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.

Osteoporosis, low bone density common in people with early-stage MS

Osteoporosis and low bone density are common in people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published in the July 12, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Jul 2011

Researchers find clear changes in how emotions are processed in smokers

A team of researchers led by the University of Bonn found clear changes in how emotions are processed in smokers. After an abstinence period of 12 hours, the brain's fear center was mostly out of commission in addicts.

12 Jul 2011

New owl study reveals advantage of stereopsis

Using owls as a model, a new research study reveals the advantage of stereopsis, commonly referred to as stereovision, is its ability to discriminate between objects and background; not in perceiving absolute depth.

12 Jul 2011

New research strategy for eradicating HIV from the body

An international team led by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and the nonprofit Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Port St. Lucie, Fla., has received a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a strategy to eradicate HIV from the body.

12 Jul 2011

Gut hormone changes the ability of food-related cues to alter dopamine levels

New research findings to be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, finds that ghrelin, a natural gut hormone that stimulates feeding, also modulates the ability of tasty food and food-related cues to alter dopamine levels within the striatum, a critical component of the brain's reward system.

12 Jul 2011

Two papers highlight therapeutic potential of human Sertoli cells

Two papers published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation, now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/, highlight the therapeutic potential of human Sertoli cells that are present in the testes and are also called "nurse" or "mother" cells because they nurture the developing sperm cells.

12 Jul 2011

Eating disorder behavior may directly affect brain function

Bulimia nervosa is a severe eating disorder associated with episodic binge eating followed by extreme behaviors to avoid weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or excessive exercise.

12 Jul 2011

Gut hormone reduces willingness to pay for non-food items

Research to be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, suggests that ghrelin, a naturally occurring gut hormone, increases our willingness to pay for food, while simultaneously decreasing our willingness to pay for non-food items.

12 Jul 2011

Specific miRNAs play a key role in melanoma metastasis

Researchers at the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center at NYU Langone Medical Center, identified for the first time the key role specific microRNAs play in melanoma metastasis to simultaneously cause cancer cells to invade and immunosuppress the human body's ability to fight abnormal cells.

12 Jul 2011

American Tinnitus Association awards $10,000 to Wayne State University student

Na Zhu, a Wayne State University College of Engineering student, has received the 2011 American Tinnitus Association Student Research Grant Program award. The program financially supports scientific studies that investigate and aim to find a cure for tinnitus.

12 Jul 2011

CMC hospital Ludhiana upgrades to MLCi2-equipped Elekta Compact linear accelerator

Christian Medical College & Hospital (CMC) Ludhiana is the site of the first Elekta Compact™ linear accelerator in the world to be field-upgraded to an MLCi2-equipped Elekta Compact, completing the transformation in less than a week. MLCi2 shapes treatment beams, enabling doctors to provide more accurate delivery to the target, while limiting radiation exposure to surrounding structures.

From Elekta 11 Jul 2011

Sinapis completes first clinical trial of lead drug for stroke and traumatic brain injury

Sinapis Pharma, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has completed its first clinical trial in the development of its lead drug for the treatment of stroke and traumatic brain injury.

11 Jul 2011

FDA approves expansion of St. Jude Medical's BROADEN deep brain stimulation study for depression

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for expansion of its BROADEN (BROdmann Area 25 DEep brain Neurostimulation) study for depression. This expansion will allow a maximum of 20 sites across the U.S. to enroll up to 125 patients.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists study neuronal excitation to treat neurological disorders

Oh, the challenges of being a neuron, responsible for essential things like muscle contraction, gland secretion and sensitivity to touch, sound and light, yet constantly bombarded with signals from here, there and everywhere.

11 Jul 2011

Toshiba receives FDA approval for new MR software upgrade

To streamline diagnosis and enable greater overall exam efficiency, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has announced FDA approval of VirtualExplorer Version 3.1, a software upgrade package for Toshiba MR VirtualExplorer workstations.

11 Jul 2011

Insights into how brain can preserve memory and prevent forgetting

As any student who's had to study for multiple exams can tell you, trying to learn two different sets of facts one after another is challenging. As you study for the physics exam, almost inevitably some of the information for the history exam is forgotten.

11 Jul 2011

Study links OBEs with neural instability and errors in body representation

Although out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are typically associated with migraine, epilepsy and psychopathology, they are quite common in healthy and psychologically normal individuals as well. However, they are poorly understood.

11 Jul 2011

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital offers two new treatment options for cancer patients

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has two new treatment options for patients with brain tumors and other cancers -- a next-generation radiosurgical Gamma Knife and linear accelerator.

From Elekta 11 Jul 2011

New research on Alzheimer's

Advancing age is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and is associated with build- up of the peptide amyloid β in the brain. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS shows that removal of amyloid β from the brain depends on vitamin D and also on an age-related alteration in the production of transporter proteins which move amyloid β in and out of the brain.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists unravel how memories are 'read out' in fly brain

What happens if you cannot recall your memory correctly? You are able to associate and store the name and face of a person, yet you might be unable to remember them when you meet that person. In this example, the recall of the information is temporarily impaired. How such associative memories are "read out" in the brain remains one of the great mysteries of modern neurobiology.

11 Jul 2011