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.

Origin of osteoporosis could be directly linked to manganese depletion

The loss of manganese could mean that calcium does not stick to bones and could cause osteoporosis. This is the new theory put forward by researchers at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) in Spain after studying deer antlers.

3 Jan 2012

Vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in blood could stave off dementia: Study

A new study has shown that higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E are associated with better mental functioning in the elderly.

3 Jan 2012

Hormone Adiponectin linked to dementia in women: Study

New research has shown that there may be a possible connection between a hormone found in body fat and the risk of dementia, adding to the growing evidence on the potential link between the condition and diabetes.

3 Jan 2012

Gestational diabetes along with poverty raises risk of ADHD in the child: Study

According to a new study pregnant mothers with gestational diabetes are more likely to have kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Additionally if they have a poorer socioeconomic status, the child is 14 times more likely to be diagnosed with the behavioral disorder, researchers at Queens College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine found.

3 Jan 2012

Combination of biomarkers indicates high risk of Alzheimer's in the future

Physician Oskar Hansson and his research group are studying biomarkers - substances present in spinal fluid and linked to Alzheimer's disease. The group has studied close to 140 people with mild memory impairment, showing that a certain combination of markers (low levels of the substance beta-amyloid and high levels of the substance tau) indicate a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in the future.

3 Jan 2012

InSightec completes enrollment in ExAblate Neuro clinical study for Essential Tremor

InSightec Ltd, the global leader in MR guided Focused Ultrasound therapy, announced today that it has completed enrollment in the world's first feasibility study evaluating the use of MRgFUS for treatment of Essential Tremor, using ExAblate Neuro at University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

3 Jan 2012

Marijuana ingredients appear to affect regional brain function during salience processing

Different ingredients in marijuana appear to affect regions of the brain differently during brain processing functions involving responses to certain visual stimuli and tasks, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Jan 2012

DBS safe and effective for treatment-resistant depression in patients with unipolar MDD or BP

A new study shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression in patients with either unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar ll disorder.

3 Jan 2012

Positive link between physical activity and academic performance of children

A systematic review of previous studies suggests that there may be a positive relationship between physical activity and the academic performance of children, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Jan 2012

Adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia appear to show greater brain GM volume loss

Adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses appear to show greater decreases in gray matter volume and increases in cerebrospinal fluid in the frontal lobe compared to healthy adolescents without a diagnosis of psychosis, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Jan 2012

CSF Aβ42 levels appear to be decreased before patients with MCI develop AD dementia

Cerebrospinal fluid levels of Aβ42 appear to be decreased at least five to 10 years before some patients with mild cognitive impairment develop Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia whereas other spinal fluid levels seem to be later markers of disease, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Jan 2012

Columbus’s crew may have brought back syphilis: Study

New research shows that syphilis – a sexually transmitted disease was carried to Europe aboard Christopher Columbus' ships as they sailed home from the New World. The disease was not spread through sexual contact at the time, but adapted to survive once it got to Europe, Emory University researchers say.

1 Jan 2012

Glia cells also regulate learning and memory

Glia cells, named for the Greek word for "glue," hold the brain's neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors, but scientists have long puzzled over their prominence in the activities of the brain dedicated to learning and memory.

30 Dec 2011

Prion protein uptake associated with development of Scrapie disease

Scrapie is a neurodegenerative disease which can function as a model for other diseases caused by an accumulation of proteins resulting in tissue malformations (proteinpathies), such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

30 Dec 2011

Healthy diet keeps the brain sharp

The study shows that elderly who followed this diet had less of the brain shrinkage linked with Alzheimer's disease and scored better on mental and thinking tests than those with poorer diets. Although previous studies have suggested that a heart-healthy diet is also good for the brain, the new study took a different approach by using blood tests to determine the participant’s diet and nutrient levels.

29 Dec 2011

Avastin fails to live up to expectations for extending survival in ovarian cancer

Cancer drug Avastin has been found to add about four months to the time it takes for the cancer to worsen for women with advanced cases of ovarian cancer says a new report. However it may not extend survival significantly.

29 Dec 2011

Slimy new way of transport designed by Japanese

Japanese researchers are inspired by a brainless primeval organism – yellow amoeboid slime, to devise the ideal transport network design.

29 Dec 2011

Silent strokes linked to memory loss in the elderly

New research links 'silent strokes,' or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly. The study is published in the January 3, 2012, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Dec 2011

GOG targeted therapy phase 3 clinical trial delays progression of advanced ovarian cancer

Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer.

29 Dec 2011

Bevacizumab delays disease progression in ovarian cancer

Treating ovarian cancer with the drug bevacizumab ("Avastin") delays the disease and may also improve survival, show the results of an international clinical trial co-led by Drs. Amit Oza of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, University Health Network and Timothy Perren, St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK.

29 Dec 2011