistent debate in the field of dyslexia research, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Southern California (USC) have disproved the popular theory that deficits in certain visual processes cause the spelling and reading woes commonly suffered by dyslexics.

29 May 2005

How the human brain can learn without thinking

Watch out -- you may learn something and not even know it, says Takeo Watanabe, an associate professor of psychology at Boston University's Center for Brain and Memory. Watanabe and his team recently pinpointed the mechanism that makes subliminal learning work. Watanabe will present the team's findings at the American Psychological Society meeting in Los Angeles, May 27 and 28.

26 May 2005

Half of NHS stafff come from outside the UK and Europe

Almost half of the recent 16000 staff expansion of the NHS came from the recruitment of health professionals trained outside the UK and Europe, states an article in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

26 May 2005

Researchers discover way to reduce plaque deposits on the brain that could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Their findings, which will be highlighted at the upcoming 2005 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' (AAPS) National Biotechnology Conference in San Francisco, brings renewed hope to the 4.5 million Americans who have Alzheimer's disease.

26 May 2005

Retina and its circuits are much more pliable than scientists previously thought

A new Oregon Health & Science University study is opening scientists' eyes to the retina's ability to rewire itself so it can adapt to different levels of ambient light.

26 May 2005

Researchers pinpoint circuit in the brain responsible for encoding decision-making

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University have pinpointed a circuit in the brain responsible for encoding decision-making behavior, a circuit that - if damaged - appears to prevent a person from altering that behavior when circumstances change.

26 May 2005

Researchers have succeeded in mapping the unique patterns of neural activity produced by a wide range of odors

Revealing these distinct - but often overlapping - patterns of neural activity represents a significant step in understanding how the brain translates complex signals from odorant receptors in the nose into odor perception in the brain, the researchers said.

26 May 2005

Tendency to be prejudiced is a form of common sense, hard-wired into the human brain

Contrary to what most people believe, the tendency to be prejudiced is a form of common sense, hard-wired into the human brain through evolution as an adaptive response to protect our prehistoric ancestors from danger.

26 May 2005

Comprehension of metaphors down to brain region called angular gyrus

What does it take to fathom a proverb - catch the figurative meaning of "an apple doesn't fall far from the tree"?

26 May 2005

Brain fatty acid levels linked to depression

A group of researchers from Israel has discovered that rats exhibiting the signs of depression have increased levels of the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, in their brains. The details of their findings appear in the June issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.

25 May 2005

Protein TRPA1 essential for hearing also vital for pain perception

The same protein that "translates" sound into nerve signals to the brain and enables individuals to hear is also required for pain perception, researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have found.

25 May 2005

Scientists watch agents of brain-wasting diseases invade and move within brain cells

Scientists for the first time have watched agents of brain-wasting diseases, called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), as they invade a nerve cell and then travel along wire-like circuits to points of contact with other cells.

25 May 2005

Early-onset antisocial behaviour in children with psychopathic tendencies is largely inherited

The findings are the result of extensive research funded by the Medical Research Council, the Department of Health and the Home Office, and carried out by Dr. Essi Viding of the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, within the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.

24 May 2005

Medical Research Council funds research to look at cannabis based medicines in multiple sclerosis treatment

A trial to determine whether cannabis-based medicines can reduce disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

24 May 2005

Obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke

Moderate to severe cases of the nighttime breathing problem known as obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23.

23 May 2005

Patients at high risk of stroke may need to continue Warfarin therapy after heart rhythm is controlled

Treatment with warfarin, a medication that prevents blood clotting, may reduce the risk of stroke by more than two-thirds in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition which places them at high risk of stroke, according to a study in the May 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 May 2005

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Steroid treatment for prematurity put to the test

New finding in studying dopamine transporter

Discovery may lead to therapies to treat the neurological disease

Fluorescence device to diagnose atherosclerosis and tumors

New evidence for cause of dyslexia

How the human brain can learn without thinking

Half of NHS stafff come from outside the UK and Europe

Researchers discover way to reduce plaque deposits on the brain that could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Retina and its circuits are much more pliable than scientists previously thought

Researchers pinpoint circuit in the brain responsible for encoding decision-making

Researchers have succeeded in mapping the unique patterns of neural activity produced by a wide range of odors

Tendency to be prejudiced is a form of common sense, hard-wired into the human brain

Comprehension of metaphors down to brain region called angular gyrus

Brain fatty acid levels linked to depression

Protein TRPA1 essential for hearing also vital for pain perception

Scientists watch agents of brain-wasting diseases invade and move within brain cells

Early-onset antisocial behaviour in children with psychopathic tendencies is largely inherited

Medical Research Council funds research to look at cannabis based medicines in multiple sclerosis treatment

Obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke

Patients at high risk of stroke may need to continue Warfarin therapy after heart rhythm is controlled

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

Latest News