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 strategy will have positive impact on people with brain disorders

New research offers a possible strategy for treating central nervous system diseases, such as brain and spinal cord injury, brain cancer, epilepsy, and neurological complications of HIV. The experimental treatment method allows small therapeutic agents to safely cross the blood-brain barrier in laboratory rats by turning off P-glycoprotein, one of the main gatekeepers preventing medicinal drugs from reaching their intended targets in the brain.

10 Sep 2012

Yale researchers to investigate poorly understood nature of autism in females

The reasons why autism spectrum disorders are almost five times more common among boys than among girls may soon be revealed, thanks to a five-year, $15 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awarded to Yale School of Medicine for the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research program.

10 Sep 2012

Neuronal inhibition plays key role in memory formation

Stefan Remy and colleagues at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the University of Bonn have illuminated how this system works. "The system acts like a filter, only letting the most important impulses pass," explains Remy. "This produces the targeted neuronal patterns that are indispensible for long-term memory storage."

7 Sep 2012

Bionic leg activated by patient’s intent to move introduced by Tibion

Patients who can't use their legs from the effects of multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, partial spinal cord injury and other debilitating conditions have been given a new 'leg up' with the introduction of the only wearable, lower limb, robotic trainer activated by the patient's intent to move - the Tibion Bionic Leg.

7 Sep 2012

American troops with noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus may benefit from novel strategies

Antioxidants, dietary supplements and high-tech brain imaging are among some of the novel strategies that may help detect, treat and even prevent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus among American troops, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

7 Sep 2012

BCAA supplementation may treat autism and/or epilepsy

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego and Yale University schools of medicine, have identified a form of autism with epilepsy that may potentially be treatable with a common nutritional supplement.

7 Sep 2012

NFL donates $30 million for research on brain injuries

The National Football League pledged to support research to study the long-term repercussions of head traumas experienced by athletes and others, including members of the military.

7 Sep 2012

PCI after lung cancer treatment reduces risk of brain metastases in stage III NSCLC patients

Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy have a significantly reduced risk of developing brain metastases if they also receive prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI); however, this study did not show an improvement in overall survival with PCI, according to research presented at the 2012 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

7 Sep 2012

Q Therapeutics licenses Neuralstem's Spinal Cord Delivery Platform and Floating Cannula

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has granted the first licenses for use of its Spinal Cord Delivery Platform and Floating Cannula, for delivering therapeutic agents to the spinal cord, to Salt Lake City-based Q Therapeutics.

7 Sep 2012

Toddlers with cancer more likely to develop trauma disorders than babies

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer does not only trigger posttraumatic stress disorder in adults and older children; infants and toddlers with cancer also suffer from trauma disorders, as researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Children's Hospital Zurich show for the first time. This discovery should be taken into account while treating children to prevent them from developing long-term psychological disorders.

7 Sep 2012

Boston researchers develop neonatal mouse model of sepsis

Sepsis, or bacterial infection of the bloodstream, is a grave, hard-to-diagnose threat in premature newborns in the NICU. Even when it's detected and treated with antibiotics, its inflammatory effects can harm fragile babies' development. Now, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have modeled the effects of sepsis on the unique newborn immune system, using mice.

7 Sep 2012

Lack of Atoh1 master gene can lead to sudden infant death syndrome

When mice are born lacking the master gene Atoh1, none breathe well and all die in the newborn period. Why and how this occurs could provide new answers about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), but the solution has remained elusive until now.

7 Sep 2012

Book examines highly complex structures of synaptic regions

Synapses are bulbous structures where two neurons communicate. Neurotransmitter molecules released from the presynaptic terminal of one neuron diffuse to the postsynaptic terminal on the other, binding to receptors that lead to propagation or modulation of the signal.

7 Sep 2012

All seniors can enjoy benefits of exercise: Study

A study carried out by Dr. Louis Bherer, PhD (Psychology), Laboratory Director and Researcher at the Institut universitaire de g-riatrie de Montr-al (IUGM), an institution affiliated with Universit- de Montr-al, has shown that all seniors, even those considered frail, can enjoy the benefits of exercise in terms of their physical and cognitive faculties and quality of life and that these benefits appear after only three months.

7 Sep 2012

Researchers turn skin cells into embryonic Sertoli-like cells

Using a stepwise trans-differentiation process, Whitehead Institute researchers have turned skin cells into embryonic Sertoli-like cells.

7 Sep 2012

Longer looks: Insurers balk at price of new asthma relief; Despite health law, costs still overwhelming for some patients

For two decades, Patricia DiGiusto struggled with severe asthma. Powerful medications and frequent use of her inhaler could not prevent repeated trips to the emergency room. ... Two years ago, Ms. DiGiusto's doctor told her about a new procedure called bronchial thermoplasty, the first non-drug therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration for patients with severe asthma.

7 Sep 2012

Researchers discover genetic cause of hereditary spastic ataxia

Researchers from the Guy Rouleau Laboratory affiliated with the CHUM Research Centre and the CHU-Sainte-Justine Research Centre have discovered the genetic cause of a rare disease reported only in patients originating from Newfoundland: hereditary spastic ataxia (HSA).

7 Sep 2012

Omeros files OMS824 IND with FDA to initiate clinical trials for cognitive disorders

Omeros Corporation today announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate clinical trials evaluating OMS824, the Company's lead compound from its phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10) program for schizophrenia and other cognitive disorders.

6 Sep 2012

Preliminary research findings from Kessler Foundation’s Ekso device study on SCI

Kessler Foundation has released preliminary research findings from its clinical study of the wearable robotic exoskeletal device, Ekso. Gail Forrest, PhD, assistant director of Human Performance and Engineering Research, presented the Ekso research data on September 3, at the meeting of the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals at the Rio Suites in Las Vegas. Dr. Forrest directs mobility research at the Foundation, including activity-based locomotor therapy, functional electrical stimulation, and treadmill training with the LokomatPro v6, as well as Ekso.

6 Sep 2012

Tampere University of Technology to construct human 3D neuronal structure

European Commission's Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) scheme has granted 4 M- to an international consortium aiming to construct a functional 3D neuronal structure mimicking the human brain. The project titled "Biomimicking the brain - towards 3D neuronal network dynamics" is planned to last for the period 1.7.2012.12.2014.

6 Sep 2012