Neuroscience News and Research

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Insight into why some people develop drug addiction

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have identified abnormal brain structures in the frontal lobe of cocaine users' brains which are linked to their compulsive cocaine-using behaviour. Their findings were published today, 21 June, in the journal Brain.

21 Jun 2011

Synthetic fat substitutes could contribute to weight gain and obesity

Synthetic fat substitutes used in low-calorie potato chips and other foods could backfire and contribute to weight gain and obesity, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

21 Jun 2011

Protein synthesis in cerebellum plays key role in memory consolidation

Scientists and educators alike have long known that cramming is not an effective way to remember things. With their latest findings, researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan, studying eye movement response in trained mice, have elucidated the neurological mechanism explaining why this is so.

18 Jun 2011

Precisely mapped allosteric binding site will facilitate design of drugs with minimal side effects

Structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have obtained a precise molecular map of the binding site for an allosteric inhibitor in a subtype of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor, which is commonly expressed in brain cells.

17 Jun 2011

Fast-acting antidepressant effect of ketamine

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists are shedding new light on why the anesthetic drug ketamine produces a fast-acting antidepressant response in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

17 Jun 2011

Anxiety hinders detection during search for multiple objects

A person scanning baggage or X-rays stands a better chance of seeing everything they're searching for if they aren't feeling anxious, according to a new laboratory experiment.

17 Jun 2011

Lumosity announces $32.5M Series C financing round

Lumosity announced today it has raised $32.5 million in Series C financing. Lumosity leverages cutting-edge neuroscience to create games and exercises that improve core cognitive abilities and enable users to remember more, think faster and perform better at work and school.

16 Jun 2011

Study finds no link between anxiety, depression and weight loss after bariatric surgery

Depression and anxiety do not seem to interfere with the amount of weight loss or the improvement of obesity-related conditions after bariatric surgery, according to a new study of more than 25,000 patients presented here at the 28th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

16 Jun 2011

MRE reduces ionizing radiation exposure, detects Crohn's disease as reliably as CT

A new study from Rhode Island Hospital has found that MR enterography (MRE) without the use of an anti-peristaltic agent were as reliable as CT enterography (CTE) in determining the presence of Crohn's disease.

16 Jun 2011

Study establishes potential genetic link to human REM sleep behaviour disorder

Researchers at the University of Toronto are the first to indentify a potential cause for a severe sleep disorder that has been closely linked to Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

16 Jun 2011

Non-invasive intervention can greatly improve patients' inhibitory control

Inhibitory control can be boosted with a mild form of brain stimulation, according to a study published in the June 2011 issue of Neuroimage, Elsevier's Journal of Brain Function.

16 Jun 2011

Olive oil may help prevent stroke in older people

A new study suggests that consuming olive oil may help prevent a stroke in older people. The research is published in the June 15, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Jun 2011

Inviragen commences INV21 Phase 1 trial against Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Inviragen announced today the initiation of the first clinical trial of the Company's proprietary Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) investigational vaccine, INV21, a highly purified virus particle preparation designed to protect against HFMD caused by enterovirus 71.

16 Jun 2011

Brain research funds crisis: Report

According to the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology there is a dramatic drop in private and public funding for research in brain diseases that has led to a “withdrawal of hope” for millions of sufferers and could delay the search for treatments and cures by 30 years.

16 Jun 2011

Scientists zero in on dose levels of "sacred mushroom"

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have zeroed in on the dose levels of the "sacred mushroom" chemical capable of yielding positive, life-changing experiences, while minimizing the chance of transient negative reactions in screened volunteers under supportive, carefully monitored conditions.

15 Jun 2011

ImpactRx expands nationwide network of high-value, iPhone-connected psychiatrists

ImpactRx, the pioneer in measuring the impact of promotion on physician prescribing behavior announced today that it has expanded its nationwide network of high-value, iPhone-connected physicians.

15 Jun 2011

Newborn neurons help create emotional context of memory

Fear burns memories into our brain, and new research by University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists explains how.

15 Jun 2011

Scientists discover Sonic Hedgehog protein's mechanism of action

A scientific breakthrough by researchers at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) will be published tomorrow in Developmental Cell, a scientific journal of the Cell Press group. Led by Dr. Frédéric Charron, the team of scientists discovered a new requirement for the proper functioning of the Sonic Hedgehog protein.

14 Jun 2011

Scientists find novel form of brain plasticity

Scientists have known for years that neurogenesis takes place throughout adulthood in the hippocampus of the mammalian brain. Now Columbia researchers have found that under stressful conditions, neural stem cells in the adult hippocampus can produce not only neurons, but also new stem cells.

14 Jun 2011

Scientists discover new elements of blood clot-formation process

Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered new elements of the blood clot-formation process. The findings could lead to better drugs for preventing heart attacks and other clot-related conditions.

14 Jun 2011