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.

Brain's pitch perfect: New study tunes into Mandarin tone control

Researchers reveal that local neural populations in the brain's bilateral laryngeal motor cortex are key in controlling the pitch dynamics in Mandarin lexical tones, overturning the idea of single-tone category encoding. Direct stimulation of these areas alters pitch, advancing our understanding of speech production and potential treatments for speech disorders.

2 Nov 2023

New "Core Outcome Measure Set" developed to assess the severity and impact of Long COVID

Researchers have reached an agreement on how best to measure the severity and impact of Long COVID by identifying a "Core Outcome Measure Set" (COMS).

2 Nov 2023

Tufts researchers explore the science of aging

Anti-wrinkle creams, superfoods that keep you young, dietary supplements that promise improved memory, "immortal" cells that can renew themselves forever - in our stores and media, claims about aging abound.

2 Nov 2023

Scientists determine structure of key protein in neuronal communication

Neurons talk to each other using chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have drawn on structural biology expertise to determine structures of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), a key component of neuronal communication.

2 Nov 2023

Gut bacteria promote social behavior and wound healing through oxytocin signaling

The gut microbiome, a community of trillions of microbes living in the human intestines, has an increasing reputation for affecting not only gut health but also the health of organs distant from the gut.

2 Nov 2023

New gene therapy strategy shows promise for Parkinson's disease

Researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have developed a gene therapy strategy to selectively manipulate Parkinson's disease-affected circuitry and attenuate the core motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease in rodent and nonhuman primate animals.

2 Nov 2023

Researchers develop new OCT method to directly image cilia dynamics in living organisms

Researchers have developed a new optical coherence tomography (OCT) approach that can directly image coordination of tiny hair-like structures known as motile cilia in their natural environment.

2 Nov 2023

Tips for women to protect their heart health during menopause

Medical experts note that hormone and body composition changes during the transition to menopause can increase the risk of developing heart disease after menopause.

2 Nov 2023

Study uncovers how sex differences emerge and evolve in animals

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and Heidelberg University in Germany have shown that sex differences in animals vary dramatically across species, organs and developmental stages, and evolve quickly at the gene level but slowly at the cell type level.

2 Nov 2023

Biomarker discovery boosts long-COVID prediction accuracy to 78.5%

Researchers identify four critical biomarkers associated with long-COVID, offering a 78.5% accuracy in predicting the condition. This discovery paves the way for diagnostic tests and offers insights into the mechanisms of persistent post-COVID symptoms.

1 Nov 2023

Cancer neuroscience: A new frontier in cancer treatment

Cancer cells hijack normal biological processes, allowing them to multiply. For example, tumors spur construction of new blood vessels, building themselves "highways" to supply nutrients.

1 Nov 2023

Pandemic caused sustained cognitive decline in brain health in over 50s, study finds

Brain health in over 50s deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic, even if they didn't have COVID-19, according to major new research linking the pandemic to sustained cognitive decline.

1 Nov 2023

MRI-equipped ambulances could revolutionize stroke care

In the U.S., someone has a stroke every 40 seconds and dies from it every three minutes and 14 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1 Nov 2023

Study highlights disparities in stroke care across socioeconomic groups

People who live in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to receive clot-busting medications or undergo clot-removing procedures after they have a stroke than people who live in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status, according to a study published in the November 1, 2023, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1 Nov 2023

Study finds health care barriers for most pet owners with HIV

People living with HIV may face hard choices when balancing their own health needs with caring for a pet, a study led by a University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions researcher finds.

1 Nov 2023

Daily strawberry consumption could help reduce dementia risk for middle-aged individuals

New research from the University of Cincinnati found that daily strawberry consumption could help reduce the risk of dementia for certain middle-aged populations.

1 Nov 2023

New insights into role of cholinergic centro-cingulate network in Parkinson's disease and normal aging

A new research perspective was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 20, entitled, "Cholinergic centro-cingulate network in Parkinson disease and normal aging."

1 Nov 2023

How to optimize nuclei extraction & counting for single cell sequencing

In this interview, News Medical talks to DeNovix about the best way to prepare nuclei samples before single cell sequencing workflows and optimize nuclei extraction.

From DeNovix Inc. 1 Nov 2023

Does the percentage of slow-wave sleep decline with aging, and are intra-individual declines associated with dementia risk?

Researchers investigated whether slow-wave sleep (SWS) proportions reduced as individuals aged and whether intra-individual decreases were linked to dementia risk.

1 Nov 2023

3D organization of DNA can influence glioblastoma progression, study reveals

A pioneering study at Umeå University, Sweden, has unveiled that the 3D organization of DNA can influence the progression of the aggressive brain tumor known as glioblastoma.

1 Nov 2023