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.

Post-diagnosis disparities drive worse outcomes for Black and Hispanic children with brain cancer

Cancer researchers have known for years that Black and Hispanic patients have worse outcomes than their non-Hispanic White peers.

12 Mar 2020

Study reveals spatial patterns of alcohol‐related mortality in post-Soviet countries

In some former Soviet bloc countries, men often die early due to alcohol abuse. Alcoholism-related mortality varies considerably from one region to another, according to a study in the European part of Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland.

12 Mar 2020

Study sheds new light on the neurobiology of starvation in patients with anorexia nervosa

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered differences in brain circuitry that contribute to starvation and weight loss in people with anorexia nervosa

12 Mar 2020

Fruit flies provide insight on ACOX1-related neurodegenerative disorders

A study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reports that a hyperactive variant of enzyme ACOX1 produces elevated levels of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and causes a previously unidentified late-onset neurodegenerative disorder.

12 Mar 2020

No evidence of a link between surgery with anesthesia and Alzheimer's disease

Older adults who have surgery with general anesthesia may experience a modest acceleration of cognitive decline, even years later. But there's no evidence of a link to Alzheimer's disease, according to new research from Mayo Clinic.

12 Mar 2020

New biochemical mechanism in cells is crucial component of anti-aging program

Aging is an inevitable part of life, yet some species are aging very differently than others, even than very similar ones.

11 Mar 2020

Newer antiretroviral drugs may be the safest, most effective HIV treatment during pregnancy

The antiretroviral drugs dolutegravir and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (DTG+FTC/TAF) may comprise the safest and most effective HIV treatment regimen currently available during pregnancy, researchers announced today.

11 Mar 2020

BIN1 deficit leads to impaired spatial learning and memory

Bridging integrator 1, known as BIN1, is the second most common risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, according to genome-wide studies of genetic variants. Yet, scientists know little about what this protein does in the brain.

11 Mar 2020

Researchers probe how specific genes can impact early brain development

When brains begin developing, there are a lot of moving parts -- and when mutations happen in early neurodevelopment, it can lead to disorders like macrocephaly and autism.

11 Mar 2020

Retino-cortical mapping shown to be prime determinant in the topography of cortical organization

Researchers have explained how visual cortexes develop uniquely across the brains of different mammalian species.

11 Mar 2020

Virtual reality could aid in early detection of MS balance problems

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often have a greatly increased risk of falling and injuring themselves even when they feel they're able to walk normally.

11 Mar 2020

Diet influences multiple sclerosis disease course

The short-chain fatty acid propionic acid influences the intestine-mediated immune regulation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

11 Mar 2020

Study shows JNK protein as a stress sensor in synapses

New study from Eleanor Coffey's lab at Turku Bioscience Centre in Finland identifies that the JNK protein triggers nerve cells to withdraw their synapses when stressed.

11 Mar 2020

New technology could enable more accessible form of electron cryo-microscopy

The Rosalind Franklin Institute has committed to developing a multi-million pound technology which enables a more accessible form of electron cryo-microscopy.

11 Mar 2020

New imaging agent illuminates cancerous tumors and surrounding cells

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a new imaging agent that could let doctors identify not only multiple types of tumors but the surrounding normal cells that the cancer takes over and uses as a shield to protect itself from attempts to destroy it.

10 Mar 2020

Family ties and traits key to survival in parasitic organisms

New research by Texas A&M University biologist Dr. Charles Criscione and collaborators in Canada shows that family ties and traits such as manipulation, sacrifice and selflessness are just as key to survival in parasitic organisms as they are in cognitive species like humans.

10 Mar 2020

Perineuronal nets control cerebellar plasticity and associative memories

Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have shown that specialized aggregates of molecules enwrapping nerve cells in the brain, the perineuronal nets, are crucial for regulating the connections between nerve cells that control motor memories.

10 Mar 2020