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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.

Study identifies 579 genomic regions associated with predisposition to self-regulating behaviors

Researchers have identified 579 locations in the human genome associated with a predisposition to self-regulation-related behaviors, including addiction and child behavioral problems. With data from 1.5 million people of European descent, the effort is considered to be one of the largest genome-wide association studies to date.

26 Aug 2021

NIH HEAL Initiative leverages the strengths of communities to address opioid public health crisis

An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights the results of numerous strategies through which the National Institutes of Health's Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative, is finding scientific solutions to address the nation's opioid crisis.

26 Aug 2021

Study assesses the use of complementary and integrative healthcare by people with spinal cord injury

In a cross-sectional self-report study led by experts from five Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers, a survey of people with spinal cord injury revealed that 80 percent of participants were current or previous users of complementary and integrative healthcare approaches such as multivitamins, massage, and acupuncture.

26 Aug 2021

Old habit-controlling neurons may also play a critical role in new action learning

Imagine working on your computer and typing the same long password you have used for years to access your email.

26 Aug 2021

Brain organoids provide a valuable model to study autism

Variations in the 16p11.2 region of the genome are associated with autism spectrum disorder. While people with genetic deletions in this region have larger heads (macrocephaly) and people with genetic duplications have smaller heads (microcephaly), both variation types affect brain development and function.

26 Aug 2021

Review highlights similarities between long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome

A team of researchers, including two from Johns Hopkins Medicine, have published a review article highlighting similarities between certain lingering symptoms following COVID-19 illness — a condition called "long COVID" — and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a debilitating, complex disorder previously known as chronic fatigue syndrome.

26 Aug 2021

Researchers receive $14 million grant to study the effectiveness of hydrocephalus treatment

Patients diagnosed with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), a type of brain swelling most commonly seen in older adults — and for which the underlying cause is unknown — are typically treated by surgically installing a shunt (drain) to remove the excess fluid associated with the condition.

26 Aug 2021

Study unravels widespread tumor suppression mechanism that halts cancer metastasis

According to a study by The Wistar Institute, the tumor suppressor Parkin, whose levels are reduced in different cancer types, causes acute metabolic and oxidative stress, suppresses mitochondrial trafficking, and blocks tumor cell movement, reducing primary and metastatic tumor growth.

26 Aug 2021

Asian donor and black recipient kidney grafts associated with inferior long-term outcomes

Black transplant recipients and patients who received kidneys from Asian donors had a significantly higher risk of kidney graft failure within seven years, according to a new study presented at the European Society for Organ Transplantation Congress 2021.

26 Aug 2021

Athletes with history of concussions may show subtle and chronic brain changes

A new study suggests athletes with a history of concussion may show more brain injury from a later concussion, particularly in middle regions of the brain that are more susceptible to damage, when compared to athletes with no history of concussion.

26 Aug 2021

Motor control in older adults may be exacerbated by age-related executive functioning decline

Aging-US published "Cognition and action: a latent variable approach to study contributions of executive functions to motor control in older adults" which reported that Aging is associated with profound alterations in motor control that may be exacerbated by age-related executive functioning decline.

26 Aug 2021

Genetic background linked to elevated risk of omega-3 deficiency in Hispanic Americans

Hispanic people with a high percentage of American Indigenous ancestry are at increased risk of a nutritional deficiency that could affect their heart health and contribute to harmful inflammation, new research suggests.

26 Aug 2021

An existing drug may function as targeted therapy for ALL in children

A new study from Linköping University has shown that the tumour-inhibiting gene TET2 is silenced in a large fraction of cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children.

25 Aug 2021

Brain refreshing takes place during the dream-active phase of sleep

Scientists have long wondered why almost all animals sleep, despite the disadvantages to survival of being unconscious.

25 Aug 2021

AHA special issue focuses on health disparities among racial, ethnic communities

Poverty and Black race were associated with higher rates of lower leg amputation among people with peripheral artery disease who live in metropolitan areas, according to new research published today in a special issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2021

Study uncovers epigenetic mechanisms that promote glioma tumor growth

Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of multiple oncogenes in glioma cells, mechanisms that promote overall glioma tumor growth and resistance to therapy, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

25 Aug 2021

Portable MRI can help identify intracranial hemorrhages in stroke patients

When patients exhibit stroke symptoms, doctors must quickly make a life or death determination: Are their symptoms caused by a clot that can be treated with blood thinners or by bleeding in the brain, which may require surgery?

25 Aug 2021

Number of adults with hypertension has doubled in the last thirty years

The number of adults aged 30–79 years with hypertension has increased from 650 million to 1.28 billion in the last thirty years, according to the first comprehensive global analysis of trends in hypertension prevalence, detection, treatment and control, led by Imperial College London and WHO, and published today in The Lancet.

25 Aug 2021

Aerobic exercise combined with tDCS improves the gait of Parkinson's patients

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can increase the benefits of aerobic exercise and improve the gait of patients with Parkinson's disease immediately after a session. Step time variability decreases, reaction time shortens, and executive control of gait is enhanced.

25 Aug 2021

Modified smartwatch can help reduce stress

The old adage "never let them see you sweat," doesn't apply in the electrical and computer engineering lab of Rose Faghih, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering.

25 Aug 2021

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study identifies 579 genomic regions associated with predisposition to self-regulating behaviors

NIH HEAL Initiative leverages the strengths of communities to address opioid public health crisis

Study assesses the use of complementary and integrative healthcare by people with spinal cord injury

Old habit-controlling neurons may also play a critical role in new action learning

Brain organoids provide a valuable model to study autism

Review highlights similarities between long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome

Researchers receive $14 million grant to study the effectiveness of hydrocephalus treatment

Study unravels widespread tumor suppression mechanism that halts cancer metastasis

Asian donor and black recipient kidney grafts associated with inferior long-term outcomes

Athletes with history of concussions may show subtle and chronic brain changes

Motor control in older adults may be exacerbated by age-related executive functioning decline

Genetic background linked to elevated risk of omega-3 deficiency in Hispanic Americans

An existing drug may function as targeted therapy for ALL in children

Brain refreshing takes place during the dream-active phase of sleep

AHA special issue focuses on health disparities among racial, ethnic communities

Study uncovers epigenetic mechanisms that promote glioma tumor growth

Portable MRI can help identify intracranial hemorrhages in stroke patients

Number of adults with hypertension has doubled in the last thirty years

Aerobic exercise combined with tDCS improves the gait of Parkinson's patients

Modified smartwatch can help reduce stress

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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