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.

New insights into how the brain's internal states influence decision-making

Biomedical Engineering's Matthew Smith and Byron Yu, along with former Ph.D. student Ben Cowley (School of Computer Science '18), have studied the neural basis through which internal states in the brain affect decision-making over an extended period of time.

17 Aug 2020

Switching off 'master regulator' may protect critical brain cells from Parkinson's-related damage

Switching off a molecular "master regulator" may protect the brain from inflammatory damage and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, reports a study published today in Nature Neuroscience.

17 Aug 2020

Paired associative stimulation promotes walking rehabilitation in paraplegic patient

The simultaneous stimulation of the motor nerves of the brain and limbs (paired associative stimulation) has yielded promising research results.

17 Aug 2020

Using music therapy to combat 'chemobrain'

Music as medicine has become a more widely adopted concept over the years and considered as complementary therapy for a number of health issues.

17 Aug 2020

Study opens new therapeutic avenue for treating glioblastoma tumors

New insight into a gene that controls energy production in cancer stem cells could help in the search for a more effective treatment for glioblastoma.

17 Aug 2020

Cyborg technology: Researchers take new step toward integrating electronics with the body

Although true "cyborgs" - part human, part robotic beings - are science fiction, researchers are taking steps toward integrating electronics with the body.

17 Aug 2020

Back-pain patients taking opioid painkillers produce anti-opioid antibodies

University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies.

17 Aug 2020

Trust, fear and solidarity will determine the success of a COVID vaccine

Thousands of letters stuffed with money flooded Jonas Salk's mailbox the week after his polio vaccine was declared safe and effective in 1955. Everybody wanted his vaccine.

17 Aug 2020

Study demonstrates new stimulation therapy for motor rehabilitation in spinal cord injuries

The simultaneous stimulation of the motor nerves of the brain and limbs (paired associative stimulation) has yielded promising research results. Research conducted at the BioMag Laboratory, operated by the University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital and Aalto University, has previously demonstrated that simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain and electrical stimulation of the limb nerves constitute a useful method of motor rehabilitation in patients suffering from spinal cord injuries.

17 Aug 2020

Combining machine learning with brain imaging tools can redefine the standard for diagnosing mental illnesses

Most of modern medicine has physical tests or objective techniques to define much of what ails us. Yet, there is currently no blood or genetic test, or impartial procedure that can definitively diagnose a mental illness, and certainly none to distinguish between different psychiatric disorders with similar symptoms.

17 Aug 2020

Diagnostic criteria can improve diagnosis and management of functional cognitive disorder

Experts estimate up to one third of people attending specialist memory clinics could have a condition that is commonly mistaken for early dementia.

17 Aug 2020

Understanding the relationship between movement and vision

To get a better look at the world around them, animals constantly are in motion. Primates and people use complex eye movements to focus their vision (as humans do when reading, for instance); birds, insects, and rodents do the same by moving their heads, and can even estimate distances that way.

15 Aug 2020

Online calculator predicts patients’ risk for ischemic stroke

Doctors can predict patients' risk for ischemic stroke based on the severity of their metabolic syndrome, a conglomeration of conditions that includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels and excess body fat around the abdomen and waist, a new study finds.

14 Aug 2020

Newly identified gene could improve treatment for multiple sclerosis

The disease multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks the central nervous system and, with time, can give rise to muscle tremors and loss of balance.

14 Aug 2020

Act of smiling can trick the human mind to be more positive

From Sinatra to Katy Perry, celebrities have long sung about the power of a smile - how it picks you up, changes your outlook, and generally makes you feel better.

14 Aug 2020

Retrieving memories is an active process that can bias and distort memories

Adopting a third-person, observer point of view when recalling your past activates different parts of your brain than recalling a memory seen through your own eyes, according to a new paper.

14 Aug 2020

Neuroscientists discover specific brain region that helps prioritize information

It is known that different regions of the brain help us prioritize information so we can efficiently process visual scenes. A new study by a team of neuroscientists has discovered that one specific region, the occipital cortex, plays a causal role in piloting our attention to manage the intake of images.

14 Aug 2020

Researchers develop implantable hydrogels based on plant polysaccharides

Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) scientists have developed implantable hydrogels based on plant polysaccharides (pectins). They can play the role of an artificial extracellular matrix, a special network of molecules that fills the space between body cells.

14 Aug 2020

Study identifies new set of multi-tasking taste cells

Our mouths may be home to a newly discovered set of multi-tasking taste cells that - unlike most known taste cells, which detect individual tastes - are capable of detecting sour, sweet, bitter and umami stimuli.

13 Aug 2020

Study uses a statistical approach to reveal patterns of cancer incidence

QUT researchers have used nationwide cancer mapping statistics to develop a new mathematical model so health professionals can further question patterns relating to the disease.

13 Aug 2020