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.

Criticality is a hallmark of normally functioning brain networks, research shows

Researchers long wondered how the billions of independent neurons in the brain come together to reliably build a biological machine that easily beats the most advanced computers. All of those tiny interactions appear to be tied to something that guarantees an impressive computational capacity.

8 Oct 2019

UVA researchers uncover key contributor to multiple sclerosis

Cells that scientists have largely ignored when studying multiple sclerosis are actually key contributors to MS development, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine shows.

8 Oct 2019

New insight into meningioma - possibility of targeted therapy

A new study published in the journal Oncotarget shows that certain mutations in the brain tumor called meningioma may help identify patients who have a better chance of recovery. This could help physicians make better clinical decisions based on more accurate diagnoses. It has also unveiled some of the genes that go wrong in meningiomas, as well as showing how targeted therapy could one day help fight this tumor.

7 Oct 2019

Kessler researchers awarded grant to study effects of exercise in patients with MS

With a grant from the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, John DeLuca, PhD, Helen Genova, PhD, of Kessler Foundation, will study the effects of different exercise regimens across multiple realms of symptoms and functioning in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

7 Oct 2019

Study shows relationship between duration of football played and CTE risk, severity

The risk and severity of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy increases with the number of years playing American football according to a new study that appears online in Annals of Neurology.

7 Oct 2019

UCI researcher given NIH Director's New Innovator Award to study learning and memory

University of California, Irvine researcher Kevin Beier, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics in the School of Medicine, received a 2019 NIH Director's New Innovator Award to study learning and memory in an effort to discover new treatments for behavioral symptoms of chronic stress and depression.

7 Oct 2019

Important tips to avoid caregiver burnout

The responsibility of being a caregiver for a loved one is admirable and gratifying.

7 Oct 2019

Simple computer model helps better understand memory processing in the brain

Brains are a mazy network of overlapping circuits -- some pathways encourage activity while others suppress it.

7 Oct 2019

Spatial Gene Expression Profiling of Neurological Disorders

In this interview, Cedric Uytingco discusses the key benefits of being able to visualize gene expression patterns in neurological samples.

From 10x Genomics, Inc. 7 Oct 2019

Deep brain stimulation effective in resistant depression

A new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry says deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment in depressed patients who do not respond to other forms of therapy. The study published on October 4, 2019, looked at the long-term effects on patients who had received electrical stimulation to the subcallosal cingulate area of the brain. The subcallosal cingulate area of the brain is also called Brodmann Area 25, and has been targeted by researchers as a possible focus for antidepressant stimulation.

7 Oct 2019

Research provides new insights into tumorigenesis of meningioma

The identification of oncogenic mutations has provided further insights into the tumorigenesis of meningioma and the possibility of targeted therapy.

5 Oct 2019

Household bleach decontaminates stainless steel wires coated with CWD prions

A 5-minute soak in a 40% solution of household bleach decontaminated stainless steel wires coated with chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions, according to a new study by National Institutes of Health scientists.

5 Oct 2019

Potential metabolism target could slow or prevent breast cancer metastasis

Cancer cells - especially the more aggressive ones - seem to have an ability to change. It's how they evade treatment and spread throughout the body.

4 Oct 2019

Stanford study finds genetic similarities among species that use sound waves to navigate

Insect-eating bats navigate effortlessly in the dark and dolphins and killer whales gobble up prey in murky waters thanks in part to specific changes in a set of 18 genes involved in the development of the cochlear ganglion -- a group of nerves that transmit sound from the ear to the brain, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University.

4 Oct 2019

Researchers develop 3D tissue models of brain tumors in a brain-mimicking microenvironment

A team of Tufts University-led researchers has developed three-dimensional human tissue culture models of pediatric and adult brain cancers in a brain-mimicking microenvironment, a significant advancement for the study of brain tumor biology and pharmacological response.

4 Oct 2019

"Goldilocks" balance holds key to awakening the body's immune response to combat brain cancer

In the story of Goldilocks, a little girl tastes three different bowls of porridge to find which is not too hot, not too cold, but just the right temperature. In a study published in Advanced Therapeutics, University of Minnesota Medical School researchers report on a "Goldilocks" balance which holds the key to awakening the body's immune response to fight off brain cancer.

4 Oct 2019

Antibody that targets CXCR6 prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mouse model

Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder, is known to be driven by "helper" T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord. A new study from Boston Children's Hospital pinpoints the specific subgroup of helper T cells that cause MS, as well as a protein on their surface, called CXCR6, that marks them.

4 Oct 2019

New NIH grant to support innovative skin testing approach for diagnosing Parkinson's disease

Wenquan Zou, MD, PhD, an expert in degenerative neurological diseases, along with his collaborators Shu G. Chen, PhD also from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Jiyan Ma, MD, PhD, from Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Thomas Beach, MD, PhD, from Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Arizona, have received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for diagnosing Parkinson's disease (PD) via an innovative skin testing approach.

4 Oct 2019

Penn Medicine awarded $22 million to apply scientific solutions to reverse opioid crisis

The nation has been grappling with the opioid epidemic for years - and the city of Philadelphia has been hit hard by the crisis. While data is showing slight declines in overdose deaths, the opioid crisis remains a public health emergency.

4 Oct 2019

Research provides promising new lead for schizophrenia treatment

Schizophrenia is a severe mental health condition that causes significant disability, and affects 1 in 100 people. Patients with schizophrenia commonly experience negative symptoms, which include lack of motivation, social isolation and inability to experience pleasurable feeling.

4 Oct 2019

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Criticality is a hallmark of normally functioning brain networks, research shows

UVA researchers uncover key contributor to multiple sclerosis

New insight into meningioma - possibility of targeted therapy

Kessler researchers awarded grant to study effects of exercise in patients with MS

Study shows relationship between duration of football played and CTE risk, severity

UCI researcher given NIH Director's New Innovator Award to study learning and memory

Important tips to avoid caregiver burnout

Simple computer model helps better understand memory processing in the brain

Spatial Gene Expression Profiling of Neurological Disorders

Deep brain stimulation effective in resistant depression

Research provides new insights into tumorigenesis of meningioma

Household bleach decontaminates stainless steel wires coated with CWD prions

Potential metabolism target could slow or prevent breast cancer metastasis

Stanford study finds genetic similarities among species that use sound waves to navigate

Researchers develop 3D tissue models of brain tumors in a brain-mimicking microenvironment

"Goldilocks" balance holds key to awakening the body's immune response to combat brain cancer

Antibody that targets CXCR6 prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mouse model

New NIH grant to support innovative skin testing approach for diagnosing Parkinson's disease

Penn Medicine awarded $22 million to apply scientific solutions to reverse opioid crisis

Research provides promising new lead for schizophrenia treatment

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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