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.

Siblings of people with gambling disorder display increased impulsivity, risky decision-making

Biological siblings of people with gambling disorder also display markers of increased impulsivity and risk-taking, according to a new UBC psychology study. The findings, published today in Neuropsychopharmacology, suggest people with gambling disorder - a psychiatric term for serious gambling problems - may have pre-existing genetic vulnerabilities to the illness.

9 Oct 2019

New blood test could help hasten the diagnosis of brain tumors

A blood test which could help to accelerate the diagnosis of brain cancer has been developed in research led at the University of Strathclyde.

9 Oct 2019

Dutch researchers to develop artificial womb prototypes

The Eindhoven University of Technology has been awarded a research grant of €2.9 million for researchers to develop artificial womb prototypes.

9 Oct 2019

Location does not restrict brain remapping

The new function of unused brain regions is not restricted by the function of nearby regions, according to new research in adults born with one hand published in JNeurosci.

9 Oct 2019

Need to feel balanced drives development of limb-body coordination, study finds

The need to feel balanced drives the development of coordination between body and limbs as zebrafish larvae learn to swim, a new study by NYU School of Medicine finds.

9 Oct 2019

Study finds why people crave more high-fat foods after a sleepless night

When you're sleep deprived, you tend to reach for doughnuts, fries and pizza. A new Northwestern Medicine study has figured out why you crave more calorie-dense, high-fat foods after a sleepless night -- and how to help thwart those unhealthy choices.

9 Oct 2019

CDC advises vaccination for pregnant women against flu and whooping cough

The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has recommended that all pregnant women should be vaccinated against influenza and whooping cough to provide protection to the baby against these deadly infections during the first few months of their lives. The CDC recommendation released this week Tuesday (8th of October 2019), is that these vaccines against flu and whooping cough are safe for pregnant women and do not affect their unborn babies adversely.

9 Oct 2019

Study: The effect of electrical stimulation therapies on spinal fusion

Researchers from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data on the effect of electrical stimulation therapies on spinal fusion.

9 Oct 2019

Lack of sleep increases junk food cravings via nose-brain interactions

After a night without sleep, the hand reaches out almost automatically for anything rich, sweet and unhealthy – a change in food choice which could increase the body weight if practiced consistently over a significant period of time

9 Oct 2019

Congenital syphilis continues to rise at an alarming rate

One of the nation's most preventable diseases is killing newborns in ever-increasing numbers.

8 Oct 2019

Aliskiren drug can delay progression of congestive heart failure, lengthen survival rates

Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix have shown for the first time in preclinical studies that Aliskiren, a drug that inhibits the enzyme that regulates blood pressure, can delay the progression of congestive heart failure and lengthen survival rates.

8 Oct 2019

Novel treatment strategies could help prevent abuse of opioids, other substances

Concerns over the opioid epidemic have sparked a strong scientific interest in why some people become addicted while others don't. Now, researchers are proposing novel treatment strategies that could help prevent abuse of opioids and other substances.

8 Oct 2019

Deficit schizophrenics are physically different from other people

The study, published in Schizophrenia Bulletin on August 19, 2019, points out some differences in mouth structure in people with one form of schizophrenia called deficit schizophrenia, compared with other schizophrenics and non-schizophrenics.

8 Oct 2019

GUMC now offers three clinical trials to study treatments for LBD

Georgetown University Medical Center, a Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) Association Research Center of Excellence, is now offering three clinical trials to study new treatments for LBD, a disease often confused with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

8 Oct 2019

UTHealth: Psychedelic drug being studied to relieve treatment-resistant depression

Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug believed to help rewire the brain, is now being studied to relieve treatment-resistant depression at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) as part of a global Phase II clinical trial.

8 Oct 2019

New grants support research on mechanics of tumor cells

At the cellular level, cancer can be viewed as a mechanical engineering challenge. The disease alters the structure and function of cells and tissues, which are meant to perform very specific tasks.

8 Oct 2019

Study reveals link between alterations in RNA splicing and Alzheimer's disease

A collaborative study published today in the journal Cell Reports provides evidence for a new molecular cause for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

8 Oct 2019

Maternal stress could affect a baby's brain development

New research from King's College London has found that maternal stress before and during pregnancy could affect a baby's brain development.

8 Oct 2019

Study receives NCI grant to explore better treatment for brain tumors in children

Children with recurrent brain tumors or newly diagnosed, particularly aggressive tumors called diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas are being enrolled in the first study to examine the efficacy of a drug that inhibits an enzyme these tumors use to protect themselves from the child's natural immune response.

8 Oct 2019

Annual income drops linked to reduced brain health in middle age

Young adults who experience annual income drops of 25 percent or more may be more at risk of having thinking problems and reduced brain health in middle age, according to a study published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 Oct 2019