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.

Positive topline results from Alkermes ALKS 9070 phase 1b study for schizophrenia

Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive topline results from a phase 1b, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of ALKS 9070 in patients with schizophrenia.

30 Jun 2011

Researchers predict human's desired movements using brain signals

Bringing the real world into the brain scanner, researchers at The University of Western Ontario from The Centre for Brain and Mind (http://www.uwo.ca/its/brain/) can now determine the action a person was planning, mere moments before that action is actually executed.

30 Jun 2011

Exposure to mobile phone derived electromagnetic fields can influence learning processes

High frequency non-ionizing radiation, emitted by mobile phones, is redundantly matter of discussions. The effects of high frequency electromagnetic fields derived from mobile phones have been discussed since the 1950's.

30 Jun 2011

Researchers discover Foxj1 genetic 'conductor' responsible for new brain cell production

A team of North Carolina State University researchers has discovered more about how a gene connected to the production of new brain cells in adults does its job. Their findings could pave the way to new therapies for brain injury or disease.

30 Jun 2011

Brain stem cells shown to generate multiple new brain stem cells

A Johns Hopkins team has discovered in young adult mice that a lone brain stem cell is capable not only of replacing itself and giving rise to specialized neurons and glia – important types of brain cells – but also of taking a wholly unexpected path: generating two new brain stem cells.

30 Jun 2011

Serum-free media with growth factors can improve MSCs' cell fate regulation

Mensenchymal stem cells (MSCs), multipotent cells identified in bone marrow and other tissues, have been shown to be therapeutically effective in the immunosuppression of T-cells, the regeneration of blood vessels, assisting in skin wound healing, and suppressing chronic airway inflammation in some asthma cases.

30 Jun 2011

MR-guided focused ultrasound effective for treating essential tremor

The last ten years have been challenging for Billy R. Williams of Fort Valley, Virginia. The former Pentagon employee, who survived the 9/11 terrorist attack, has suffered from essential tremor, a progressive and debilitating neurological disorder.

30 Jun 2011

Sensitivity of bladder cancer cells linked to chemotherapy and expression of miR-34a gene

Researchers at the UC Davis Cancer Center have discovered a way of sensitizing muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells so that they succumb to the toxic effects of chemotherapy. The finding adds to mounting evidence that tiny strands of RNA - called microRNA - play key roles in some of the deadliest types of cancer.

30 Jun 2011

UNC study uses optogenetics to tweak brain wiring responsible for drug addiction behaviors

Using a combination of genetic engineering and laser technology, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have manipulated brain wiring responsible for reward-seeking behaviors, such as drug addiction.

30 Jun 2011

Most cases of facial nerve paralysis in children can be treated successfully

A half-paralyzed face with a motionless, drooping side can be alarming at any age, but when it occurs in a child it can be especially devastating.

30 Jun 2011

Diagnostic delay in women with tuberous sclerosis complex increases mortality risk

Women with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are often misdiagnosed because the condition, commonly recognized in early childhood when it presents with seizures, manifests differently later in life, typically with renal angiomyolipomas - a benign tumor of the kidney - and pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) - a rare lung disease that affects almost exclusively women.

30 Jun 2011

Mary Ann Liebert peer-reviewed journal highlights advances in gene therapy for neurological diseases

Novel tools and methods for delivering therapeutic genes to cells in the central nervous system hold great promise for the development of new treatments to combat incurable neurologic diseases.

30 Jun 2011

TCGA examines ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tumors from 500 patients

An analysis of genomic changes in ovarian cancer has provided the most comprehensive and integrated view of cancer genes for any cancer type to date. Ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tumors from 500 patients were examined by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network and analyses are reported in the June 30, 2011, issue of Nature.

30 Jun 2011

STSI joins JAX consortium to develop targeted cancer therapies

The Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) of San Diego, Calif., has joined a national consortium of research institutions headed by The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) that is building a library of primary human tumors with the goal of developing highly targeted cancer therapies.

30 Jun 2011

Protect your ears from loud noise of fireworks, trains, and concerts

The sounds of summer can be noisy. "Fireworks, trains, concerts and road construction can be harmful to your hearing. And once hearing is damaged, it cannot be repaired," said Jyoti Bhayani, certified audiologist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System.

30 Jun 2011

FDA's ODAC recommends withdrawal of Avastin approval for metastatic breast cancer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that, during a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing, the FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended that the FDA withdraw its approval of Avastin in combination with paclitaxel chemotherapy for previously untreated HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

30 Jun 2011

Gene overexpression linked with Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome

Chronic stress has long been linked with neurodegeneration. Scientists at USC now think they may know why.

29 Jun 2011

Patients, scientists in different corners for cancer drug fight

The drug, Avastin, will be the subject of an unusual Food and Drug Administration hearing to revisit a panel vote last July that steered many doctors away from prescribing the drug for the treatment of breast cancer.

29 Jun 2011

Humans experience the Motion Aftereffect even if the motion is brief

Scientists have come up with new insight into the brain processes that cause the following optical illusion: Focus your eyes directly on the "X" in the center of the image in this short video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXnUckHbPqM&feature=player_embedded)

29 Jun 2011

ICU nurses doubt whether clinical neurological examination can establish brain death

More than half of Sweden's intensive care nurses doubt that a clinical neurological examination can establish that a patient is brain dead. Intensive care nurses also perceive that this uncertainty can affect relatives when the question of organ donation is raised, is reveiled in a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

29 Jun 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Positive topline results from Alkermes ALKS 9070 phase 1b study for schizophrenia

Researchers predict human's desired movements using brain signals

Exposure to mobile phone derived electromagnetic fields can influence learning processes

Researchers discover Foxj1 genetic 'conductor' responsible for new brain cell production

Brain stem cells shown to generate multiple new brain stem cells

Serum-free media with growth factors can improve MSCs' cell fate regulation

MR-guided focused ultrasound effective for treating essential tremor

Sensitivity of bladder cancer cells linked to chemotherapy and expression of miR-34a gene

UNC study uses optogenetics to tweak brain wiring responsible for drug addiction behaviors

Most cases of facial nerve paralysis in children can be treated successfully

Diagnostic delay in women with tuberous sclerosis complex increases mortality risk

Mary Ann Liebert peer-reviewed journal highlights advances in gene therapy for neurological diseases

TCGA examines ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tumors from 500 patients

STSI joins JAX consortium to develop targeted cancer therapies

Protect your ears from loud noise of fireworks, trains, and concerts

FDA's ODAC recommends withdrawal of Avastin approval for metastatic breast cancer

Gene overexpression linked with Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome

Patients, scientists in different corners for cancer drug fight

Humans experience the Motion Aftereffect even if the motion is brief

ICU nurses doubt whether clinical neurological examination can establish brain death

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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