Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Klotho protein plays important role in the health of myelin

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) led by Carmela Abraham, PhD, professor of biochemistry, along with Cidi Chen, PhD, and other collaborators, report that the protein Klotho plays an important role in the health of myelin, the insulating material allowing for the rapid communication between nerve cells.

31 Jan 2013

Libya becomes the first country to use Masimo Pronto-7 hemoglobin spot-check device

Masimo announced today that Libya has become the first country to begin using the Masimo Pronto-7— a handheld noninvasive hemoglobin spot-check device — to screen potential blood donors for low hemoglobin level in all of its major blood-donation centers.

31 Jan 2013

Study illuminates the response of dopaminergic neurons to changes in temperature

While the wooly musk ox may like it cold, fruit flies definitely do not. They like it hot, or at least warm. In fact, their preferred optimum temperature is very similar to that of humans-76 degrees F.

31 Jan 2013

Biomaterials as neural stem cell niches can help repair damage in the CNS

Despite recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of nerve injury, tissue-engineering solutions for repairing damage in the central nervous system (CNS) remain elusive, owing to the crucial and complex role played by the neural stem cell (NSC) niche. This zone, in which stem cells are retained after embryonic development for the production of new cells, exerts a tight control over many crucial tasks such as growth promotion and the recreation of essential biochemical and physical cues for neural cell differentiation.

30 Jan 2013

Androgens could constitute an efficient treatment against multiple sclerosis

Testosterone and its derivatives could constitute an efficient treatment against myelin diseases such as multiple sclerosis, reveals a study by researchers from the Laboratoire d'Imagerie et de Neurosciences Cognitives, in collaboration in particular with the "Neuroprotection et Neurorégénération: Molécules Neuroactives de Petite Taille" unit.

30 Jan 2013

No added benefit from perampanel in patients with epileptic fits

The drug perampanel has been approved since July 2012 as adjunctive therapy for adults and children aged 12 years and older with epileptic fits (seizures).

30 Jan 2013

MiR-182 deeply involved in memory formation within the amygdala brain structure

It takes a lot to make a memory. New proteins have to be synthesized, neuron structures altered. While some of these memory-building mechanisms are known, many are not. Some recent studies have indicated that a unique group of molecules called microRNAs, known to control production of proteins in cells, may play a far more important role in memory formation than previously thought.

30 Jan 2013

Weight-gain brain-drain warning for young adults

Visceral fat gain may have a negative impact on cerebellar structure and functional connectivity, an exploratory study suggests.

30 Jan 2013

Some second trimester markers for Down’s syndrome more telling than others

A new analysis has found that some second trimester markers for Down’s syndrome that are detected by ultrasound are more telling than others. Published early online in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the study’s results will help adjust pregnant women’s risks for having a child with the condition.

30 Jan 2013

Scientists discover functional control strategies in emotional circuits of people with social phobia

Fear is a protective function against possible dangers that is designed to save our lives. Where there are problems with this fear mechanism, its positive effects are cancelled out: patients who have a social phobia become afraid of perfectly normal, everyday social situations because they are worried about behaving inappropriately or being thought of as stupid by other people.

30 Jan 2013

MDGA proteins associated with autism suppress inhibitory synapse formation

Synapse development is promoted by a variety of cell adhesion molecules that connect neurons and organize synaptic proteins. Many of these adhesion molecules are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders; mutations in neuroligin and neurexin proteins, for example, are associated with autism and schizophrenia.

30 Jan 2013

Apolipoprotein E-4 useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab

A protein associated with neuron damage in people with Alzheimer's disease is surprisingly useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab, according to a new study by engineering researchers at Brown University.

30 Jan 2013

UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging to use expertise to piece together brain's puzzle

UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI) has entered into a partnership with academic centers from Europe and around the world in a massive, unprecedented effort to understand the human brain.

30 Jan 2013

Researchers create CoQ9-deficient mutant mouse model with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy

At three to six months of life, this genetic alteration in mice -similar to that occurred in human- causes a rapid degeneration in the lower limbs to death for cardiac arrest.

30 Jan 2013

RIKEN, OIST partner on Human Brain Project

One of the major frontiers of modern science is a comprehensive understanding of the human brain and its functions to guide the development of new technologies in information and communication.

30 Jan 2013

Noninvasive, drugless therapy may help mitigate symptoms associated with neurological conditions

With the infusion of an additional $1 million of financial support from The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Inc., Atlanta, GA, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers are expanding their studies using a noninvasive, drugless therapy that may help to mitigate symptoms associated with a list of neurological conditions.

30 Jan 2013

Insight into reasons why precocious puberty occurs in females

New research from Oregon Health & Science University has provided significant insight into the reasons why early-onset puberty occurs in females.

30 Jan 2013

Brain areas work together at the same time to recall memories

Working with patients with electrodes implanted in their brains, researchers at the University of California, Davis, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have shown for the first time that areas of the brain work together at the same time to recall memories. The unique approach promises new insights into how we remember details of time and place.

30 Jan 2013

FDA allows IND application for ImmunoCellular’s ICT-140 to treat ovarian cancer

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the investigational new drug (IND) application for ICT-140, paving the way for conducting a clinical trial.

30 Jan 2013

Human Brain Project to link basic research with disease treatment

King's College London is part of an international consortium of scientists who have today been awarded a grant of over one billion euros, over ten years, to simulate 'everything we know about the human brain' in supercomputers.

30 Jan 2013