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.

Study to assess how virtual reality job training program can help adults with traumatic brain injury

Helen Genova, PhD, received a $599,103 grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) for the three-year study, "Using virtual reality to improve job reentry in adults with traumatic brain injury: a randomized controlled trial." Dr. Genova, principal investigator, is assistant director of the Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation.

23 Dec 2020

Researcher discovers seven DNA fingerprints that define cancer risk

Lifestyle, or put another way 'bad habits', is one of the textbook explanations for why some people are at higher risk for cancer.

23 Dec 2020

Immersive VR can enhance the pain-relieving effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation

For patients receiving spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic pain, integration with an immersive virtual reality (VR) system - allowing patients to see as well as feel the effects of electrical stimulation on a virtual image of their own body - can enhance the pain-relieving effectiveness of SCS, reports a study in PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

23 Dec 2020

Forward genetics used to identify gene linked to autism spectrum disorder

UT Southwestern scientists have adapted a classic research technique called forward genetics to identify new genes involved in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

23 Dec 2020

Molecular reporters produce fluorescence to expose the allies of tumor cells

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Roughly five in every 100,000 people develop this type of cancer each year.

23 Dec 2020

Researchers use fruit fly model to understand COVID-19-related neurological complications

Researchers claim to have reproduced disease mechanisms due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the fruit fly, Drosophila, while also providing proof of the efficacy of one drug against these disease processes. If validated, these findings represent a new understanding of how the virus causes neurological symptoms that could help develop more effective therapies.

23 Dec 2020

Changes in consciousness linked to the same brain network for sleep and anesthesia

The loss and return of consciousness is linked to the same network of brain regions for both sleep and anesthesia, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

23 Dec 2020

New results challenge prevailing dogma regarding brain plasticity following limb loss

Advances in neuroscience and engineering have generated great hope for Luke Skywalker-like prosthetics: robotic devices that are almost indistinguishable from a human limb.

23 Dec 2020

Alterations in fetal microglia may lead to developmental and psychiatric disorders

Researchers at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine have revealed that alterations in fetal microglia resulting from maternal inflammation could contribute towards the onset of developmental and psychiatric disorders.

23 Dec 2020

Transcription factors in the brain strongly correlate with the behavior of honey bees

An unusual study that involved bar coding and tracking the behavior of thousands of individual honey bees in six queenless bee hives and analyzing gene expression in their brains offers new insights into how gene regulation contributes to social behavior.

23 Dec 2020

Long-term opioid use cannot treat chronic pain, has serious health consequences

A broken heart is often harder to heal than a broken leg. Now researchers say that a broken heart can contribute to lasting chronic pain.

22 Dec 2020

Study shows how the brain represents causally-controlled objects

We know that the brain can direct thoughts, but how this is achieved is difficult to determine. Researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre have devised a brain machine interface (BMI) that allows mice to learn to guide a cursor using only their brain activity.

22 Dec 2020

Women suffered more than men from COVID-19 isolation

A study by University of Calgary researchers with the Hotchkiss Brain Institute examining sex and gender differences on sleep, empathy and mood during months of isolation due to COVID-19 has found that women are suffering more than men with poorer sleep and more anxiety, depression and trauma, while also feeling more empathetic than men.

22 Dec 2020

Anti-diarrhea drug triggers cell death in glioblastoma cells

In cell culture, loperamide, a drug commonly used against diarrhea, proves effective against glioblastoma cells. A research team at Goethe University has now unraveled the drug’s mechanisms of action of cell death induction and – in doing so – has shown how this compound could help attack brain tumors that otherwise are difficult to treat.

22 Dec 2020

Trinity team uncovers mutations linked with early onset dementia

Scientists at Trinity College Dublin today announced a significant advance in our understanding of an early onset form of dementia that may also progress our understanding of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

22 Dec 2020

Scientists isolate anti-COVID-19 nanobodies produced by a llama

National Institutes of Health researchers have isolated a set of promising, tiny antibodies, or "nanobodies," against SARS-CoV-2 that were produced by a llama named Cormac.

22 Dec 2020

Clinical psychologist evaluates the dangers of race-based norms in cognitive testing

A UCSF clinical psychologist has taken aim at the National Football League (NFL) for "race norming" black players diagnosed with dementia, a practice that is depriving them of the monetary awards allocated to former footballers with neurodegenerative disorders.

22 Dec 2020

Study shows how sodium ions drive glutamate transport in the central nervous system

Scientists from the MIPT Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases have joined forces with their colleagues from Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, and uncovered how sodium ions drive glutamate transport in the central nervous system.

22 Dec 2020

Researchers detect novel IRAK4 mutations in infant with encephalitis and HHV6 reactivation

An infant's odd case of rare encephalitis not typically found in children led researchers to discover never before seen genetic mutations and a more accurate technique to examine the IRAK4 gene responsible for innate immunity.

22 Dec 2020

Study shows neuropeptide corazonin regulates the release of diapause hormone in silkworms

Diapause is a seasonal adaptation strategy of insects and animals where biological functions are put on hold, such as insect eggs that remain dormant until conditions are more favorable to hatch.

21 Dec 2020

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study to assess how virtual reality job training program can help adults with traumatic brain injury

Researcher discovers seven DNA fingerprints that define cancer risk

Immersive VR can enhance the pain-relieving effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation

Forward genetics used to identify gene linked to autism spectrum disorder

Molecular reporters produce fluorescence to expose the allies of tumor cells

Researchers use fruit fly model to understand COVID-19-related neurological complications

Changes in consciousness linked to the same brain network for sleep and anesthesia

New results challenge prevailing dogma regarding brain plasticity following limb loss

Alterations in fetal microglia may lead to developmental and psychiatric disorders

Transcription factors in the brain strongly correlate with the behavior of honey bees

Long-term opioid use cannot treat chronic pain, has serious health consequences

Study shows how the brain represents causally-controlled objects

Women suffered more than men from COVID-19 isolation

Anti-diarrhea drug triggers cell death in glioblastoma cells

Trinity team uncovers mutations linked with early onset dementia

Scientists isolate anti-COVID-19 nanobodies produced by a llama

Clinical psychologist evaluates the dangers of race-based norms in cognitive testing

Study shows how sodium ions drive glutamate transport in the central nervous system

Researchers detect novel IRAK4 mutations in infant with encephalitis and HHV6 reactivation

Study shows neuropeptide corazonin regulates the release of diapause hormone in silkworms

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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