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.

Researchers find mutations in a multifunctional protein cause Parkinsonism

A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. and colleagues in Canada and Germany have discovered a gene and six mutations of it that cause symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

18 Nov 2004

Prolonged abstinence, no visual problems in patients taking GVG for meth/cocaine abuse

A second, small clinical trial of a proposed addiction treatment led by investigators at NYU School of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory has produced favorable results in the treatment of long-term addiction to methamphetamine and/or cocaine, with no visual side effects in any of the 30 patients enrolled.

18 Nov 2004

Statement from U.S. Department of Agriculture on an inconclusive BSE test result

Statement by Andrea Morgan, Associate Deputy Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture on an Inconclusive BSE Test Result.

18 Nov 2004

Stem cells can preserve and improve vision in eyes damaged by retinal disease

"These findings hold great promise for potential treatments for people suffering from macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases," says Michael Young, PhD, an assistant scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute and the lead author of the study.

18 Nov 2004

70% of cases of spina bifida are preventable by folic-acid supplementation

A seminar in this week’s issue of THE LANCET discusses the causes, symptoms, and treatments relating to spina bifida, and reinforces an important public-health message for women about to become pregnant

18 Nov 2004

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from a virus that causes a fatal nervous system disorder, according to research conducted at Brown University and Case Western Reserve University.

18 Nov 2004

Eating apples may protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism

A group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism, according to two new studies from Cornell University food scientists.

18 Nov 2004

Children throughout the world are increasingly being prescribed antidepressants

Children throughout the world are increasingly being prescribed antidepressants and other drugs designed to calm or stimulate the brain, finds research in Archives of Disease in Childhood. Prescription rates increased the most in the UK, the research suggests.

17 Nov 2004

Early infection in low-birth-weight infants linked with poor neurodevelopmental

Extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants who have an infection during their hospitalization following birth are more likely to have adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes than those infants who do not have an infection, according to a study in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Nov 2004

Brain inflammation is a sign of autism

A new study by scientists at Johns Hopkins shows that brain inflammation is a sign of autism. The findings are reported in the online edition of Annals of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Neurological Association.

15 Nov 2004

New study has found that, even with prolonged sobriety, alcoholics will have difficulties completing tasks such as putting pieces of a puzzle together or map reading

A new study has found that, even with prolonged sobriety, alcoholics show deficits in visuoperception and frontal executive functioning of the brain. Furthermore, alcoholics utilize a more complex higher-order cognitive system, frontal executive functions, to perform the same tasks as individuals without a history of alcoholism. Results are published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

14 Nov 2004

Prenatal alcohol exposure has effects far beyond fetal alcohol syndrome

Numerous studies have documented IQ deficits in children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Little research, however, has found IQ deficits in children with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), who generally exhibit less severe neurobehavioral deficits than children with FAS.

14 Nov 2004

The brain's dopamine system is key to alcoholism

Among the many genes that may contribute to an individual's susceptibility to alcoholism, those in the dopamine system are of special interest because addictive substances can activate this system.

14 Nov 2004

Ireland is reporting its first case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

The man in his early 20's was admitted to hospital as a suspected case 4 weeks ago. Recent tests on the patient's tonsils have detected the presence of the protein which causes vCJD.

11 Nov 2004

Scientists and clinicians are pioneering the diagnosis and treatment of children's brain tumours

The University of Birmingham, England, is working with Birmingham Children's Hospital to use high-tech science to make a difference to children's lives.

11 Nov 2004

Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl may be able to stay at home for longer compared

Shire Pharmaceuticals Group has announced that Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl (more than 36 months) may be able to stay at home for longer compared to those receiving treatment for shorter periods of time.

10 Nov 2004

Stem cell gene linked to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have linked a stem-cell gene to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers, opening the door to tailored therapies that block the gene's tumor-promoting ability.

10 Nov 2004

New strain of mice to study nicotine addiction

A team of investigators supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, has created a strain of mice scientists can use to study nicotine addiction and its associated behaviors.

9 Nov 2004

Cranberry juice may help prevent gum disease

New research presented at a recent symposium suggests that cranberry juice may help prevent certain oral health problems, including diseases of the gums and teeth.

9 Nov 2004

Scientists have identified a fault in the brain waves of schizophrenics that may explain their hallucinations and disturbed thinking

The researchers studied the brain waves of normal and schizophrenic patients as they responded to images. Those with the disorder showed no electrical activity in a certain frequency-the “gamma” range, from 30 to 100 brain waves per second-that healthy brain cells use to exchange information about the environment and form mental impressions.

9 Nov 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers find mutations in a multifunctional protein cause Parkinsonism

Prolonged abstinence, no visual problems in patients taking GVG for meth/cocaine abuse

Statement from U.S. Department of Agriculture on an inconclusive BSE test result

Stem cells can preserve and improve vision in eyes damaged by retinal disease

70% of cases of spina bifida are preventable by folic-acid supplementation

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Eating apples may protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism

Children throughout the world are increasingly being prescribed antidepressants

Early infection in low-birth-weight infants linked with poor neurodevelopmental

Brain inflammation is a sign of autism

New study has found that, even with prolonged sobriety, alcoholics will have difficulties completing tasks such as putting pieces of a puzzle together or map reading

Prenatal alcohol exposure has effects far beyond fetal alcohol syndrome

The brain's dopamine system is key to alcoholism

Ireland is reporting its first case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Scientists and clinicians are pioneering the diagnosis and treatment of children's brain tumours

Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl may be able to stay at home for longer compared

Stem cell gene linked to a portion of one of the most common childhood brain cancers

New strain of mice to study nicotine addiction

Cranberry juice may help prevent gum disease

Scientists have identified a fault in the brain waves of schizophrenics that may explain their hallucinations and disturbed thinking

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