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 findings represents a step toward understanding the machinery by which the brain processes decisions

While neurobiologists have long suspected that certain regions of the brain are specifically involved in making decisions, the challenge has been to develop rigorous laboratory behavioral experiments that could pinpoint those areas.

13 Oct 2004

Researchers have identified a protein in the inner ear that translates sound into the nerve impulses used by the brain

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and their colleagues report in the October 13 Nature advanced on-line edition that they have identified a protein deep in the inner ear that they believe translates sound into the nerve impulses used by the brain.

13 Oct 2004

A new approach to controlling blood cholesterol levels may be a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease

A new approach to controlling blood cholesterol levels that is already being investigated to prevent cardiovascular disease also may be a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

13 Oct 2004

Some post-surgical epilepsy patients have a significant decline in verbal memory

Epilepsia, the official publication of the International League Against Epilepsy, recently published a one-year follow-up study that finds some post-surgical epilepsy patients have a significant decline in verbal memory.

12 Oct 2004

People who have uncontrolled seizures on the left side of their brains are more likely to have learning disabilities

A recent study published in Epilepsia, the official journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), indicates that people who have uncontrolled seizures on the left side of their brains are more likely to have learning disabilities, in comparison to people who have seizures on the right side of their brains.

12 Oct 2004

Dietary iron imbalances increase the odds of developing Parkinson's disease

You might want to toss those iron-fortified vitamins, because absent a diagnosed deficiency too much of a good thing can be bad.

12 Oct 2004

Changes in reimbursement have reduced length of stay for patients receiving inpatient medical rehabilitation

Although medical rehabilitation patients are spending less time as inpatients at facilities, their functional outcomes have not declined. However, the death rate following discharge has increased nearly 4 percent from 1994 to 2001, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA.

12 Oct 2004

Adults with mental disorders have higher odds of being diagnosed with brain tumors and lung cancer

Adults with mental disorders have higher odds of being diagnosed with brain tumors and lung cancer and develop these cancers at younger ages than individuals without mental illness, according to a study published in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

12 Oct 2004

A novel gene therapy strategy may help reduce seizures in adults suffering from epilepsy

Deborah Lin, from the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, is investigating the effects of a therapeutic gene transfer in a particular form of epilepsy which affects the brain’s temporal lobe region.

12 Oct 2004

Protein called Mrp4 blocks the access of the anti-cancer drug topotecan into the brain

A protein called Mrp4 blocks the access of the anti-cancer drug topotecan into the brain by transporting this agent back into the bloodstream, thus reducing the ability of this agent to reach tumors.

11 Oct 2004

Researchers identify common mutation in T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) have made a breakthrough discovery, identifying a common mutation in T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (T-ALL), an important form of cancer in children and adolescents.

11 Oct 2004

Balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida

According to Dutch researcher Pascal Groenen, a balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida. He investigated how different nutritional components affected the risk of developing this condition.

11 Oct 2004

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy may reduce the risk of a second attack of symptoms related to multiple sclerosis

Anat Achiron, M.D., Ph.D., of Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel, and colleagues assessed the effect of IVIg treatment in patients after the first neurological event suggestive of MS and evaluated the occurrence of a second attack.

11 Oct 2004

Brain imaging study shows brain differences between autistic boys with language impairment and those with normal language development

The study, published October 11, 2004, in the advance online issue of the Annals of Neurology, found that a language center of the brain -- Broca's area -- is apparently normal in autistic boys who have normal language capabilities.

11 Oct 2004

Certain blood pressure drugs may slow the deterioration of Alzheimer's disease

Certain blood pressure drugs may slow the deterioration of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the October 12 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Oct 2004

Diet high in soy could be good for the hearts and bones of premenopausal women

The results suggest that for cholesterol and bone density, the natural plant estrogens in soy may be most effective in conjunction with the body’s own estrogen – which would make it especially potent in women who haven’t reached menopause. They also point to the possibility the estrogen-soy synergy could have other benefits as well.

10 Oct 2004

Lithium can protect the brain cells involved in learning and memory from radiation damage

Patients who undergo radiation for treatment of brain tumors may survive their cancer only to have lasting memory and learning deficiencies, the impact of which can be particularly devastating for children.

10 Oct 2004

Pilot study of mind-to-movement device shows early promise

In March 2002, Brown University researchers published an astounding piece of science. Three rhesus monkeys, they reported, could control a computer cursor without their hands. They used their minds instead.

10 Oct 2004

Researchers test whether huperzine A can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are testing whether huperzine A, a natural moss extract used in Chinese medicine, can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

8 Oct 2004

Aspirin might well be considered the top utility player in the medicine cabinet

This cheap over-the-counter drug can be used not only for fever, pain and arthritis, but to prevent heart attack, stroke or angina. It also may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Yet aspirin also has side effects worth considering, and its very accessibility may hamper its use.

8 Oct 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Research findings represents a step toward understanding the machinery by which the brain processes decisions

Researchers have identified a protein in the inner ear that translates sound into the nerve impulses used by the brain

A new approach to controlling blood cholesterol levels may be a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Some post-surgical epilepsy patients have a significant decline in verbal memory

People who have uncontrolled seizures on the left side of their brains are more likely to have learning disabilities

Dietary iron imbalances increase the odds of developing Parkinson's disease

Changes in reimbursement have reduced length of stay for patients receiving inpatient medical rehabilitation

Adults with mental disorders have higher odds of being diagnosed with brain tumors and lung cancer

A novel gene therapy strategy may help reduce seizures in adults suffering from epilepsy

Protein called Mrp4 blocks the access of the anti-cancer drug topotecan into the brain

Researchers identify common mutation in T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia

Balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy may reduce the risk of a second attack of symptoms related to multiple sclerosis

Brain imaging study shows brain differences between autistic boys with language impairment and those with normal language development

Certain blood pressure drugs may slow the deterioration of Alzheimer's disease

Diet high in soy could be good for the hearts and bones of premenopausal women

Lithium can protect the brain cells involved in learning and memory from radiation damage

Pilot study of mind-to-movement device shows early promise

Researchers test whether huperzine A can effectively treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Aspirin might well be considered the top utility player in the medicine cabinet

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