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.

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

Seniors with higher levels of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids perform better on mental acuity tests

New research has found that elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's disease - while "junk food" diets produced just the opposite result.

29 Dec 2011

Diets high in vitamins or omega 3 fatty acids reduce brain shrinkage

People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study published in the December 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Dec 2011

Fatty food and brain damage: Study finds connection

US scientists found a sudden change to a high-fat diet triggered inflammation in a key area of rodent brains responsible for regulating body weight. The inflammation produced distinctive scarring similar to that seen in stroke patients - and that brain scarring was then observed in humans who were overweight.

28 Dec 2011

Obama and Gingrich differ on embryonic stem cell research

Research!America's new national voter education initiative, Your Candidates-Your Health, features responses from President Obama and Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on important health research and prevention issues.

28 Dec 2011

Obesity associated with hypothalamic injury

The number of people who suffer from one or more of the adverse complications of obesity, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease is rapidly increasing. Thus far, drugs designed to treat obesity have shown limited efficacy and have been associated with serious side effects.

28 Dec 2011

DNA stays too tightly wound in brain cells of patients with schizophrenia

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that DNA stays too tightly wound in certain brain cells of schizophrenic subjects. The findings suggest that drugs already in development for other diseases might eventually offer hope as a treatment for schizophrenia and related conditions in the elderly.

28 Dec 2011

Epilepsy may not increase risk of committing violent crime

Despite current public and expert opinion to the contrary, having the neurological condition epilepsy is not directly associated with an increased risk of committing violent crime.

28 Dec 2011

Older people can respond faster in decision-making tasks

Both children and the elderly have slower response times when they have to make quick decisions in some settings. But recent research suggests that much of that slower response is a conscious choice to emphasize accuracy over speed.

28 Dec 2011

National Mentor Holdings fourth quarter revenue increases 5.0% to $271.5 million

National Mentor Holdings, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2011.

27 Dec 2011

Early Alzheimer’s detection - cost effective and easy

Boston researchers have reported a new method for detecting subtle brain changes in people who have no memory problems but who may already be in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

27 Dec 2011

Donate Life to honor 10 deceased Hispanic organ and tissue donors with floragraphs

Almost 2,000 Hispanics donate organs every year in the United States, saving countless lives in the process, a contribution that will be recognized by the Donate Life float taking part in the 123rd Rose Parade in Pasadena. Five Hispanic men have been chosen to ride on the float as recognition for their gift of life to others through living donation or for the role they played in a deceased loved one's donation.

26 Dec 2011

NCC announces grant recipients of Childhood Cancer Research Coalition program

The National Cancer Coalition (NCC) is pleased to announce research grant recipients.

26 Dec 2011

Researchers analyze link between maternal-child relationship and adolescent obesity

The quality of the emotional relationship between a mother and her young child could affect the potential for that child to be obese during adolescence, a new study suggests.

26 Dec 2011