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.

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat severe head injuries is actually dangerous

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat patients with severe head injuries—common practice worldwide for the past 30 years—is actually dangerous and associated with around a 20% increase in death within two weeks of hospital admission, conclude authors of an international study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

8 Oct 2004

Researchers have created a theoretical model that may shed light on a brain science mystery

A research team based at Brown University has created a theoretical model that may shed light on a brain science mystery: What happens to cells when humans learn and remember?

7 Oct 2004

Children who have problems breathing during sleep tend to score lower on tests of mental development and intelligence

Children who have problems breathing during sleep tend to score lower on tests of mental development and intelligence than do other children their age, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both studies appear in the October issue of Journal of Pediatrics.

7 Oct 2004

Flight simulators can provide relief from the symptoms of chronic dizziness

Vision and motion simulators similar to those used by fighter pilots and astronauts can provide relief from the symptoms of chronic dizziness, researchers at Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and Imperial College London report in the Journal of Neurology.

7 Oct 2004

12 ferrets and a DVD suggest that the brain cranks away on tasks completely unknown to us

There’s an old myth that we only use 10 percent of our brains, but researchers at the University of Rochester have found in reality that roughly 80 percent of our cognitive power may be cranking away on tasks completely unknown to us.

6 Oct 2004

Best approach for repairing breaks in bone separating brain from the nasal cavity is through the nasal cavity

The best approach for repairing breaks in the thin bone that separates the brain from the nasal cavity is through the nasal cavity, according to an analysis of 92 patients who had this increasingly common approach to treating a fortunately rare problem.

6 Oct 2004

Researchers identifiy brain circuit that appears crucial in converting short-term memories into long-term memories

The circuit links the major learning-related area of the brain to another region that governs the brain's higher functions.

6 Oct 2004

Cocaine addicts experience a decrease in D2 receptors affecting brain regions involved with movement, as well as motivation

A new study builds on previous research showing that cocaine-addicted people have a low expression of specific dopamine receptors—D2 receptors—in a portion of the brain called the striatum.

6 Oct 2004

People prone to anger and aggression may be predisposed to develop an addiction to nicotine

People prone to anger and aggression may be predisposed to develop an addiction to nicotine compared with those who have happy, relaxed personalities, report NIDA-supported researchers.

6 Oct 2004

University of Florida researchers reveal secret lives of genes during spinal injury

The body attempts to heal a damaged spinal cord in much the same way it repairs skin after simple cuts and scrapes, an insight that may lead to new treatments for the thousands of people paralyzed each year because of spinal cord injuries, say scientists at the University of Florida Health Science Center.

5 Oct 2004

Richard Axel has won the 2004 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine

Richard Axel of the Columbia University Medical Center has won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Linda B. Buck of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for clarifying how the olfactory system works.

5 Oct 2004

Linda Buck has been named winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine

Linda Buck, Ph.D., a member of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Basic Sciences Division, has been named winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

5 Oct 2004

Stem cells and drug design

Victorian College of Pharmacy researchers hope stem cells will help them better understand the action of existing drugs and aid in the discovery of new drugs for illnesses such as depression, obesity and anxiety.

5 Oct 2004

Background noises don't just cover up conversation, they may actually scramble brain activity

The insight from experiments with rats could influence the design of hearing devices, MP3 music players and virtually any audio transmission technology, say the scientists.

5 Oct 2004

Researchers to develop dietary agents to reduce risk of cataracts for astronauts

Astronauts are at increased risk of cataracts because of space radiation. In fact, it is estimated during a long space flight to Mars and back, about one quarter of the crew would become blind because of space radiation-induced cataracts. Other groups which are at increased risk are jet crews, radiation workers and radiation accident cleanup workers.

5 Oct 2004

Portion of the brain devoted to vision may play a prominent role in processing the spoken word in blind people

The findings yield important information about the brain's ability to compensate for lost function. The study appears in the October 3, 2004 online issue of Nature Neuroscience1 and in the journal's November issue.

4 Oct 2004

Prognostic factors influencing survival in patients with brain metastases identified

Allos Therapeutics has announced the presentation of new findings from its Phase 3 clinical trial of the investigational radiation sensitizer Efaproxyn (efaproxiral) in patients with brain metastases.

4 Oct 2004

MRI is useful, not just in diagnosing MS, but also in the monitoring of therapies in clinical trials

Progressive changes within the brain occur earlier in multiple sclerosis than previously supposed, according to a study presented October 4, 2004, at the 129th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association.

4 Oct 2004

Contrary to popular belief, women do not suddenly start to lose their memory when menopause begins

Contrary to popular belief, women do not suddenly start to lose their memory when menopause begins, according to a study presented October 4, 2004, at the 129th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in Toronto.

4 Oct 2004

Episiotomy does not reduce the risk of injury to infants during a complicated birth

A new study from Johns Hopkins suggests that routine widening of the vagina, a procedure known as an episiotomy, does not reduce the risk of injury to infants during a complicated birth, such as when a baby's shoulders are stuck in the birth canal after the head is already out.

4 Oct 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat severe head injuries is actually dangerous

Researchers have created a theoretical model that may shed light on a brain science mystery

Children who have problems breathing during sleep tend to score lower on tests of mental development and intelligence

Flight simulators can provide relief from the symptoms of chronic dizziness

12 ferrets and a DVD suggest that the brain cranks away on tasks completely unknown to us

Best approach for repairing breaks in bone separating brain from the nasal cavity is through the nasal cavity

Researchers identifiy brain circuit that appears crucial in converting short-term memories into long-term memories

Cocaine addicts experience a decrease in D2 receptors affecting brain regions involved with movement, as well as motivation

People prone to anger and aggression may be predisposed to develop an addiction to nicotine

University of Florida researchers reveal secret lives of genes during spinal injury

Richard Axel has won the 2004 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine

Linda Buck has been named winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine

Stem cells and drug design

Background noises don't just cover up conversation, they may actually scramble brain activity

Researchers to develop dietary agents to reduce risk of cataracts for astronauts

Portion of the brain devoted to vision may play a prominent role in processing the spoken word in blind people

Prognostic factors influencing survival in patients with brain metastases identified

MRI is useful, not just in diagnosing MS, but also in the monitoring of therapies in clinical trials

Contrary to popular belief, women do not suddenly start to lose their memory when menopause begins

Episiotomy does not reduce the risk of injury to infants during a complicated birth

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