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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.

The ear's sensitivity to sound is controlled by outer hair cells

The human inner ear has a type of cell called the outer hair cell. These were thought to amplify sounds from the environment. However, a new study based on hearing in gerbils shows these cells are probably involved in regulating the sensitivity of the ear to sound. This could help find ways to preserve good hearing by protecting these cells from destruction.

25 Sep 2019

Love hormone oxytocin linked to hypersexuality

Sex addiction or hypersexual disorder is a behavior characterized by an excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, behaviors, or urges that are hard to control, causing negative effects on one’s health and relationships.

25 Sep 2019

Turmeric adulteration: eating your brain?

Turmeric is a brightly colored yellow spice with numerous health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic. However, a recent study shows that the turmeric grown in Bangladesh can contain up to 500 times the level found at the national average.

25 Sep 2019

Study uncovers new DNA sequences in Swedish genomes

People - or more specifically just Swedes - are more like chimpanzees than previously known. This is indicated in a genetic mapping of one thousand Swedish individuals, where new DNA sequences that should be included in the reference genome have been identified.

24 Sep 2019

7-year-old treated with FDA-approved gene therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis

When Zion Grant was 3 months old his mother Daisy Dodd noticed he wasn't tracking her with his eyes. Zion would fixate on a light in the room, but not on her face.

24 Sep 2019

Turmeric adulterated with lead-laced chemical compound, Stanford-led study reveals

It's billed as a health booster and healing agent, but it may be the source of cognitive defects and other severe ailments.

24 Sep 2019

Green tea compound shows promise in tackling antibiotic resistance

Green tea has gained immense popularity across the globe, mainly because of its health benefits. Green tea extract has been used for many purposes – for weight loss, improved brain function, enhanced metabolism, and lower risk of some types of cancer, among others.

24 Sep 2019

Ear's tiny outer hair cells regulate sound sensitivity, study shows

The ear’s tiny outer hair cells adjust the sensitivity of neighboring inner hair cells to sound levels rather than acting like an amplifier, suggests a new study published today in eLife.

24 Sep 2019

Thinning of human brain during childhood linked with myelination

Using state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques, Vaidehi Natu at Stanford University in California, along with her colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, provide striking results that suggest the brains of children likely do not thin as much as expected.

24 Sep 2019

No evidence found for previously suspected warning signs of seizures

By studying the brain dynamics of 28 subjects with epilepsy, scientists demonstrated there is no evidence for a previously suspected warning sign for seizures known as "critical slowing down."

24 Sep 2019

Mice also fidget like humans while making decisions

Almost everyone fidgets, said Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Associate Professor Anne Churchland. She referred to a collage of videos she compiled of different people rocking back and forth in their chairs, clicking a pen, shaking their legs.

24 Sep 2019

Research suggests new strategy to prevent performance degradation caused by anxiety

Researchers in the Center for Information and Neural Networks, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan and the Centre national de la recherché scientifique, France used fMRI to discover a new neural mechanism involving the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex to explain how anxiety deteriorates physical performance.

24 Sep 2019

Study uncovers epigenetic origins for hypersexual disorder

A new study has shown that epigenetic changes lead to overactivity of the hormone oxytocin, and this is a key element in hypersexual disorder.

24 Sep 2019

Brain-infecting virus has spread across the US at record rates this year

Health officials have announced over the weekend that more people have been infected with or died from the EEE virus, making 2019 the worst year yet for recorded cases.

24 Sep 2019

Algorithm helps physicians to assess whether stroke patients are candidates for clot-removing procedure

An algorithm developed by faculty at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston can help physicians outside of major stroke treatment centers assess whether a patient suffering from ischemic stroke would benefit from an endovascular procedure to remove a clot blocking an artery.

24 Sep 2019

As off-label use spreads, supplies of niche drugs and patients’ patience grow short

Medical treatment has knocked down tumors in 6-year-old Easton Daniels' brain, but the drug used also wiped out his immune system.

24 Sep 2019

$Deep brain stimulation found to be safe, effective in the treatment of refractory severe tinnitus$

Deep brain stimulation found to be safe, effective in the treatment of refractory severe tinnitus

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco and Veterans Affairs Health Care System, San Francisco investigated the safety and efficacy of deep brain stimulation in the treatment of refractory severe tinnitus in a small group of patients.

24 Sep 2019

Delivery of drugs within the brain can be improved by utilizing LAT1

According to a new study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland, the distribution of drug molecules within the brain can be improved by utilizing LAT1, which is expressed highly in the brain.

24 Sep 2019

Dogs can suffer from same autoimmune encephalitis as humans, research reveals

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that dogs can suffer from the same type of autoimmune encephalitis that people do. The finding could lead to better screening methods for diagnosis and possibly more effective treatments for canine encephalitis.

24 Sep 2019

Scientists to present new findings on gene therapy at Neuroscience 2019

Gene therapy shows promise as a way to treat and cure presently incurable neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

24 Sep 2019