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.

MRI technique for measuring blood volume helps distinguish between abscesses and tumors in the brain

Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI allows physicians to differentiate between cerebral abscesses—inflamed areas in the brain caused by infection—and malignant brain tumors without surgery, says a new preliminary study by researchers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.

8 Nov 2004

In a world first, Australian researchers re-grow cut spinal cord

In a world first, Australian researchers have discovered a mechanism for greatly enhancing regrowth of spinal cord nerves after they are damaged, restoring the ability to walk in mice within weeks of a spinal cord injury.

8 Nov 2004

D-cycloserine (DCS), used in concert with psychotherapy, is an effective treatment for some anxiety-related disorders

A tuberculosis drug called D-cycloserine (DCS), used in concert with psychotherapy, is an effective treatment for some anxiety-related disorders, according to research by scientists at Emory University School of Medicine and the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN).

8 Nov 2004

Association between long-term air pollution exposure and the early stages of atherosclerosis

Air pollution may trigger and accelerate narrowing of carotid arteries, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2004.

8 Nov 2004

Dopamine in the brain plays a key role in how we make choices

Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder studying Parkinson's disease patients found strong evidence that dopamine in the brain plays a key role in how people implicitly learn to make choices that lead to good outcomes, while avoiding bad ones.

8 Nov 2004

After stopping drinking, the brain grows back - significant implications for treatment of alcoholism during recovery

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists have reported - for the first time - a burst in new brain cell development during abstinence from chronic alcohol consumption.

8 Nov 2004

Researchers find two locations in the human genome that may harbor genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found two locations in the human genome that may harbor genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. If confirmed, they will be the first genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease since ApoE4 was discovered in 1993.

8 Nov 2004

Researchers have identified a protein that transports the essential nutrient boron into cells

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have identified a protein that transports the essential nutrient boron into cells, where it is important for cell growth and bone development. The findings are in the Nov. 5 edition of the journal Molecular Cell and are online.

5 Nov 2004

Body's 'internal marijuana': A new target for treatment of schizophrenia, Parkinson's?

“Endocannabinoids” is an impressive word that sounds like the name for a group of tribal warriors or an ancient people. Actually, it is the scientific term for beneficial molecules produced in the brain that act as “a sort of internal marijuana in our system

4 Nov 2004

alpha4 may prove to be useful target for smoking addiction therapies

Nicotine is responsible for more than four million smoking-related deaths each year. Yet people still smoke. Why? One reason is the stranglehold of addiction, started when nicotine enhances the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine

4 Nov 2004

Trial of new type of drug that attacks amyloid

Neuroscientists at the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia will begin a clinical trial testing a new type of drug that attacks amyloid, the protein substance that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

4 Nov 2004

Ecstasy use down among America's youth

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) just-released 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports the number of current ecstasy users decreased between 2002 and 2003, from 676,000 (0.3 percent) to 470,000 (0.2 percent).

4 Nov 2004

Discovery of internal molecular clock that governs the metabolism of sugars and fats within the body

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that components of the internal molecular clock of mammals have an important role in governing the metabolism of sugars and fats within the body.

4 Nov 2004

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

The University of Rochester has signed a license agreement with Pfizer which will allow Pfizer to market a specific class of non-hormonal drugs for the treatment of hot flashes associated with menopause.

4 Nov 2004

Researchers identify biomarkers that could lead to more accurate diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus

University of Pittsburgh researchers have identified biomarkers that could result in earlier and more accurate diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a devastating disease that affects as many as 1.5 million Americans, and occurs 10 to 15 times more frequently in women.

4 Nov 2004

Reproductive hormones have effects on all of these stages of brain growth and development

Scientists are now uncovering increasing evidence that the brain not only responds to hormones produced by the reproductive system, but that these hormones-the so-called "female hormones," estrogen and progestin, and the "male" androgens, such as testosterone-play an important role in the development of differences between male and female brains.

2 Nov 2004

An errant enzyme linked to bipolar disorder impairs awareness, perception and reasoning

The disturbed thinking, impaired judgment, impulsivity, and distractibility seen in mania, a destructive phase of bipolar disorder, may be traceable to overactivity of protein kinase C (PKC), suggests the study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the Stanley Foundation.

1 Nov 2004

Clinical trial of investigational oxygen-carrying blood substitute for use at the scene of injury

Loyola University Health System begins today the national clinical trial using PolyHeme®, an investigational oxygen-carrying blood substitute designed to increase survival of critically injured and bleeding trauma patients at the scene of injury.

1 Nov 2004

Improved risk classification for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia offers hope for eliminating irradiation

Improved risk classification for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), coupled with more intensive intrathecal chemotherapy for high risk patients and the use of a drug called dexamethasone, could one day permit physicians to omit irradiation as a part of routine treatment.

1 Nov 2004

New clues about how brain cells are damaged by Alzheimer's disease

University of Kentucky chemistry professor Allan Butterfield has uncovered new clues about how brain cells are damaged by Alzheimer's disease, evidence suggesting vitamin E may help prevent the debilitating illness.

1 Nov 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

MRI technique for measuring blood volume helps distinguish between abscesses and tumors in the brain

In a world first, Australian researchers re-grow cut spinal cord

D-cycloserine (DCS), used in concert with psychotherapy, is an effective treatment for some anxiety-related disorders

Association between long-term air pollution exposure and the early stages of atherosclerosis

Dopamine in the brain plays a key role in how we make choices

After stopping drinking, the brain grows back - significant implications for treatment of alcoholism during recovery

Researchers find two locations in the human genome that may harbor genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have identified a protein that transports the essential nutrient boron into cells

Body's 'internal marijuana': A new target for treatment of schizophrenia, Parkinson's?

alpha4 may prove to be useful target for smoking addiction therapies

Trial of new type of drug that attacks amyloid

Ecstasy use down among America's youth

Discovery of internal molecular clock that governs the metabolism of sugars and fats within the body

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

Researchers identify biomarkers that could lead to more accurate diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus

Reproductive hormones have effects on all of these stages of brain growth and development

An errant enzyme linked to bipolar disorder impairs awareness, perception and reasoning

Clinical trial of investigational oxygen-carrying blood substitute for use at the scene of injury

Improved risk classification for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia offers hope for eliminating irradiation

New clues about how brain cells are damaged by Alzheimer's disease

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®

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