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.

Combination therapy for pediatric low-grade gliomas shows promise in mice

In experiments with human cells and mice, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center report evidence that combining the experimental cancer medication TAK228 (also called sapanisertib) with an existing anti-cancer drug called trametinib may be more effective than either drug alone in decreasing the growth of pediatric low-grade gliomas.

17 Feb 2020

Microscopy in Neuroscience Research

An interview with ZEISS, to discuss the challenges faced in neuroscience research microscopy techniques and their latest microscope.

From ZEISS Microscopy GmbH 17 Feb 2020

Oxidative stress induces sleep in fruit flies, research shows

Sleep-deprived fruit flies helped reveal what induces sleep. University of Oxford researchers Anissa Kempf, Gero Miesenböck, and colleagues reveal that fruit fly sleep is driven by oxidative stress, the imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Kempf

16 Feb 2020

New wearable device to diagnose Alzheimer's disease

With tens of millions of people the world over being affected by dementia, and almost 80% of them suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD), the Early Detection of Neurodegenerative diseases (Edon) is looking into a novel device to test for AD early in the process, using wearable technology. This will play a crucial role in intervening and preventing the progression of this disease, the prevalence of which has increased by almost 90% since 2000.

16 Feb 2020

Breakthrough in artificial biomimetic sight

In a new study published in February 2020 in the journal Science Advances, researchers report the development of a nanoscale device that acts like the brain's visual cortex to directly see things in its path. The scientists created a new superstructure through the use of two nanomaterials in tandem that could help to make a machine that uses AI to simulate a human mind's function.

16 Feb 2020

Stress in kids could have long term genetic consequences finds study

Researchers have found that being separated from parents at a young age could lead to a rise in stress hormones, which could have direct consequences on altering the genetic makeup of the child, which can then be passed on to the future generations. The study titled, "Childcare outside the family for the under-threes: cause for concern?" was published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

16 Feb 2020

Study suggests potential treatment to alleviate disorders of consciousness

A small amount of electricity delivered at a specific frequency to a particular point in the brain will snap a monkey out of even deep anesthesia, pointing to a circuit of brain activity key to consciousness and suggesting potential treatments for debilitating brain disorders.

16 Feb 2020

Subtle differences in cognitive performance predict progression to Alzheimer's pathology

Alzheimer's disease is progressive, but slow to develop -- or at least to reveal itself. In a new study, published online February 14, 2020 in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, report that early, subtle differences in cognitive performance, such as fewer words recalled on a memory test, are a sign that harmful proteins are accumulating in the brain, even if levels of those proteins do not yet qualify as dangerous.

16 Feb 2020

Modern military helmets no better at blast wave protection than historical designs

Biomedical engineers from Duke University have demonstrated that, despite significant advancements in protection from ballistics and blunt impacts, modern military helmets are no better at protecting the brain from shock waves created by nearby blasts than their World War I counterparts.

16 Feb 2020

Scientists pinpoint protein that plays key role in lung cancer and melanoma progression

Scientists from Far Eastern Federal University, University of Geneva (Switzerland), Minjiang University, and Fuzhou University (China) pointed out WDR74 protein playing an important role in lung cancer and melanoma primary tumors/metastases progression.

16 Feb 2020

New method for real-time detection of neural oscillation bursts

Neural oscillations - also known as brainwaves - are important carriers of information in the brain. Researchers are increasingly coming to view them less as sustained oscillations and more as transient bursts.

14 Feb 2020

Good blood supply to the brain associated with cognitive performance

Memory performance and other cognitive abilities benefit from a good blood supply to the brain. This applies in particular to people affected by a condition known as "sporadic cerebral small vessel disease".

14 Feb 2020

Scientists unravel mechanisms that lead to ventricular enlargement in schizophrenia

Enlarged cerebral ventricles are found in 80% of individuals with schizophrenia, yet the mechanisms that lead to ventricular enlargement are mostly unknown.

14 Feb 2020

New smart jumpsuit accurately measures spontaneous and voluntary movement of infants

A new innovation makes it possible, for the first time, to quantitatively assess children's spontaneous movement in the natural environment.

14 Feb 2020

Scientists create world’s first model of pituitary disease using human iPS cells

Researchers at Kobe University's Graduate School of Medicine have developed the world's first congenital pituitary hypoplasia model using patient-derived iPS cells.

14 Feb 2020

MCG physicians help rural hospitals better treat patients by establishing tele-EDs

Emergency medicine physicians at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are helping rural hospitals better treat patients by establishing tele-emergency departments.

14 Feb 2020

Conspicuously large nerve cells have unique functions essential for survival

The brains of most fish and amphibian species contain a pair of conspicuously large nerve cells. These are the largest cells found in any animal brain.

14 Feb 2020

Promising molecule could stop or slow Parkinson’s

A promising molecule has offered hope for a new treatment that could stop or slow Parkinson’s, something no treatment can currently do.

14 Feb 2020

Forgiveness combined with acetaminophen can alleviate social pain

Most everyone experiences the pain of social rejection at some point in their lives. It can be triggered by the end of a romantic relationship, losing a job or being excluded by friends.

14 Feb 2020

AAO urges people to protect themselves from age-related macular degeneration

Even though Marlene Klein was having trouble recognizing familiar faces and began to mistake her fingers for carrots as she chopped vegetables, she had no idea she was slowly losing her vision to a leading cause of blindness, age-related macular degeneration.

14 Feb 2020