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Strong link between the amygdala and a baseline level of distrust

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on my parahippocampal gyrus. Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.

18 May 2012

Study demonstrates impact of epilepsy on child and parent sleep patterns

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston have determined that pediatric epilepsy significantly impacts sleep patterns for the child and parents. According to the study available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), sharing a room or co-sleeping with their child with epilepsy decreases the sleep quality and prevents restful sleep for parents.

18 May 2012

Delayed loss of nerve cells in the brain linked to symptoms of depression following stroke

Several weeks after mild brain ischemia, mice display a depressive-like syndrome characterized by increased anxiety, inactivity and "cheerlessness". These symptoms of depression following a stroke are associated with the delayed loss of nerve cells in the brain's reward regions. This is the major finding of a study published in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry.

16 May 2012

Genes determine brain size: Global brain study

In the world's largest study of the human brain, involving more than 200 scientists worldwide, researchers have found that genes that affect brain size may play a part in intelligence and memory function. The study was put together by combining brain scans and genetic data from 21,000 people worldwide.

10 May 2012

Scientists address mental health and well-being at Association for Psychological Science's annual meeting

Are our existing treatments for mental health issues working? Can we design new and better approaches to intervention? Can we even tell which factors promote mental health? Clinical psychological scientists will be addressing these and many other questions related to mental health and well-being at the Association for Psychological Science's 24th annual meeting in Chicago, May 24-27, 2012.

3 May 2012

Teenage risky behaviors can be traced to special brain wiring: Study

New research suggests that there is a complex networks of neurons in some youngsters’ brains that make them more likely to begin smoking, experimenting with cannabis or consuming large amounts of alcohol.

30 Apr 2012

Scientists discover number of unknown brain networks linked with teen drug abuse

Why do some teenagers start smoking or experimenting with drugs-while others don't? In the largest imaging study of the human brain ever conducted-involving 1,896 14-year-olds-scientists have discovered a number of previously unknown networks that go a long way toward an answer.

30 Apr 2012

First study to show SCAT2 as useful sideline tool for concussion

Princeton's Margot Putukian, MD presented "Prospective Clinical Assessment (SCAT2), Hybrid Neuropsychological Testing and Neuroimaging in the Evaluation of Sports-Related Concussions" at the 21st American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga. on April 24, 2012.

27 Apr 2012

Researchers examines whether MRI can improve accuracy of Huntington’s diagnosis

Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a defect on chromosome four where, within the Huntingtin gene, a CAG repeat occurs too many times. Most individuals begin experiencing symptoms in their 40s or 50s, but studies have shown that significant brain atrophy occurs several years prior to an official HD diagnosis. As a result, the field has sought a preventive treatment that could be administered prior to the development of actual symptoms that might delay the onset of illness.

27 Apr 2012

NYU Langone expands MS Comprehensive Care Center

NYU Langone's Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Comprehensive Care Center recently opened the doors to a new clinical practice - the first to occupy NYU Langone Medical Center's new, nearly 300,000-square-foot Ambulatory Care Center located at 240 East 38th Street at Second Avenue in Manhattan.

26 Apr 2012

Clinical trial to evaluate IGF-1 in children with SHANK3 deficiency

In an important test of one of the first drugs to target core symptoms of autism, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are undertaking a pilot clinical trial to evaluate insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in children who have SHANK3 deficiency (also known as 22q13 Deletion Syndrome or Phelan-McDermid Syndrome), a known cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

25 Apr 2012

Neuron-killing pathology of AD requires presence of a-beta and elevated p-tau levels

According to a new study, the neuron-killing pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which begins before clinical symptoms appear, requires the presence of both amyloid-beta (a-beta) plaque deposits and elevated levels of an altered protein called p-tau.

24 Apr 2012

UH to conduct research on causes and treatment of learning disabilities

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year, $9 million grant to the University of Houston's Texas Center for Learning Disabilities to conduct research on the causes and treatment of learning disabilities in children and adolescents. UH is one of four universities nationally to receive funding from the NIH for a learning disability research center.

20 Apr 2012

SBU to advance research and clinical care at National Pediatric MS Center

Stony Brook University has received a $2.5 million gift from Robert and Lisa Lourie to advance research and clinical care at the National Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center at Stony Brook Long Island Children's Hospital and to establish a new state-of-the-art imaging center at Stony Brook Medicine.

19 Apr 2012

Two research studies on genetic components of Alzheimer's

Two research studies, co-led by UC Davis neurologist Charles DeCarli and conducted by an international team that included more than 80 scientists at 71 institutions in eight countries, has advanced understanding of the genetic components of Alzheimer's disease and of brain development. Both studies appear in the April 15 edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

16 Apr 2012

New genes may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence

In the world's largest brain study to date, a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide collaborated to map the human genes that boost or sabotage the brain's resistance to a variety of mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease.

16 Apr 2012

Preliminary results from GE Healthcare’s flutemetamol Phase 3 studies on AD

GE Healthcare today announced the preliminary results of two Phase 3 studies of its investigational PET amyloid imaging agent, [18F]flutemetamol, where both studies met their primary endpoints. One study, in terminally ill patients who agreed to undergo brain autopsy, showed strong concordance between flutemetamol PET images and Alzheimer's disease-associated beta amyloid brain pathology.

12 Apr 2012

Reprogramming the Brain to Health Symposium to take place on April 12

Jordan Grafman, PhD, will speak at the Reprogramming the Brain to Health Symposium at The University of Texas at Dallas on April 12. An expert on brain function and behavior, Dr. Grafman's topic is human belief systems in the brain.

10 Apr 2012

Neugrid opens new channels of research into degenerative neurological disorders

Through the Neugrid project, the pan-European grid computing infrastructure has opened up new channels of research into degenerative neurological disorders and other illnesses, while also holding the promise of quicker and more accurate clinical diagnoses of individual patients.

5 Apr 2012

CHD8, SNC2A and KATNAL2 gene mutations lead to ASDs

Mutations in three new genes have been linked to autism, according to new studies including one with investigators at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. All three studies include lead investigators of the Autism Sequencing Consortium.

5 Apr 2012