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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.

Scientists describe a smell sensory map in fruit flies

The distinctive smell of a flower.. the unmistakable aroma of coffee… the dangers linked with inhaling smoke fumes. Sensory systems have evolved to provide us with immediate, finely tuned information about the world around us, whether they are colors processed through our visual system or certain pitches interpreted through our hearing.

2 Feb 2022

Liver hormone suppresses alcohol consumption in primates, study shows

A hormone produced by the liver called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) suppresses alcohol consumption in primates, finds a study published February 1 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

1 Feb 2022

Greater body fat found to be a risk factor for reduced cognitive function

A new study has found that greater body fat is a risk factor for reduced cognitive function, such as processing speed, in adults.

1 Feb 2022

Children are more exposed to microplastics than adults, says expert

Plastic breaks down into microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics. These plastics can be found almost everywhere around the globe.

1 Feb 2022

Researchers develop a single-use sensor strip to detect cerebrospinal fluid leaks

Developing rapid clinical testing for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks after trauma, surgery, tumors, and other defects are vital, because such leaks can cause life-threatening conditions, such as meningitis and intercranial infection.

1 Feb 2022

TTUHSC project awarded new NIH grant to advance research on amygdala pain mechanisms

It is estimated that more than 100 million U.S. adults are affected by chronic pain, a condition that annually costs the country an estimated $560-635 billion in health care costs, disability and lost productivity.

1 Feb 2022

Neural stem cells plus HER2 inhibitor drug improve survival in mice with metastatic cancer

Neural stem cells (NSCs) engineered by Northwestern Medicine investigators used in combination with the HER2 inhibitor drug tucatinib improved survival in mice with HER2-positive breast cancer brain metastases, according to findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1 Feb 2022

Daily physical activity boosts cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults

A new study by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine adds to the canon of research associating physical activity with cognitive performance, this time using 90 middle-aged and older subjects who wore accelerometers while physically active and completed mobile cognitive testing from home.

1 Feb 2022

Researchers develop new technique to open the blood-brain barrier in lab animals

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers developed a technique in laboratory animals to consistently and reproducibly open the blood-brain barrier.

31 Jan 2022

Open-label placebo shows promise as therapy for disorders of gut-brain interaction in children

Pain-predominant disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs) in children - such as functional abdominal pain (FAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - can lead to disabling symptoms, poor quality of life and high use of health care resources.

31 Jan 2022

Researchers investigate functional advantages of traveling brain waves during working memory

After more than a century of study, the significance of brain waves – the coordinated, rhythmic electrical activity of groups of brain cells – is still not fully known. An especially underappreciated aspect of the phenomenon is that waves spatially propagate, or "travel," through brain regions over time.

31 Jan 2022

Combined strategy suppresses the growth of deadly brain tumor

Short bursts of radiation therapy dramatically enhanced the efficiency of targeting glioblastomas with natural nanoparticle-based immunotherapy, thus suppressing growth of the deadly tumor, inducing anti-tumor immunity and prolonging survival in animal models, a research team at Massachusetts General Hospital has discovered.

31 Jan 2022

MCL1 regulates neuronal autophagy, cell survival in Alzheimer's disease

Announcing a new review article publication for Acta Materia Medica journal. In this review article, the authors discuss the emerging neuroprotective function of MCL1 and how dysregulation of MCL1 signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of AD.

31 Jan 2022

Yellow fever vaccine-vectored YF-S0 as a potent COVID-19 vaccine candidate

In a new study, a team of researchers developed YF-S0, an exceptionally potent COVID-19 vaccine candidate using live-attenuated yellow fever vaccine YF17D as a vector.

31 Jan 2022

Study reveals potential mechanism for iron accumulation in the aging brain

Breakdowns in regulatory mechanisms cause iron to build up in the brain as organisms grow older, increasing oxidative stress and causing cellular damage, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal eLife.

31 Jan 2022

Study finds how a change in cell environment triggers autism with genetic vulnerability

People with autism spectrum disorders all have characteristic behavioral difficulties. Nevertheless, the important heterogeneity of their symptoms remains one of the major questions for scientists and physicians.

31 Jan 2022

Study finds adults with disabilities have worse outcomes when hospitalized with COVID-19

Adults with disabilities have worse outcomes when hospitalized with COVID-19 than patients without disabilities, including longer hospital stays and increased risk of readmission, found new research in CMAJ

31 Jan 2022

Patients undergoing neurosurgical operations with concomitant COVID-19 infection have higher rates of perioperative complications

This unique paper compares neurosurgical patients with COVID-19 for perioperative complications to those without COVID-19.

31 Jan 2022

Review highlights lack of research data on health effects of nano- and microplastics on fetuses, newborns

A new, international review conducted by researchers reveals that there is not enough research data on what kind of health effects nano- and microplastics have on newborn babies, or during pregnancy and childhood.

29 Jan 2022

USC’s new center aims to address unmet needs in neurodegenerative diseases of the eye and brain

Could a new paradigm in digital health treat blinding disorders and possibly also be a conduit for treating other parts of the brain? A multi-disciplinary team of world-renowned researchers at USC are exploring this exciting possibility.

28 Jan 2022

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists describe a smell sensory map in fruit flies

Liver hormone suppresses alcohol consumption in primates, study shows

Greater body fat found to be a risk factor for reduced cognitive function

Children are more exposed to microplastics than adults, says expert

Researchers develop a single-use sensor strip to detect cerebrospinal fluid leaks

TTUHSC project awarded new NIH grant to advance research on amygdala pain mechanisms

Neural stem cells plus HER2 inhibitor drug improve survival in mice with metastatic cancer

Daily physical activity boosts cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults

Researchers develop new technique to open the blood-brain barrier in lab animals

Open-label placebo shows promise as therapy for disorders of gut-brain interaction in children

Researchers investigate functional advantages of traveling brain waves during working memory

Combined strategy suppresses the growth of deadly brain tumor

MCL1 regulates neuronal autophagy, cell survival in Alzheimer's disease

Yellow fever vaccine-vectored YF-S0 as a potent COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Study reveals potential mechanism for iron accumulation in the aging brain

Study finds how a change in cell environment triggers autism with genetic vulnerability

Study finds adults with disabilities have worse outcomes when hospitalized with COVID-19

Patients undergoing neurosurgical operations with concomitant COVID-19 infection have higher rates of perioperative complications

Review highlights lack of research data on health effects of nano- and microplastics on fetuses, newborns

USC’s new center aims to address unmet needs in neurodegenerative diseases of the eye and brain

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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