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.

Muscles lose their smallest, most basic building blocks after stroke

After suffering a stroke, patients often are unable to use the arm on their affected side. Sometimes, they end up holding it close to their body, with the elbow flexed.

25 Jun 2021

Differences in human and mouse brain cells have implications for research into neurological disorders

A UCLA-led study comparing brain cells known as astrocytes in humans and mice found that mouse astrocytes are more resilient to oxidative stress, a damaging imbalance that is a mechanism behind many neurological disorders.

25 Jun 2021

Undamaged neurons do not change their function after stroke, mice study shows

A study from UCLA neurologists challenges the idea that the brain recruits existing neurons to take over for those that are lost from stroke. It shows that in mice, undamaged neurons do not change their function after a stroke to compensate for damaged ones.

25 Jun 2021

Study shows how loss of glial protein drives brain development dysfunction

When we think of the brain, we think of neurons. But much of the brain is made of non-neuronal cells called glial cells, which help regulate brain development and function.

25 Jun 2021

New online calculator can predict risk of dementia

Canadian researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa, the Bruyère Research Institute and ICES have built and validated an online calculator that empowers individuals 55 and over to better understand the health of their brain and how they can reduce their risk of being diagnosed with dementia in the next five years.

25 Jun 2021

Research data on biology of Alzheimer's disease is now available to scientists

A growing trove of data to help scientists understand the biology of Alzheimer's disease among diverse populations within the context of sociocultural, behavioral and environmental factors is now available through the Institute for Translational Research at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC).

25 Jun 2021

Study shows how inhibitory neurons play a key role to facilitate signal transmission

When looking at a complex landscape, the eye needs to focus in on important details without losing the big picture--a charging lion in a jungle, for example. Now, a new study by Salk scientists shows how inhibitory neurons play a critical role in this process.

25 Jun 2021

New study provides important clue to understand brain disorders

The brain's neurons tend to get most of the scientific attention, but a set of cells around them called astrocytes - literally, star-shaped cells - are increasingly being viewed as crucial players in guiding a brain to become properly organized.

25 Jun 2021

Overexpression of PGC1 in vascular smooth muscle cells ameliorates atherosclerosis

In a new study published in Circulation Research, Chen-Yu Zhang and Xiaohong Jiang's group from Nanjing University and Dongjin Wang's group from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital reported a critical role of PGC1α in maintaining the contractile phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and highlighted the therapeutic potential of PGC1α for atherosclerosis.

25 Jun 2021

Study could help identify genes linked to aging process

To better understand the role of bacteria in health and disease, National Institutes of Health researchers fed fruit flies antibiotics and monitored the lifetime activity of hundreds of genes that scientists have traditionally thought control aging.

25 Jun 2021

Lung cancer detected by LDCT screening linked to lower brain metastases risk

Patients with primary lung cancer detected using low-dose computed tomography screening are at reduced risk of developing brain metastases after diagnosis, according to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

24 Jun 2021

Study identifies the cell of origin of medulloblastoma

The study was conducted by an international collaboration involving the research team led by Luca Tiberi of the Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Brain Cancer at the Department of Cellular, computational and integrative biology - Cibio of UniTrento, the Paris Brain Institute-Institut du Cerveau at Sorbonne Université in Paris, the Hopp Children´s Cancer Center (KiTZ) in Heidelberg, Germany, and Sapienza University in Rome.

24 Jun 2021

Turning down glial genes can help mitigate Huntington's disease pathogenesis

The brain is not a passive recipient of injury or disease. Research has shown that when neurons die and disrupt the natural flow of information they maintain with other neurons, the brain compensates by redirecting communications through other neuronal networks.

24 Jun 2021

Researchers create first detailed atlas of the developing mouse brain

Researchers at Harvard University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have created a first detailed atlas of a critical region of the developing mouse brain, applying multiple advanced genomic technologies to the part of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for processing sensation from the body.

24 Jun 2021

Non-invasive technology shows potential to overcome detrimental effects of aging and dementia

Ultrasound can overcome some of the detrimental effects of aging and dementia without the need to cross the blood-brain barrier, Queensland Brain Institute researchers have found.

24 Jun 2021

Dopamine may help explain the gender differences in key motivating factors and autism

Dopamine is often called the “happy” or “feel-good” hormone. It can help explain both autistic behaviours and men’s need for passion in order to succeed.

24 Jun 2021

Common cause of rare syndromes revealed by cultured mini-brains

The culprit behind a large number of cancerous tumors is known to be a certain protein. Now for the first time, research shows that the same protein is the cause of several rare brain syndromes.

24 Jun 2021

New insights can pave the way for targeted therapies to fight blood clots in COVID-19 patients

Driven by the mystery of the blood clots reported in both living and deceased COVID-19 patients, researchers from Shoolini University, India, dig deeper into the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and other similar viral diseases, looking for ways in which these clots could be formed.

24 Jun 2021

Hippocampal neurons fire during specific moments in time

Neurons in the hippocampus fire during specific moments in time, according to research recently published in JNeurosci. The cells may contribute to memory by encoding information about the time and order of events.

24 Jun 2021

Researchers observe brain's responses to vagus nerve stimulation during sleep and wakefulness

For the first time, researchers from the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have characterized the brain's responses to vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) at various states of sleep and wakefulness.

24 Jun 2021