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.

Study provides understanding of root causes of clinical variability in anxiety disorders

New findings from nonhuman primates suggest that an overactive core circuit in the brain, and its interaction with other specialized circuits, accounts for the variability in symptoms shown by patients with severe anxiety.

26 Mar 2013

NIH-funded study documents possible risk factor for autism at 7 months of age

At 7 months of age, children who are later diagnosed with autism take a split second longer to shift their gaze during a task measuring eye movements and visual attention than do typically developing infants of the same age, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

26 Mar 2013

DNA damage is part of regular brain activity, say scientists

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that a certain type of DNA damage long thought to be particularly detrimental to brain cells can actually be part of a regular, non-harmful process.

25 Mar 2013

Study shows why certain drugs that interact with serotonin receptors have harmful effects

A team including scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has determined and analyzed the high-resolution atomic structures of two kinds of human serotonin receptor.

25 Mar 2013

Researchers expand hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplantation

More than 50,000 stem cell transplants are performed each year worldwide. A research team led by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators may have solved a major issue of expanding adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) outside the human body for clinical use in bone marrow transplantation -- a critical step towards producing a large supply of blood stem cells needed to restore a healthy blood system.

25 Mar 2013

Study reveals role of SNX27 protein in brain function

What is it about the extra chromosome inherited in Down syndrome-chromosome 21-that alters brain and body development? Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have new evidence that points to a protein called sorting nexin 27, or SNX27.

25 Mar 2013

Parkinson's Disease drug can help reverse age-related impairments in decision making: Study

A drug widely used to treat Parkinson's Disease can help to reverse age-related impairments in decision making in some older people, a study from researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging has shown.

25 Mar 2013

UNC study shows brain activity associated with mental illness in young children

Research from the University of North Carolina has shown that children at risk of developing schizophrenia have brains that function differently than those not at risk.

25 Mar 2013

Researchers identify a new approach for treating brain metastases associated with lung cancer

Lung cancer is the world's most common cause of death from cancer. In Austria, around 4,000 people develop this type of cancer every year. One particular problem is the development of brain metastases in association with the lung tumour.

24 Mar 2013

Weill Cornell researcher suggests ways to improve patient safety, high-level care

In its 2001 report Crossing the Quality Chasm, the Institute of Medicine outlined six domains of quality in medical care: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency and equity.

24 Mar 2013

SLU researcher studies effect of bitter melon extract on treating cancer

A Saint Louis University researcher has received a $39,425 grant from the Lottie Caroline Hardy Charitable Trust to continue her research on treating cancer with a natural substance -- the extract taken from a vegetable that is part of her diet.

24 Mar 2013

Atrophy of thalamus is important predictor of clinically definite MS, study shows

A growing body of research by multiple sclerosis investigators at the University at Buffalo and international partners is providing powerful new evidence that the brain's gray matter reflects important changes in the disease that could allow clinicians to diagnose earlier and to better monitor and predict how the disease will progress.

22 Mar 2013

Translational Research's April issue examines progress, outlook of gene therapy research

The April issue of Translational Research examines the progress and outlook of gene therapy research, with a specific focus on the clinical applicability of gene therapy today.

22 Mar 2013

Johns Hopkins undergraduates develop Cooling Cure to protect newborn from brain damage

When babies are deprived of oxygen before birth, brain damage and disorders such as cerebral palsy can occur. Extended cooling can prevent brain injuries, but this treatment is not always available in developing nations where advanced medical care is scarce.

22 Mar 2013

Two genes associated with rare autism-related disorders linked to general forms of autism: Study

A new study finds that two genes individually associated with rare autism-related disorders are also jointly linked to more general forms of autism. The finding suggests a new genetic pathway to investigate in general autism research.

22 Mar 2013

Autistic children's brains have reduced connectivity, diminished capacity for neural communication

A new study of patterns of brain communication in toddlers with autism shows evidence of aberrant neural communication even at this relatively early stage of brain development. The results are presented in an article in Brain Connectivity, a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

22 Mar 2013

Salk scientists discover how brain keeps track of similar but distinct memories

Ever find yourself racking your brain on a Monday morning to remember where you put your car keys? When you do find those keys, you can thank the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for storing and retrieving memories of different environments-such as that room where your keys were hiding in an unusual spot.

22 Mar 2013

New hope for treating, preventing malaria

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA Medical Center have developed a drug that may represent one of the world's best hopes for treating and preventing malaria - a disease that kills more than one million people each year.

22 Mar 2013

Cocaine can be lethal for people living with HIV

Cocaine, already a damaging drug for those with healthy immune systems, can be lethal for those living with human immunodeficiency virus. Mudit Tyagi, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has received two federally funded grants to study how dangerous this combination is in HIV patients.

22 Mar 2013

Dysfunction of Calcium channel in neurons of cerebellum causes different motor diseases

A dysfunction of a certain Calcium channel, the so called P/Q-type channel, in neurons of the cerebellum is sufficient to cause different motor diseases as well as a special type of epilepsy.

22 Mar 2013

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study provides understanding of root causes of clinical variability in anxiety disorders

NIH-funded study documents possible risk factor for autism at 7 months of age

DNA damage is part of regular brain activity, say scientists

Study shows why certain drugs that interact with serotonin receptors have harmful effects

Researchers expand hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplantation

Study reveals role of SNX27 protein in brain function

Parkinson's Disease drug can help reverse age-related impairments in decision making: Study

UNC study shows brain activity associated with mental illness in young children

Researchers identify a new approach for treating brain metastases associated with lung cancer

Weill Cornell researcher suggests ways to improve patient safety, high-level care

SLU researcher studies effect of bitter melon extract on treating cancer

Atrophy of thalamus is important predictor of clinically definite MS, study shows

Translational Research's April issue examines progress, outlook of gene therapy research

Johns Hopkins undergraduates develop Cooling Cure to protect newborn from brain damage

Two genes associated with rare autism-related disorders linked to general forms of autism: Study

Autistic children's brains have reduced connectivity, diminished capacity for neural communication

Salk scientists discover how brain keeps track of similar but distinct memories

New hope for treating, preventing malaria

Cocaine can be lethal for people living with HIV

Dysfunction of Calcium channel in neurons of cerebellum causes different motor diseases

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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