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.

Rare inherited mutation in TP53 gene confers risk of multiple cancers

Rare inherited mutations in the body's master regulator of the DNA repair system – the TP53 gene – can leave people at a higher risk of developing multiple types of cancer over the course of their lives.

16 Jul 2020

Blood vessels communicate with sensory neurons to regulate their proliferation

Researchers at Pompeu Fabra University have shown for the first time that blood vessels communicate with neurons in the peripheral nervous system, regulating their proliferation and differentiation.

16 Jul 2020

Disseminated cancer cells hijack crucial iron micronutrients from native macrophages

In order to survive within the remote and harsh anatomical microenvironments of the central nervous system, the disseminated cancer cells that cause rare yet deadly leptomeningeal metastases (LM) hijack crucial iron micronutrients from native macrophages, researchers report.

16 Jul 2020

Common blood test could advance life-saving treatment for heart failure

Biomedical experts believe that half of heart failure patients likely have low levels of the thyroid hormone T3 in their cardiac tissue.

16 Jul 2020

UTHSC researchers receive $2.4 million to study the role of cholesterol in brain artery health

Alex Dopico, MD, PhD, professor and Van Vleet Chair of Excellence in the Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology, and Anna Bukiya, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology, have been awarded $2.4 million from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to explore how cholesterol interacts with the mechanisms that modulate blood vessel function in the brain.

16 Jul 2020

CBD may help reduce cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation in COVID-19

Cannabidiol, or CBD, may help reduce the cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation that is killing many patients with COVID-19, researchers say.

16 Jul 2020

Stand Up To Cancer announces new effort to achieve health equity for underserved lung cancer patients

Stand Up To Cancer today announced a new $5 million grant from Bristol Myers Squibb to fund research and education efforts aimed at achieving health equity for underserved lung cancer patients, including Black people and people living in rural communities.

16 Jul 2020

Preoperative test may help protect language centers during brain tumor removal

A technique that maps a patient's language centers before going into surgery works best when their brain tumor is not in those areas.

16 Jul 2020

Study: Rate of recurrent strokes is significantly declined among Mexican Americans

The rate of recurrent strokes significantly declined among Mexican Americans in a long-term study, according to new research published today in Stroke, a journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

16 Jul 2020

Study shows how radiotherapy alters the behavior of immune cells in glioblastoma tumors

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has dissected how radiotherapy alters the behavior of immune cells known as macrophages found in glioblastoma (GBM) tumors and shown how these cells might be reprogrammed with an existing drug to suppress the invariable recurrence of the aggressive brain cancer.

16 Jul 2020

Dopaminergic neurones behave differently in different animals, shows study

Animals have an innate preference for certain scents and tastes. Attractive scents are linked to things like good food.

16 Jul 2020

AHA’s Scientific Sessions 2020 goes virtual in light of COVID-19 pandemic

After months of thorough, thoughtful review and discussion, and with a continued commitment to the health and safety of participants and staff, the American Heart Association will present Scientific Sessions 2020 as a 100% virtual experience in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

16 Jul 2020

Children with MIS-C have different antibody responses than adults with COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint medRxiv in July 2020 reveals that children with the condition Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have a distinctly different pattern of antibody generation compared to adults with COVID-19 disease.

16 Jul 2020

Super-agers found to have increased resistance to tau and amyloid proteins

Super-agers, or individuals whose cognitive skills are above the norm even at an advanced age, have been found to have increased resistance to tau and amyloid proteins, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Annual Meeting.

15 Jul 2020

Dopamine therapy improves cognitive function in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's

A study supported by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and published today in JAMA Network Open provides the first evidence that rotigotine, a drug that acts on dopamine transmission in the brain, improves cognitive function in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jul 2020

Study explains why fetuses and newborns are mostly spared by COVID-19

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, it has been previously suggested that the most vulnerable individuals to developing severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) include the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and those who have weakened immune systems.

15 Jul 2020

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can enhance the cognitive performance of healthy older adults

The Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center, together with the Sackler School of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University, announced today that a peer-reviewed study has demonstrated for the first time that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can significantly enhance the cognitive performance of healthy older adults.

15 Jul 2020