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.

A protein found in ovarian cancer may contribute to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease

Houston Methodist scientists identified a protein found in ovarian cancer that may contribute to declining brain function and Alzheimer's disease, by combining computational methods and lab research.

13 Jan 2020

Genes determining the browning of white fat finds study

The fat cells of the body play an essential role in the storage of energy and its release when necessary. Research has shown that apart from energy storage, these adipocytes or fat cells also play a role in hormonal balance and metabolism-regulating hunger. A new study titled, “Systems-genetics-based inference of a core regulatory network underlying white fat browning”, was published in the latest issue of the journal Cell Report.

13 Jan 2020

New research demonstrates the importance of personalized brain models

New research conducted by Professors Christophe Bernard and Viktor Jirsa of Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France and Professor Itamar Kahn, director of the Brain Systems Organization in Health and Disease Lab in the Technion's Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, demonstrates the importance of personalized brain models.

12 Jan 2020

Prenatal exposure to flame retardants may increase risk of reading problems

A new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons suggests that prenatal exposure to flame retardants may increase the risk of reading problems.

12 Jan 2020

Poor diet among infants' mothers linked to rise in Congenital Zika Syndrome cases

Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS) refers to a collection of developmental malformations associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) congenital infection.

12 Jan 2020

MGH surgeons perform first-of-its-kind heart transplant in New England

A team of surgeons and specialists at Massachusetts General Hospital is announcing an achievement in transplant surgery today, having recently performed the largest number of adult heart transplants in the country using what are known as Donation after Circulatory Death donor hearts.

11 Jan 2020

Researchers analyze molecular characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid from LMM patients

Patients with advanced melanoma who develop metastases in the leptomeninges, the fluid filled membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, have an extremely dismal prognosis. Most patients only survive for 8 to 10 weeks after diagnosis.

11 Jan 2020

A molecular switch for repairing damage in central nervous system disorders discovered

A molecular switch has the ability to turn on a substance in animals that repairs neurological damage in disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Mayo Clinic researchers discovered.

11 Jan 2020

Researchers analyze the aftereffects of deferred intentions in the brain

Placing a checkmark on the to-do list is an extremely liberating feeling for many eager list lovers, especially when the task has been postponed for a long time.

11 Jan 2020

A class of antibiotics could be potential treatment for frontotemporal dementia

Researchers at the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine have found that a class of antibiotics called aminoglycosides could be a promising treatment for frontotemporal dementia.

10 Jan 2020

Researchers identify molecular regulator that can help treat obesity

Fat cells are filled with droplets coated by molecules that act like hotel doormen: These "doormen" control cellular access for nutrients as well as for the exit of energy-supplying molecules called lipids.

10 Jan 2020

Study: Understanding second-degree burns is key to treating these complications

New research shows how second-degree burns cause hard-to-treat chronic pain, and this understanding may be key to treating these complications, common in war veterans.

10 Jan 2020

New wireless, light-activated electrode advances neural stimulation

Neural stimulation is a pioneering technology that can be used to recover function and improve the quality of life for individuals who suffer from brain injury or disease.

9 Jan 2020

Study shows how baby and adult brains interact during natural play

Have you ever played with a baby and felt a sense of connection, even though they couldn't yet talk to you? New research suggests that you might quite literally be "on the same wavelength," experiencing similar brain activity in the same brain regions.

9 Jan 2020

New closed-loop system provides a way to help individuals with post-bariatric hypoglycemia

Gastric bypass vastly improves the health of the patients who elect to receive the surgery. Post-bariatric hypoglycemia, however, can be a severe complication experienced by 10 to 30 percent of patients.

9 Jan 2020

Missing a key protein in the brain can cause autism-like behaviors

Scientists at Rutgers University-Newark have discovered that when a key protein needed to generate new brain cells during prenatal and early childhood development is missing, part of the brain goes haywire - causing an imbalance in its circuitry that can lead to long-term cognitive and movement behaviors characteristic of autism spectrum disorder.

9 Jan 2020

Research may open new avenues for big advance in neuroprostheses

Once you learn a skill like tying your sneakers, you can perform it consistently over the years. This suggests the neural activity in the brain associated with the skill remains stable over time.

9 Jan 2020

Researchers develop 'flash and freeze' method for studying nerve connections

Uniting structure and function of synapses is challenging: Function is studied in living tissue, measuring electrical signals at millisecond precision with electrophysiology, while the observation of fine structure at nanometer scale requires tissue to be fixed for electron microscopy.

9 Jan 2020

New AI system determines aggressiveness of prostate cancer better than most pathologists

Researchers at Radboud university medical center have developed a 'deep learning' system that is better than most pathologists at determining the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. The AI system, which uses tissue samples to arrive at its diagnosis, taught itself to identify prostate cancer based on data from over 1200 patients.

9 Jan 2020