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.

Overdose prevention should also focus on alcohol use, study suggests

For several years, the national spotlight has shone on the need to prevent and rapidly treat opioid overdoses. But a new study suggests a need for more focus on the risk of alcohol overdoses among people who use opioids of all kinds, as well as cocaine, marijuana and certain prescription drugs.

14 Oct 2019

Novel clinical trial to examine use of cannabidiol in people with Parkinson's-related psychosis

A pioneering clinical trial will investigate the use of cannabidiol (CBD) - a compound found in the cannabis plant - in people with Parkinson's-related psychosis.

14 Oct 2019

Brain protein plays a prominent role in the maintenance of chronic pain

A protein called RGS4 (Regulator of G protein signaling 4) plays a prominent role in the maintenance of long-term pain states and may serve as a promising new target for the treatment of chronic pain conditions, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in print October 16, in The Journal of Neuroscience.

11 Oct 2019

Simple way to effectively transport medication into the brain identified

For the first time, scientists have identified a simple way that can effectively transport medication into the brain - which could lead to improved treatments for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

11 Oct 2019

Imaging tumor stiffness could aid delivery of treatment to most challenging cancers

Using a non-invasive imaging technique that measures the stiffness of tissues gives crucial new information about cancer architecture and could aid the delivery of treatment to the most challenging tumors, new research shows.

11 Oct 2019

Researchers shed light on abnormal neuronal activities caused by myelin impairment

The neural circuit basis for motor learning tasks when myelination is impaired has been illuminated for the first time by an international collaboration of university research teams.

11 Oct 2019

Study reveals the role of tea drinking on brain organization

The researchers recruited healthy older participants to two groups according to their history of tea drinking frequency and investigated both functional and structural networks to reveal the role of tea drinking on brain organization.

11 Oct 2019

New microfluidic test can detect Lyme disease within 15 minutes

Some 300,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year. Caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by the bite of infected Ixodes ticks, the disease if left untreated can cause serious neurologic, cardiac, and/or rheumatologic complications.

11 Oct 2019

Military veterans with PTSD suffer from rare sleep disorder

Military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or concussion suffer from a thrashing form of sleep behavior at a rate that is far higher than the general population, according to a new study by researchers at the VA Portland Health Care System and Oregon Health & Science University.

11 Oct 2019

Understanding protein aggregation over time can help decipher early stages of Parkinson's

One of the biggest difficulties in treating Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the understanding of when it starts.

11 Oct 2019

Taking the cops out of mental health-related 911 rescues

Every day that Janet van der Laak drives between car dealerships in her sales job, she keeps size 12 shoes, some clothes and a packed lunch — a PB&J sandwich, fruit and a granola bar — beside her in case she sees her 27-year-old son on the streets.

11 Oct 2019

Researchers develop customized drug treatment to bypass patient’s unique mutation

An unprecedented case at Boston Children's Hospital shows that it's possible to do something that's never been done before: identify a patient's unique mutation, design a customized drug to bypass it, manufacture and test the drug, and obtain permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin treating the patient -- all in less than one year.

11 Oct 2019

Harvard University receives $20 million gift to establish new center for autism research

Autism and related disorders-a constellation of neurodevelopmental conditions affecting one in 59 children in the United States alone - have become one of modern medicine's most confounding mysteries.

11 Oct 2019

New findings can redefine the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment in men and women

Using sex-specific scores on memory tests may change the diagnosis for 20 percent of those currently diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with possibly more women and fewer men being diagnosed with MCI, according to a new study published online in the journal Neurology.

11 Oct 2019

Nationwide study to examine if sleep problems are linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's

Everybody knows sleep is good for your body. It may be good for your mind, too.

11 Oct 2019

Is mental illness being diagnosed correctly?

An important new piece of research appearing in the journal JAMA Psychiatry questions the accuracy of current diagnostic methods used in mental illness, and the true relevance of the diagnoses to the underlying disturbances in the brain’s function.

10 Oct 2019

Two new grants to support researchers to better understand, manage metastasis of melanoma

The American Cancer Society and Melanoma Research Alliance have selected two new promising projects in a second round of funding under a partnership between ACS & MRA. The first grants funded through the partnership, in 2018, focused on advancing research to reduce side effects resulting from cancer treatments with immune-checkpoint inhibitors.

10 Oct 2019

New study to examine link between sleep problems, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease

Everybody knows sleep is good for your body. It may be good for your mind, too. That's what scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine will attempt to determine thanks to a $5.3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.

10 Oct 2019

‘Sticky’ gene may boost the nerve calming effects of Valium

Between 1999 and 2017, the United States experienced a 10-fold increase in the number of people who died from overdoses of Valium and other benzodiazepines.

10 Oct 2019

New coating to improve performance of neural recording technology

A microelectrode array is an implantable device through which neural signals can be obtained or delivered.

10 Oct 2019

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Overdose prevention should also focus on alcohol use, study suggests

Novel clinical trial to examine use of cannabidiol in people with Parkinson's-related psychosis

Brain protein plays a prominent role in the maintenance of chronic pain

Simple way to effectively transport medication into the brain identified

Imaging tumor stiffness could aid delivery of treatment to most challenging cancers

Researchers shed light on abnormal neuronal activities caused by myelin impairment

Study reveals the role of tea drinking on brain organization

New microfluidic test can detect Lyme disease within 15 minutes

Military veterans with PTSD suffer from rare sleep disorder

Understanding protein aggregation over time can help decipher early stages of Parkinson's

Taking the cops out of mental health-related 911 rescues

Researchers develop customized drug treatment to bypass patient’s unique mutation

Harvard University receives $20 million gift to establish new center for autism research

New findings can redefine the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment in men and women

Nationwide study to examine if sleep problems are linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's

Is mental illness being diagnosed correctly?

Two new grants to support researchers to better understand, manage metastasis of melanoma

New study to examine link between sleep problems, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease

‘Sticky’ gene may boost the nerve calming effects of Valium

New coating to improve performance of neural recording technology

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd 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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