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.

Finer particulate matter (PM1) and risk of cardiovascular disease

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters reports that particulate matter smaller than a single micron in diameter, called PM1, is strongly linked to the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This is thought to be due to its higher surface area to volume ratio.

29 Jan 2020

A single dose of magic mushroom compound reduces anxiety and depression among cancer patients

Magic mushrooms are wild or cultivated mushrooms containing psilocybin, which is a naturally occurring hallucinogenic and psychoactive compound. A single dose of psilocybin provides long-term relief of anxiety and depression in cancer patients, a new study found.

29 Jan 2020

Study helps better understand the development of adolescent brain

New brain networks come 'online' during adolescence, allowing teenagers to develop more complex adult social skills, but potentially putting them at increased risk of mental illness, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

29 Jan 2020

Portable device to monitor blink reflex receives FDA clearance

EyeStat (blinktbi, Charleston, SC), a portable, lightweight device for measuring the natural blink reflex, received clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2019.

29 Jan 2020

New way to treat stroke using an already FDA-approved drug shows promise

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability in the United States. More than 87 percent are ischemic strokes, caused by obstruction of one or more cerebral arteries. With limited progress in developing treatments, there is a critical need for neuroprotective agents to effectively treat stroke.

29 Jan 2020

Researchers develop new strategy to study childhood brain tumors

Researchers are at work to find effective treatments to help young patients with brain tumors. Hundreds of brain organoids have been developed in the laboratories of the University of Trento to understand the genetic mechanisms responsible for these hard to treat diseases.

29 Jan 2020

Researchers create new brain cancer model using genetically engineered pluripotent stem cells

Using genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers created a new type of cancer model to study in vivo how glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, develops and changes over time.

29 Jan 2020

Study provides insight into how CBD influences the brains of people with psychosis

Published in Psychological Medicine, the research used fMRI scans to examine the brain activity of 13 people with a diagnosis of psychosis under the influence of a single dose of CBD or placebo and 16 controls whilst they were undertaking a memory task.

29 Jan 2020

Advancing birth triggers an early start to neuron death, mice study shows

Moving birth a day early triggers an early start to widespread neuron death, according to new research in mice published in eNeuro.

28 Jan 2020

Concordia study investigates the link between cognition and hearing or vision loss

There is a long-established and widely recognized link between declines in sensory acuity -- particularly hearing and vision -- and cognition. Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, involving tens of thousands of participants across the country aged 45 to 85, backs this up.

28 Jan 2020

NIU professor gets $372,500 to study link between brain health and exercise

Angela Grippo's New Year's resolution is exercise, exercise, exercise, but the Northern Illinois University psychology professor won't be breaking a sweat or hitting the gym.

28 Jan 2020

Study on axolotl's ability to regenerate might help find ways to restore damaged tissue in humans

The type of salamander called axolotl, with its frilly gills and widely spaced eyes, looks like an alien and has other-worldly powers of regeneration. Lose a limb, part of the heart or even a large portion of its brain? No problem: They grow back.

28 Jan 2020

Findings shed new light on how striatum processes information to plan, execute movements

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped how different nerve cells in the brain area striatum process information to plan and execute our movements at just the right time and with the right vigour. The results, presented in the journal Cell Reports, show that different cell types in the striatum receive signals from completely different parts of the cerebral cortex and thus respond to different types of information.

28 Jan 2020

Study could lead to next-generation clinical testing for hidden hearing loss

A pair of biomarkers of brain function -- one that represents "listening effort," and another that measures ability to process rapid changes in frequencies -- may help to explain why a person with normal hearing may struggle to follow conversations in noisy environments, according to a new study led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers.

28 Jan 2020

Non-invasive electrostimulation of the vagus nerve improves memory in mice

Researchers at UPF are testing a new non-invasive method of stimulating the vagus nerve in mice that improves their memory.

28 Jan 2020

Sound and movement are processed simultaneously in the brain, mice study suggests

New insight on how information relating to sound and movement is processed in the brain has been published today in the open-access journal eLife.

28 Jan 2020

New AI tool predicts disease progression and evolution in neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers have found that testing blood using an artificial intelligence algorithm successfully predicted disease progression in neurodegenerative disorders.

28 Jan 2020

Psychedelic drug has enduring antianxiety and antidepressant effects in cancer patients

Following up on their landmark 2016 study, researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that a one-time, single-dose treatment of psilocybin, a compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, combined with psychotherapy appears to be associated with significant improvements in emotional and existential distress in cancer patients.

28 Jan 2020

Scientists may soon be able to prevent disease-spreading mosquitoes from maturing

New research from UC Riverside shows scientists may soon be able to prevent disease-spreading mosquitoes from maturing. Using the same gene-altering techniques, they may also be able help boost reproduction in beneficial bumblebees.

28 Jan 2020

AI analysis of blood samples can predict progression of neurodegenerative disease

Evaluating the effectiveness of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is often difficult because each patient's progression is different.

28 Jan 2020

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Finer particulate matter (PM1) and risk of cardiovascular disease

A single dose of magic mushroom compound reduces anxiety and depression among cancer patients

Study helps better understand the development of adolescent brain

Portable device to monitor blink reflex receives FDA clearance

New way to treat stroke using an already FDA-approved drug shows promise

Researchers develop new strategy to study childhood brain tumors

Researchers create new brain cancer model using genetically engineered pluripotent stem cells

Study provides insight into how CBD influences the brains of people with psychosis

Advancing birth triggers an early start to neuron death, mice study shows

Concordia study investigates the link between cognition and hearing or vision loss

NIU professor gets $372,500 to study link between brain health and exercise

Study on axolotl's ability to regenerate might help find ways to restore damaged tissue in humans

Findings shed new light on how striatum processes information to plan, execute movements

Study could lead to next-generation clinical testing for hidden hearing loss

Non-invasive electrostimulation of the vagus nerve improves memory in mice

Sound and movement are processed simultaneously in the brain, mice study suggests

New AI tool predicts disease progression and evolution in neurodegenerative disorders

Psychedelic drug has enduring antianxiety and antidepressant effects in cancer patients

Scientists may soon be able to prevent disease-spreading mosquitoes from maturing

AI analysis of blood samples can predict progression of neurodegenerative disease

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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