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.

New technique elucidates fiber architecture of the brain's white matter

The human brain is a constant buzz of activity, with its 86 billion nerve cells (neurons) sending electrical signals from one region of the brain to another. The signals travel along the white matter fibers, a maze of wire-like fibers, ultimately giving rise to all brain functions.

7 Oct 2021

High fat diet exacerbates Alzheimer's disease in mouse model

Research has shown that individuals who have diabetes are more prone to develop dementia. Although people are widely aware of diabetes, owing to its common occurrence, they are less aware of prediabetes. Similar to diabetes, prediabetes is also associated with impaired glucose tolerance. However, unlike diabetes, patients with prediabetes show a slight increase in insulin and fasting blood glucose rather than hyperglycemia.

7 Oct 2021

New conceptual framework for protecting urban mental health

People who live in cities face many challenges that threaten their mental health. In countries in which relatively higher numbers of people live in cities, depression, anxiety and addiction are generally more common.

7 Oct 2021

Accumulation of amyloid beta and reduction of serotonin may trigger late-life depression

Looking for ways to image the human brain for the earliest signs of aging and cognitive decline, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers recently identified a pattern that links the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins (associated with cognitive decline later in life) with a reduction of serotonin, the brain chemical that improves mood.

7 Oct 2021

Altering the metabolism of macrophages improves recovery after neve injury in mice

Peripheral nerves — the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord — have the capacity for regeneration, but the rate of renewal is so slow that many nerve injuries lead to incomplete recovery and permanent disability for patients.

7 Oct 2021

Study sheds light on the beneficial effects of peanut consumption in young and healthy people

A study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition provides new knowledge on the health effects of a diet rich in nuts.

7 Oct 2021

New technology shows great promise for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

A technology developed by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) shows great promise for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease before symptoms arise, potentially changing the course of research and treatment for this condition, which affects millions of people worldwide and is estimated to be the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

7 Oct 2021

Australian researchers hope to switch on sight with new gene therapy

Australian researchers are developing a new gene therapy which they hope will ‘switch on sight’ by regenerating light-sensing photoreceptor cells in the retina at the back of the eye.

7 Oct 2021

Planar cell polarity pathway found to be responsible for the formation and maintenance of synapses

Within the brain and other parts of the nervous system, synapses are key junctional points in between neurons (the nerve cells) where critical signals are transmitted. More specifically, the "glutamatergic" synapses are the prime "excitatory" synapse junctions that neurons use to activate each other and are known to have broad diversity in size and shape.

7 Oct 2021

Newly developed gel helps improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in glioblastoma

Pairing a newly developed gel with immunotherapy that was delivered to post-surgical mouse brains with glioblastoma, a highly malignant and deadly cancer, improved the immunotherapy's effectiveness, report researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues. The findings appeared on Oct. 6, 2021, in Science Advances.

7 Oct 2021

Mouse brain atlas may help understand the complex circuits of the human brain

The circuits of the human brain contain more than 100 billion neurons, each linked to many other neurons via thousands of synaptic connections, resulting in a three-pound organ that is profoundly more complex than the sum of its innumerable parts.

7 Oct 2021

Study illuminates how BRD4 protein directs the spatial organization of DNA within cell nucleus

New research is advancing understanding of certain cancers and complex congenital disorders by illuminating how BRD4, a protein that scientists have studied for years, directs the spatial organization of DNA within the nucleus of the cell, a function critical for stem cell differentiation into muscle cells.

7 Oct 2021

Tiny bubbles show promise for reducing inflammation

Scientists hope that tiny sacs of material excreted by cells - so-called extracellular vesicles - can be used to deliver drugs inside the body. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet now show that these nano-bubbles can transport protein drugs that reduce inflammation caused by different diseases.

6 Oct 2021

Scientists make inroads into creating an atlas of the mouse brain

It takes billions of cells to make a human brain, and scientists have long struggled to map this complex network of neurons.

6 Oct 2021

Neuroscientists unveil detailed atlas of brain cells

When you clicked to read this story, a band of cells across the top of your brain sent signals down your spine and out to your hand to tell the muscles in your index finger to press down with just the right amount of pressure to activate your mouse or track pad.

6 Oct 2021

Machine learning and high-powered microscopes provide detailed snapshots of cells' inner machinery

Open any introductory biology textbook, and you'll see a familiar diagram: A blobby-looking cell filled with brightly colored structures – the inner machinery that makes the cell tick.

6 Oct 2021

Toxic fatty acids trigger cell death in damaged neurons

Cells that normally nourish healthy brain cells called neurons release toxic fatty acids after neurons are damaged, a new study in rodents shows.

6 Oct 2021

Detailed atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex will provide a springboard for future research

The NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) has unveiled an atlas of cell types and an anatomical neuronal wiring diagram for the mammalian primary motor cortex, derived from detailed studies of mice, monkeys, and humans.

6 Oct 2021

New digital game could help people over 50s to fight against Alzheimer's disease and dementia

UQ Healthy Living is helping over 50s in the fight against Alzheimer's disease and dementia, with a new digital game designed to train both the body and the brain.

6 Oct 2021

Thrombolytic therapy may be safe for people with ischemic stroke and unruptured aneurysms

Clot-busting drugs are the main treatment for stroke, but they have often not been recommended for people who have an aneurysm in their brains that has not ruptured. An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel in the brain.

6 Oct 2021

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

New technique elucidates fiber architecture of the brain's white matter

High fat diet exacerbates Alzheimer's disease in mouse model

New conceptual framework for protecting urban mental health

Accumulation of amyloid beta and reduction of serotonin may trigger late-life depression

Altering the metabolism of macrophages improves recovery after neve injury in mice

Study sheds light on the beneficial effects of peanut consumption in young and healthy people

New technology shows great promise for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

Australian researchers hope to switch on sight with new gene therapy

Planar cell polarity pathway found to be responsible for the formation and maintenance of synapses

Newly developed gel helps improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in glioblastoma

Mouse brain atlas may help understand the complex circuits of the human brain

Study illuminates how BRD4 protein directs the spatial organization of DNA within cell nucleus

Tiny bubbles show promise for reducing inflammation

Scientists make inroads into creating an atlas of the mouse brain

Neuroscientists unveil detailed atlas of brain cells

Machine learning and high-powered microscopes provide detailed snapshots of cells' inner machinery

Toxic fatty acids trigger cell death in damaged neurons

Detailed atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex will provide a springboard for future research

New digital game could help people over 50s to fight against Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Thrombolytic therapy may be safe for people with ischemic stroke and unruptured aneurysms

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd 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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