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.

Brain plays a key role in regulating glucose metabolism in humans

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have demonstrated for the first time that the brain is a key player in regulating glucose (sugar) metabolism in humans.

7 Nov 2011

Smoking primes the brain for cocaine addiction: Study

The study comes from the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Maryland that is the first of its kind to show how nicotine can change the brain in a way that enhances the behavioral effects of cocaine. It could help explain why so many drug-using teenagers tend to start with cigarettes and alcohol before moving on to more illegal substances.

7 Nov 2011

AMS pleased with CMS' increase in 2012 payment rate for proton therapy

AMERICAN SHARED HOSPITAL SERVICES, a leading provider of turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgical and radiation therapy services, said today that the recent announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicade Services (CMS) of a 15% increase in the payment rate of proton therapy for hospital based centers beginning in 2012 strengthens the economic case for the proton centers now under development by the Company.

7 Nov 2011

Positive top-line results from NPSP558 Phase 3 study on hypoparathyroidism

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing orphan therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, today announced positive top-line results from REPLACE, a Phase 3 registration study of NPSP558, the company's bioengineered replica of human parathyroid hormone (rhPTH 1-84), in adult hypoparathyroidism patients.

7 Nov 2011

Researchers discover key mechanism responsible for degrading ubiquitinated protein aggregates

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI) have discovered a key mechanism responsible for selectively degrading aggregates of ubiquitinated proteins from the cell.

7 Nov 2011

PKM2 enzyme has important non-metabolic functions in cancer formation

The embryonic enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) has a well-established role in metabolism and is highly expressed in human cancers. Now, a team led by researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in advance online publication of the journal Nature that PKM2 has important non-metabolic functions in cancer formation.

7 Nov 2011

Biologics reduce fatigue in people with RA

Treatment with a biologic agent reduces fatigue in people with rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.

7 Nov 2011

Study demonstrates need for new testing standards, greater focus on youth helmets

Old-fashioned "leatherhead" football helmets from the early 1900s are often as effective as - and sometimes better than - modern football helmets at protecting against injuries during routine, game-like collisions, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers.

5 Nov 2011

Chemical breakthrough could simplify drug development process

A new chemical process developed by a team of Harvard researchers greatly increases the utility of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in creating real-time 3-D images of chemical process occurring inside the human body.

5 Nov 2011

Forbes Consulting announces availability of MindSight technology

Forbes Consulting Group today announced the availability of MindSight, an innovative research technology that identifies and explains the specific subconscious emotions motivating consumers and professionals to buy.

5 Nov 2011

Pioneering neuroscientist receives Rockefeller's Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

Brenda Milner, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of cognitive neuroscience whose discoveries revolutionized the understanding of memory, was awarded the 2011 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize from The Rockefeller University yesterday.

5 Nov 2011

Researchers develop new image sensors for 3-D endoscopes

The surgeon carefully guides the endoscope through the patient's nasal cavity to the operation zone. It is a delicate procedure for which the surgeon has to prepare in detail before commencing the actual intervention.

5 Nov 2011

Janssen receives FDA approval for Xarelto to prevent stroke in people with AF

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) to reduce the risk of stroke in people who have abnormal heart rhythm.

5 Nov 2011

Active ingredient in saffron shows promise against MS

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered that an active ingredient in the Persian spice saffron may be a potential treatment for diseases involving neuroinflammation, such as multiple sclerosis.

5 Nov 2011

Daily intake of Souvenaid improves memory in people with mild AD

A second clinical trial of the medical food Souvenaid confirmed that daily intake of the nutritional intervention improves memory in people with mild Alzheimer's disease.

5 Nov 2011

Toxoplasma gondii directly affects production of dopamine in brain

A research group from the University of Leeds has shown that infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in 10-20 per cent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain.

5 Nov 2011

VA announces 13 new awards in 2010 Industry Innovation Competition

The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced 13 new awards in the agency's 2010 Industry Innovation Competition. The new projects will give VA an opportunity to evaluate new ways to enhance care and benefits for Veterans.

5 Nov 2011

New UBC technology can accurately detect brain aneurysms

University of British Columbia researchers have developed new technology for monitoring brain aneurysms - an approach that is potentially less invasive and more accurate than current methods, and one that is simple enough for patients to use at home for frequent monitoring.

5 Nov 2011

Psychotherapy could have diverse cerebral effects depending on certain genes

Problems like anxiety and depression are caused by psychological and environmental factors, and are known to be influenced by genetic proclivities. However, it is still not clear how each factor affects the brain's functions to induce anxious and depressive symptoms.

4 Nov 2011

'Medicine that grows' confronts antibiotics resistance

It's been called "the trots," "Montezuma's Revenge," "the runs" and worse. But no matter the name, when it strikes, victims wish for a medicine that could go straight to the offending bacteria to quickly knock it dead.

4 Nov 2011