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.

Researchers develop a potential treatment approach for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease

A team led by Case Western Reserve University medical researchers has developed a potential treatment method for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), a fatal neurological disorder that produces severe movement, motor and cognitive dysfunction in children.

1 Jul 2020

Motherhood takes over brain’s decision-making regions to prioritize offspring

Motherhood takes over the brain’s decision-making regions to prioritize caring for offspring, according to new research in rats published in eNeuro.

1 Jul 2020

Researchers receive innovative grants to understand the biological underpinnings of blood cancers

Seeking to ignite the next major breakthroughs to treat blood cancers, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), The Mark Foundation, and The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group today announced more than $6.75 million awarded to nine of the most exceptional scientists in the field.

1 Jul 2020

GIRK channel activator can provide potential treatments for brain disorders

Potassium channels play an important role in controlling the electrical activity of neurons in the brain.

1 Jul 2020

Walking backward could help stroke patients to walk again

Walking backward may seem counterintuitive, but to athletes in training, doing so on a treadmill builds strength and agility.

1 Jul 2020

'Mini-brains' can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus

A multidisciplinary team from two Johns Hopkins University institutions, including neurotoxicologists and virologists from the Bloomberg School of Public Health and infectious disease specialists from the school of medicine, has found that organoids (tiny tissue cultures made from human cells that simulate whole organs) known as "mini-brains" can be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

30 Jun 2020

New study will help primary care nurses better care for dementia patients

McLean Hospital's Brent P. Forester, MD, MSc, is heading a new study of a training model to help primary care nurses better care for patients with dementia.

30 Jun 2020

Novel brain pathology could improve diagnosis, treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Bristol scientists have discovered a novel pathology that occurs in several human neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease.

30 Jun 2020

A semi-empirical model to reproduce the brain states from wakefulness to deep sleep

The human brain is a complex system comprising 1010 non-linear units (neurons) that interact in 1015 sites (synapses).

30 Jun 2020

Researchers track brain receptor as it transmits or inhibits neural signals

For the first time, researchers in the lab of CSHL Professor Hiro Furukawa have been able to track each atom in the NMDA receptor, an important brain protein, as it transmits or inhibits neural signals. Critical for brain development and function, the receptor converts chemical messages between cells into electrical signals within a neuron.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers uncover a potentially promising strategy to target brain tumors

Gliomas with mutations in what are called the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes are the most common brain tumors diagnosed in younger adults aged 18 to 45 years.

30 Jun 2020

A data-rich atlas of the developing human brain

For the nascent brain of a human embryo to develop into the complex organ that controls human consciousness, a finely tuned sequence of genetic events has to take place; hundreds of genes are activated and deactivated in a precise symphony.

30 Jun 2020

Low to moderate alcohol drinking may preserve brain function in older age

Light to moderate drinking may preserve brain function in older age, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

30 Jun 2020

Salk Institute expands research to find treatments and cures for COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe, the Salk Institute joins in efforts to understand the fundamental science behind the novel coronavirus to pave the way to treatments and cures.

30 Jun 2020

Study provides mechanistic explanation of psychotic symptoms in young people

Schizophrenia symptoms may be the result of increased connections between sensory and language-processing brain areas.

30 Jun 2020

SAFB1 may be a diagnostic marker for neurodegenerative diseases, shows study

Bristol scientists have discovered a novel pathology that occurs in several human neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers identify new step in brain cell mechanism that shows promise for treating epilepsy

Researchers have identified a critical new step in how brain cells function in people with one of the most common forms of epilepsy.

30 Jun 2020

Newly identified molecules can help develop COVID-19 therapeutics

SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing the global COVID-19 pandemic, uses a protein called polymerase to replicate its genome inside infected human cells.

30 Jun 2020

Study shows how the brain's auditory system is affected by HIV

Even with effective antiretroviral therapy, patients infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) sustain central nervous system damage.

30 Jun 2020

Study uncovers algorithms and neural circuit mechanisms of escape responses

Ordered and variable animal behaviours emerge to explore and adapt to the environment. They are generally considered as the combination of a series of stereotyped motor primitives. However, how the nervous system shapes the dynamics of motor sequences remains to be solved.

29 Jun 2020