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.

Reliable response of cortical neurons amidst noise and chaos

Neurons communicate with each other by sending out rapid pulses of electrical signals called spikes. At first glance, the generation of these spikes can be very reliable: when an isolated neuron is repeatedly given exactly the same electrical input, we find the same pattern of spikes.

22 Aug 2019

Study: Lower levels of specific dietary vitamins and antioxidants associated with frailty

Researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging at Trinity College Dublin have shown in the largest study to date that lower levels of specific dietary vitamins and antioxidants are associated with frailty.

22 Aug 2019

Lessons from animal brains can help artificial intelligence to overcome difficult barriers

Artificial intelligence (AI) still has a lot to learn from animal brains, says Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory neuroscientist Anthony Zador. Now, he's hoping that lessons from neuroscience can help the next generation of artificial intelligence overcome some particularly difficult barriers.

22 Aug 2019

High-intensity step training may better improve walking ability in stroke survivors

High-intensity step training that mimics real-world conditions may better improve walking ability in stroke survivors compared to traditional, low-impact training, according to new research published in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.

22 Aug 2019

RNA sequencing data added to robust study of Parkinson's disease

A team at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, in collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, has just added a crucial new element - RNA sequencing data -- to its robust study of Parkinson's disease.

22 Aug 2019

Critical improvements to functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy enhance brain imaging

In an article published today in the peer-reviewed, open-access SPIE publication Neurophotonics, "High density functional diffuse optical tomography based on frequency domain measurements improves image quality and spatial resolution," researchers demonstrate critical improvements to functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based optical imaging in the brain.

22 Aug 2019

New insights into protein transport could help define strategies for treating eye disease

Many forms of vision loss stem from a common source: impaired communication between the eye and the brain. And at the root of all eye-to-brain communication are the hundreds of proteins generated by the retina's nerve cells.

22 Aug 2019

'Kissing loops' in lncRNA essential for tumor suppressor function

Human cells - like those of many other organisms - have developed mechanisms to protect us from cancer.

22 Aug 2019

Study opens up a new way for developing potential glioblastoma treatment

A team led by Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences' researcher Dr. Stephen Safe has discovered a new pathway that may help suppress the development of glioblastoma tumors, one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

22 Aug 2019

Research explains why many psychiatric drugs that work in the lab don’t work in people

Current drug development for neuropsychiatric disorders is in crisis, say experts. More than 90 percent of all drugs that are developed for illnesses like schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), or the brain tumor glioblastoma complete successful trials in mice but then come to a grinding halt in human trials, wasting billions of dollars in drug research. This is partly because of obvious behavioral differences between the two species.

22 Aug 2019

International study identifies new drug target for treating glioblastoma

A new international study co-led by Cleveland Clinic has identified a new drug target for treating glioblastoma. This target is part of a never-before defined cellular pathway found to contribute to the spread and proliferation of a dangerous subset of cancer cells, called glioma stem cells.

22 Aug 2019

Difference between people with autism and rest of the population is shrinking, finds study

Around the world, the number of people diagnosed with autism is rising. In the United States, the prevalence of the disorder has grown from 0.05% in 1966 to more than 2% today.

22 Aug 2019

UCI study finds link between brain immune cells and Alzheimer's disease development

Scientists from the University of California, Irvine School of Biological Sciences have discovered how to forestall Alzheimer's disease in a laboratory setting, a finding that could one day help in devising targeted drugs that prevent it.

21 Aug 2019

UNM researchers find strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain

Using the largest database of real-time recordings of the effects of common and commercially available cannabis products in the United States, researchers at The University of New Mexico found strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain, with the average user experiencing a three-point drop in pain suffering on a 0-10 point scale immediately following cannabis consumption.

21 Aug 2019

Meaningful PTSD symptom improvement linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes

Research from Saint Louis University finds treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that leads to an improvement in symptoms was associated with a 49 percent lower risk of incident type 2 diabetes.

21 Aug 2019

Yale study shows rt-fMRI-NF has potential to treat adolescents with Tourette Syndrome

Characterized by repetitive movements or vocalizations known as tics, Tourette Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that plagues many adolescents.

21 Aug 2019

MDMA, or ecstasy, shows promise as a PTSD treatment

The first time Lori Tipton tried MDMA, she was skeptical it would make a difference.

21 Aug 2019

Integrated approach unifies psychology and neurophysiology of chronic pain

An integrated approach that unifies psychosocial factors with neurobiology sheds light on chronic pain traits and their underlying brain networks, according to a study published August 20 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by A. Vania Apkarian of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 21 Aug 2019

Study suggests link between environmental pollution and increase in psychiatric disorders

Researchers are increasingly studying the effects of environmental insults on psychiatric and neurological conditions, motivated by emerging evidence from environmental events like the record-breaking smog that choked New Delhi two years ago.

From PLOS ONE 21 Aug 2019

Research team discovers gene critical for human eye, brain and limb development

An international collaboration led by a team at Oxford Brookes University has identified an important new gene which could open up new doors for research and developing new therapies.

21 Aug 2019

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Reliable response of cortical neurons amidst noise and chaos

Study: Lower levels of specific dietary vitamins and antioxidants associated with frailty

Lessons from animal brains can help artificial intelligence to overcome difficult barriers

High-intensity step training may better improve walking ability in stroke survivors

RNA sequencing data added to robust study of Parkinson's disease

Critical improvements to functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy enhance brain imaging

New insights into protein transport could help define strategies for treating eye disease

'Kissing loops' in lncRNA essential for tumor suppressor function

Study opens up a new way for developing potential glioblastoma treatment

Research explains why many psychiatric drugs that work in the lab don’t work in people

International study identifies new drug target for treating glioblastoma

Difference between people with autism and rest of the population is shrinking, finds study

UCI study finds link between brain immune cells and Alzheimer's disease development

UNM researchers find strong evidence that cannabis can significantly alleviate pain

Meaningful PTSD symptom improvement linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes

Yale study shows rt-fMRI-NF has potential to treat adolescents with Tourette Syndrome

MDMA, or ecstasy, shows promise as a PTSD treatment

Integrated approach unifies psychology and neurophysiology of chronic pain

Study suggests link between environmental pollution and increase in psychiatric disorders

Research team discovers gene critical for human eye, brain and limb development

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st 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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