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.

Global variation in relative burden of stroke and heart disease

An analysis of heart disease and stroke statistics collected in 192 countries by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that the relative burden of the two diseases varies widely from country to country and is closely linked to national income, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

11 Jul 2011

Researchers discover how genetic mutations cause rare human diseases

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and in Michigan, North Carolina and Spain have discovered how genetic mutations cause a number of rare human diseases, which include Meckel syndrome, Joubert syndrome and several other disorders.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists convert brain cells into cardiomyocytes

For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers anticipate that they may help to repair injured hearts by replacing lost tissue.

11 Jul 2011

Research targets malignant glioma stem cells

Cleveland Clinic researchers have identified a cellular pathway that cancer stem cells use to promote tumor growth in malignant glioma, an aggressive brain tumor.

11 Jul 2011

Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin establishes MagForce NanoTherm therapy center for treatment of tumors

Nanostart subsidiary MagForce Nanotechnologies AG, a leading medical technology company focusing on nanomedicine in oncology, announced that the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin published the establishment of its NanoTherm therapy center for the treatment of recurrent brain tumors.

8 Jul 2011

'Plasticity' genes make it harder to form new memories about unfamiliar topics

Scientists have shed light on why it is easier to learn about things related to what we already know than it is to learn about unfamiliar things, according to a new study.

8 Jul 2011

Pregnant women face higher risk of stroke

High blood pressure during pregnancy is a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality worldwide.

8 Jul 2011

Common cell pathway could lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer

A discovery by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers about a how a common cell pathway that helps regulate cell survival and production is turned on could lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Emotional reactions in human body may prompt introspection and promote moral choices

The human brain may simulate physical sensations to prompt introspection, capitalizing on moments of high emotion to promote moral behavior, according to a USC researcher.

8 Jul 2011

New human syndrome features craniosynostosis, maxillary hyperplasia, delayed tooth eruption, extra teeth

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, have described a new, recessively inherited human syndrome featuring craniosynostosis, maxillary hyperplasia, delayed tooth eruption and extra teeth. The researchers also identified causative mutations in a gene IL11RA.

8 Jul 2011

Pediatricians debunk pearls of medical wisdom

Don't Cross Your Eyes-They'll Get Stuck that Way!, a new book by myth-fighting Indiana University School of Medicine pediatricians Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., and Rachel Vreeman, M.D., M.S., debunks the pearls of medical wisdom that many people and even their physicians believe are true. Be prepared to revise your thinking; no, an apple a day won't keep the doctor away and no, warm milk won't help you sleep.

8 Jul 2011

New technique may help scientists probe mysteries of many different stem cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute have been able to genetically incorporate "unnatural" amino acids, such as those emitting green fluorescence, into neural stem cells, which then differentiate into brain neurons with the incandescent "tag" intact.

8 Jul 2011

New target could halt growth of glioblastoma

Researchers have uncovered a new target that could stop the growth of glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer.

8 Jul 2011

Novartis Afinitor Phase III trial on tuberous sclerosis meets primary endpoint

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today Phase III trial results that showed more than one-third of patients taking Afinitor tablets experienced a 50% or greater reduction in the size of their subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, non-cancerous brain tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

8 Jul 2011

Scientists discover way to separate neural wheat from the chaff

University of Florida scientists have discovered a way to separate the neural wheat from the chaff during the process of generating brain cells for potential patient therapies.

8 Jul 2011

New advances in Alzheimer's disease research

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.

8 Jul 2011

AHAF awards 22 new grants to scientists worldwide for innovative vision research

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit organization with a history of funding cutting-edge research on age-related diseases, announced today that it has awarded 22 new grants totaling nearly $2.2 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the U.S.

8 Jul 2011

InVivo files biopolymer scaffold IDE with FDA to initiate spinal cord injury clinical trial

InVivo Therapeutics today announced that the Company has submitted an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a proprietary biopolymer scaffolding device to protect and support spinal tissue and prevent secondary injury, including inflammation and glial scarring, following traumatic spinal cord injury.

8 Jul 2011

Exenatide tQT clinical trial meets pre-specified primary endpoint

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. today announced results from a thorough QT (tQT) study that assessed the potential of exenatide to increase the QT interval across a wide range of plasma concentrations.

8 Jul 2011

PDF announces $1M for 11 novel Parkinson's research projects

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) is pleased to announce awards totaling more than $1 million for 11 novel investigator-initiated research projects designed to understand the causes of and find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

8 Jul 2011