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.

Novel calibration process for super-resolution microscopy

Light--and all waves--can bend around the corners of obstacles found along its path. Because of this phenomenon, called diffraction, it is impossible to focus light onto a spot that is smaller than half its wavelength.

15 Jun 2021

UCLA clinical trial shows efficacy of varenicline on heavy-drinking smokers

A recent UCLA clinical trial has shown encouraging results in helping daily smokers who are also heavy drinkers quit smoking and cut down their alcohol intake.

15 Jun 2021

Study may offer an unexpected pathway for targeted treatment of brain tumors

In a new study led by Yale Cancer Center, researchers show the nucleoside transporter ENT2 may offer an unexpected path to circumventing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and enabling targeted treatment of brain tumors with a cell-penetrating anti-DNA autoantibody.

15 Jun 2021

The Role of Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

In this interview, Mark Bumiller, Technology Manager at Entegris talks to News Medical Life Sciences about the role nanoparticles can play in drug delivery.

From Entegris, Inc. 15 Jun 2021

Novel biomarker effectively detects Alzheimer's disease before symptoms emerge

A newly developed radiotracer can measure increases in brain tau at least a year prior to the emergence of other symptoms.

15 Jun 2021

Treatment-resistant depression relieved by laughing gas

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Chicago have found that a single, one-hour treatment involving the inhalation of a mixture of oxygen and the anesthetic drug nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, can improve symptoms of depression in people resistant to treatment.

15 Jun 2021

Study creates a new model of Alzheimer's disease progression

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by neurodegeneration in regions of the brain involved in memory and learning. Amyloid beta and tau are two toxic proteins that build up in disease and cause eventual neuronal death, but little is known about how other cells in the brain react during disease progression.

14 Jun 2021

Researchers discover two new types of glial cells in the brain

Neurons, nerve cells in the brain, are central players in brain function. However, a key role for glia, long considered support cells, is emerging.

14 Jun 2021

Researchers study what happens in brain cells affected by Alzheimer's disease

Studies on tissue from patients and mini-brains made from stem cells shed light on the disease.

14 Jun 2021

Researchers demonstrate an alternative way to produce highly detailed images of the brain

The gold standard in functional brain imaging for over two decades, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has transformed the landscape of research and clinical care. Yet, because of its cost and functional limitations, scientists have continued to look for new ways to see into the human brain.

14 Jun 2021

New approach to gene therapy uses common pain reliever to fight against genetic diseases

Researchers have developed a new approach to gene therapy that leans on the common pain reliever acetaminophen to force a variety of genetic diseases into remission.

14 Jun 2021

UIC discovery may lead to new treatments for alcohol use disorder and depression

A discovery from researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago may lead to new treatments for individuals who suffer from alcohol use disorder and depression.

14 Jun 2021

USC study suggests new treatment target for Alzheimer's disease in people with APOE4 gene

Like amyloid plaque, the genetic variant APOE4 has long been associated with Alzheimer's disease, but still little is known about the role the gene plays in the disease process.

14 Jun 2021

UCSF launches new initiative to propel the development of living therapeutics

UC San Francisco is launching a new initiative to propel the development of living therapeutics - a category of treatments broadly defined as human and microbial living cells that are selected, modified, or engineered to treat or cure disease - and bring them quickly to patients.

14 Jun 2021

In alleged health care ‘money grab,’ nation’s largest hospital chain cashes in on trauma centers

After falling from a ladder and cutting his arm, Ed Knight said, he found himself at Richmond, Virginia’s Chippenham Hospital surrounded by nearly a dozen doctors, nurses and technicians — its crack “trauma team” charged with saving the most badly hurt victims of accidents and assaults.

14 Jun 2021

Super-resolution imaging technique could enable early detection of neurological disorders

A new imaging technique has the potential to detect neurological disorders--such as Alzheimer's disease--at their earliest stages, enabling physicians to diagnose and treat patients more quickly.

13 Jun 2021

An analysis links COVID-19 to brain microvascular injury and inflammation

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), an RNA virus that belongs to the family Coronaviridae. According to research, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients often suffer from neurological disorders like strokes, lost taste or smell, memory loss, confusion, and delirium.

13 Jun 2021

Advanced AI technique can accurately predict major adverse cardiac events

An advanced artificial intelligence technique known as deep learning can predict major adverse cardiac events more accurately than current standard imaging protocols, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2021 Annual Meeting.

13 Jun 2021

Researchers identify brain regions involved in seeking information about negative events

The term "doomscrolling" describes the act of endlessly scrolling through bad news on social media and reading every worrisome tidbit that pops up, a habit that unfortunately seems to have become common during the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Jun 2021

Study elucidates how Omega-3 fatty acids poison tumor cells

So-called "good fatty acids" are essential for human health and much sought after by those who try to eat healthily. Among the Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA or docosahexaenoic acid is crucial to brain function, vision and the regulation of inflammatory phenomena.

11 Jun 2021