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.

New research shows seniors use less effective reference frames to visualize nearby objects

For many older adults, the aging process seems to go hand-in-hand with an annoying increase in clumsiness - difficulties dialing a phone, fumbling with keys in a lock or knocking over the occasional wine glass while reaching for a salt shaker.

5 Jun 2013

EU funds d-LIVER project to help people suffering from liver disease

The EU has provided funding for the d-LIVER project, in which researchers from several countries will work on a number of measures to help people suffering from liver disease.

5 Jun 2013

Blocking MHCII action rescues nerve cells from Parkinson's disease mechanisms, researchers find

The same mechanism that lets the immune system mount a massive attack against invading bacteria contributes to the destruction of brain cells as part of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

5 Jun 2013

Scientists identify brain functions involved in relieving anxiety

Scientists, like Buddhist monks and Zen masters, have known for years that meditation can reduce anxiety, but not how. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, however, have succeeded in identifying the brain functions involved.

5 Jun 2013

UCLA researchers identify abnormal brain networks in Fragile X syndrome

The genetic malady known as Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited autism and intellectual disability. Brain scientists know the gene defect that causes the syndrome and understand the damage it does in misshaping the brain's synapses - the connections between neurons. But how this abnormal shaping of synapses translates into abnormal behavior is unclear.

5 Jun 2013

Childhood cognitive ability linked to cognitive ability, cortical thickness in old age

A new study shows compelling evidence that associations between cognitive ability and cortical grey matter in old age can largely be accounted for by cognitive ability in childhood.

5 Jun 2013

UC Riverside researchers awarded grant to investigate role of sleep in memory and learning

A team of researchers led by a neuroscientist at the University of California, Riverside has been awarded a nearly $7.5 million grant from the Department of Defense to investigate the role of sleep in memory and learning.

5 Jun 2013

Researchers report that two biomarkers appear to indicate risk for silent strokes

Two biomarkers widely being investigated as predictors of heart and vascular disease appear to indicate risk for "silent" strokes and other causes of mild brain damage that present no symptoms, report researchers from The Methodist Hospital and several other institutions in an upcoming issue of Stroke (now online).

5 Jun 2013

Study reveals how type 2 diabetes and CVD increase risk of cognitive decline

People suffering from type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are at an increased risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

5 Jun 2013

Canadian researcher develops first animal model to study function of C9ORF72 in ALS

Canadian researcher Edor Kabashi of the Université de Montréal has developed the first animal model to study the function of a gene responsible for the highest percentage of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Results to date shed light on the cause of the devastating disease.

4 Jun 2013

Tel Aviv University researchers find protein modification may help control Alzheimer's and epilepsy

In the brain, cell-to-cell communication is dependent on neurotransmitters, chemicals that aid the transfer of information between neurons. Several proteins have the ability to modify the production of these chemicals by either increasing or decreasing their amount, or promoting or preventing their secretion.

4 Jun 2013

Researchers solve long-standing mystery behind dormant disseminated breast tumor cells

The long-standing mystery behind dormant disseminated breast tumor cells and what activates them after years and even decades of latency may have been solved. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have identified the microenvironment surrounding microvasculature - the small blood vessels that transport blood within tissues - as a niche where dormant cancer cells reside. When these blood vessels begin to sprout, the new tips produce molecules that transform dormant cancer cells into metastatic tumors.

4 Jun 2013

Researchers establish link between abnormal structure of synapses and behavioral abnormalities of brain circuits in FXS

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic malady that is the most common inherited cause of autism and intellectual disability. Brain scientists know the gene defect that causes FXS, and the damage it does-- misshaping the brain's synapses, the connections between neurons. But how that abnormal shaping of synapses translates to abnormal behavior is unclear.

4 Jun 2013

Study: Neural reserve, neural compensation activated in highly educated prodromal Alzheimer's patients

Highly educated individuals with mild cognitive impairment that later progressed to Alzheimer's disease cope better with the disease than individuals with a lower level of education in the same situation, according to research published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

4 Jun 2013

Researchers now one step closer to unlocking the nature of ALS

As the result of a major breakthrough by researchers at Northwestern University's School of Medicine, researchers studying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, are now one step closer to unlocking the nature of ALS.

4 Jun 2013

Study supports role of skin sodium in blood pressure regulation

It's time to expand the models for blood pressure regulation, according to clinical pharmacologist Jens Titze, M.D. Titze and his colleagues have identified a new cast of cells and molecules that function in the skin to control sodium balance and blood pressure.

4 Jun 2013

Altered function of neural circuitry contributes to bulimia and anorexia

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa -disorders characterized by extreme eating behavior and distorted body image - are among the deadliest of psychiatric disorders, with few proven effective treatments.

4 Jun 2013

Study: Blood vessels in retina may indicate brain health years before onset of dementia

The width of blood vessels in the retina, located at the back of the eye, may indicate brain health years before the onset of dementia and other deficits, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

4 Jun 2013

Dog-interaction activities improve mood among teenagers living in treatment centers

Lindsay Ellsworth is prescribing a new, mood-boosting therapy for teenagers in drug and alcohol treatment: shelter dogs. On Friday afternoons, about four dogs from the Spokane Humane Society take a field trip to Excelsior Youth Center as a group of teenage boys eagerly await their arrival. Ellsworth, a doctoral candidate in animal sciences at Washington State University, organizes the meet-ups where participants can help brush, feed and play with the dogs.

4 Jun 2013

Scientists pinpoint genetic traits of cells that give rise to gliomas

A multi-institutional team of researchers have pinpointed the genetic traits of the cells that give rise to gliomas - the most common form of malignant brain cancer. The findings, which appear in the journal Cell Reports, provide scientists with rich new potential set of targets to treat the disease.

4 Jun 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

New research shows seniors use less effective reference frames to visualize nearby objects

EU funds d-LIVER project to help people suffering from liver disease

Blocking MHCII action rescues nerve cells from Parkinson's disease mechanisms, researchers find

Scientists identify brain functions involved in relieving anxiety

UCLA researchers identify abnormal brain networks in Fragile X syndrome

Childhood cognitive ability linked to cognitive ability, cortical thickness in old age

UC Riverside researchers awarded grant to investigate role of sleep in memory and learning

Researchers report that two biomarkers appear to indicate risk for silent strokes

Study reveals how type 2 diabetes and CVD increase risk of cognitive decline

Canadian researcher develops first animal model to study function of C9ORF72 in ALS

Tel Aviv University researchers find protein modification may help control Alzheimer's and epilepsy

Researchers solve long-standing mystery behind dormant disseminated breast tumor cells

Researchers establish link between abnormal structure of synapses and behavioral abnormalities of brain circuits in FXS

Study: Neural reserve, neural compensation activated in highly educated prodromal Alzheimer's patients

Researchers now one step closer to unlocking the nature of ALS

Study supports role of skin sodium in blood pressure regulation

Altered function of neural circuitry contributes to bulimia and anorexia

Study: Blood vessels in retina may indicate brain health years before onset of dementia

Dog-interaction activities improve mood among teenagers living in treatment centers

Scientists pinpoint genetic traits of cells that give rise to gliomas

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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