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.

Oligomerix and Feinstein Institutes publish preclinical data of Alzheimer's disease treatment

Oligomerix, Inc., a privately held company pioneering the development of tau oligomer inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research announced today the publication of preclinical data demonstrating that an oral small molecule drug inhibits the formation of neurotoxic tau oligomers in an animal model of tau aggregation most relevant to AD.

26 Nov 2019

New wearable sensor for non-invasive gout detection

Biomedical scientists are working hard to create more pain-free methods of disease detection and treatment. A simple blood test is highly informative but arouses intense anxiety in many people. Now a new paper published in the journal Nature Biotechnology on November 25, 2019, reports on a new wearable sensor that can be successfully adapted to mass production, is flexible, and can be used to produce readouts of metabolites and nutrients in the blood based on a sweat analysis.

26 Nov 2019

Extra virgin olive oil boosts brain power

Researchers from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have found that extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) could help boost brain power and help halt the progression of the effects of aging on the brain. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Aging Cell, and it was titled, “Extra virgin olive oil improves synaptic activity, short‐term plasticity, memory, and neuropathology in a tauopathy model.”

26 Nov 2019

Piracetam - an unapproved drug, found in brain supplements

The market is flooded by supplements that claim to boost brain power and stave off dementia. Some of these supplements may not be harmless finds a study. These supplements have been found to contain high portions of an unapproved drug called Piracetam. The study titled, “Presence of Piracetam in Cognitive Enhancement Dietary Supplements,” was published this week in the JAMA Internal Medicine.

26 Nov 2019

Skiing associated with reduced risk of vascular dementia but not Alzheimer’s

Half as many diagnosed with depression, a delayed manifestation of Parkinson's, a reduced risk of developing vascular dementia - but not Alzheimer's.

26 Nov 2019

Social media use, television viewing and computer use are predictors of anxiety in adolescents

A new study, by researchers Drs. Boers, Afzali and Conrod who are affiliated with CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal, reveals that social media use, television viewing and computer use, but not video gaming, are linked to an increase in anxiety symptoms among adolescents.

26 Nov 2019

Kessler Foundation participates in new study to test innovative treatment for hand paralysis

Kessler Foundation is participating in a phase II multi-site study of an innovative treatment to improve hand function in stroke survivors. Olga Boukrina, PhD, research scientist in the Center for Stroke Rehabilitation Research, is the site's principal investigator.

26 Nov 2019

Researchers find pupillary changes in high-school athletes after high-acceleration head impacts

Researchers from the University of Michigan found significant pupillary changes in high-school football athletes after they had sustained a high-acceleration head impact.

26 Nov 2019

LACV-infected cerebral organoids reveal how to protect neurons from virus-induced death

Scientists have determined that La Crosse virus, which can cause inflammation of the brain, or encephalitis, in children, affects brain cells differently depending on their developmental stage.

26 Nov 2019

Study examines how our brain fuses with musical rhythm

When listening to a song or watching a dance, humans tend to follow the rhythm of the music. This is because one fundamental aspect of music is its rhythm, the way we synchronize with the temporal regularities of a melody or a dance. A recent study explores how our brain fuses with musical rhythm and the extent to which humans share this ability with other animals.

26 Nov 2019

Giving a shot of ketamine could help heavy drinkers reduce alcohol intake

A one-off dose of ketamine could help heavy drinkers reduce their alcohol intake, finds a new UCL experimental study.

26 Nov 2019

Stem cells do not take the day off on national holidays

While most of us are stuffing ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie at home on Thanksgiving Day, the staff at one Cedars-Sinai laboratory will be on the job, feeding stem cells.

26 Nov 2019

Key mechanism identified for how antiviral immune responses reprogram liver metabolism

Researchers at the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences identified a key mechanism for how antiviral immune responses reprogram liver metabolism. Their recent study, which was published in the renowned scientific journal Immunity, investigated the communication between inflammation and liver metabolism during chronic viral infection.

26 Nov 2019

New method for correcting hypoxic conditions of the central nervous system

Hypoxia is a key factor that accompanies most brain pathologies, including ischemia and neurodegenerative diseases.

26 Nov 2019

Study demonstrates potential therapeutic use of ketamine for alcohol addiction

A study shows one-off dose of ketamine could help heavy drinkers reduce alcohol intake by ‘erasing’ drink-related memories.

26 Nov 2019

New method to separate two variants of common herpes virus linked to multiple sclerosis

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method to separate between two different types of a common herpes virus that has been linked to multiple sclerosis.

26 Nov 2019

Fetuses see more than previously believed

Scientists have shown that the retina has more light sensitivity and babies in the womb can see more than previously thought.

26 Nov 2019

Discovery may provide clues for treatment of autism and schizophrenia

Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified that a gene critical to clearing up unnecessary proteins plays a role in brain development and contributes to the development of autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.

25 Nov 2019

Understanding brain areas responsible for perception of touch

An encouraging pat on the back or a soft sweater on the skin - even things that we do not actively explore with the hands, we perceive with our body perception. "Which brain areas are responsible for this perception of touch, however, is still largely unknown," says Privatdozent Dr. Burkhard Pleger, neurologist at the Berufsgenossenschaftlichen Kliniken Bergmannsheil in Bochum and co-author of the study.

25 Nov 2019

New models to identify internal states of the brain in fruit flies

Imagine an attractive person walking toward you. Do you look up and smile? Turn away? Approach but avoid eye contact? The setup is the same, but the outcomes depend entirely on your "internal state," which includes your mood, your past experiences, and countless other variables that are invisible to someone watching the scene.

25 Nov 2019