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.

Scientists develop novel biomaterial that accelerates bone healing

Scientists have developed a new biomaterial that helps bones heal faster by enhancing adults' stem cell regenerative ability.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers identify the gene responsible for cellular aging

In a new study, published today in the journal Stem Cells, researchers reveal how they have identified the gene responsible for aging.

30 Nov 2020

Female reproductive hormones may be protective against COVID-19

In an article recently published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, Graziano Pinna from the University of Illinois in Chicago outlines some of the evidence suggesting that female reproductive hormones may play a role in the sex bias that has been observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

29 Nov 2020

Study exposes human olfactory and brain cells as genuine viral targets of SARS-CoV-2

In a study published in the iScience journal, a research group from Switzerland shows that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptors and entry genes are expressed in the human olfactory neuroepithelial cells and brain by observing key molecular players implicated in the infectious process

29 Nov 2020

Study pinpoints specific areas of the brain where serotonin promotes patience

We've all been there. Whether we're stuck in traffic at the end of a long day, or eagerly anticipating the release of a new book, film or album, there are times when we need to be patient.

27 Nov 2020

Could beta-blockers be a potential treatment for COVID-19?

News-Medical spoke to researchers about their latest research into beta-blockers, and how they could potentially be used to treat COVID-19.

27 Nov 2020

Researchers identify a neural pathway that links circadian clock, stress, and wakefulness

A Nagoya University-led research team in Japan has found a new neural pathway that links the circadian clock, stress, and wakefulness in mammals.

27 Nov 2020

Inflammation produced by bacterial infection 'alerts' the brain stem cells

The study, directed by Isabel Fariñas and published in the November digital edition of the journal Cell Stem Cell, reveals that the inflammation produced by a bacterial infection 'alerts' the brain stem cells and prepares their activation for the production of new neurons.

27 Nov 2020

Normal sleep depends on bacteria in the gut

With fall and winter holidays coming up, many will be pondering the relationship between food and sleep.

27 Nov 2020

Serotonin is vital to the regulation of patience

Delayed gratification is vital to human survival. It allows us to suppress our impulses to behave in ways that gain instant gratification to reap rewards later.

27 Nov 2020

Early life language exposure shapes infant brain function and development

The type and quantity of an infant’s language exposure relates to their brain function, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

27 Nov 2020

‘Molecular clock’ blood test could help identify actively growing tumors in metastatic breast cancer

A blood test to watch breast cancer’s ‘molecular clock’ could help track the growth of multiple tumors around the body and monitor how they are responding to treatment, new research suggests.

27 Nov 2020

Combining cell engineering with machine learning to design living medicines for cancer

Finding medicines that can kill cancer cells while leaving normal tissue unscathed is a Holy Grail of oncology research.

26 Nov 2020

Biocompatible photooxygenation catalyst could be potentially used to treat amyloid diseases

A new, biocompatible photooxygenation catalyst that can selectively oxygenate and degrade the pathogenic aggregation of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation is developed.

25 Nov 2020

WHO: Every type of movement counts towards better health

Up to 5 million deaths a year could be averted if the global population was more active. At a time when many people are home bound due to COVID-19, new WHO Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, launched today, emphasize that everyone, of all ages and abilities, can be physically active and that every type of movement counts.

25 Nov 2020

Everyday activities can improve a person's well-being

Physical activity makes happy and is important to maintain psychic health. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim studied the brain regions which play a central role in this process.

25 Nov 2020

Researchers reveal new mechanism of pain control

Researchers in Japan have revealed a previously unknown mechanism for pain control involving a newly identified group of cells in the spinal cord, offering a potential target for enhancing the therapeutic effect of drugs for chronic pain.

25 Nov 2020

Cell survival protein could protect kidneys from damage caused by cancer therapies

Australian researchers have identified a protein that could protect the kidneys from 'bystander' damage caused by cancer therapies.

25 Nov 2020

Dexamethasone use could reduce immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in glioblastoma patients

Bottom Line: Among patients with glioblastoma receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor, those who received the corticosteroid dexamethasone at baseline for cerebral edema had significantly worse overall survival.

25 Nov 2020

Copper isotopes can help detect Alzheimer's aggregates in the brain

A proof-of-concept study conducted in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease offers new evidence that copper isotopes can be used to detect the amyloid-beta protein deposits that form in the brains of people living with - or at risk of developing - Alzheimer's.

25 Nov 2020