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.

Novel gene associated with heart development and aging process

Researchers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) have identified a novel gene in the nucleus of muscle and brain cells that affects heart development and the aging process. Their investigation brings the promise of new treatments for an old, failing heart.

18 May 2011

Neurochemical basis for sleep deprivation's effects on memory

From high-school students to surgeons, anyone who has pulled an all-nighter knows there is a price to be paid the next day: trouble focusing, a fuzzy memory and other cognitive impairments. Now, researchers at Penn have found the part of the brain and the neurochemical basis for sleep deprivation's effects on memory.

18 May 2011

Gut bacteria influences brain chemistry and behaviour: Research

For the first time, researchers at McMaster University have conclusive evidence that bacteria residing in the gut influence brain chemistry and behaviour.

18 May 2011

Treatment of chronic low back pain can reverse abnormal brain activity and function

It likely comes as no surprise that low back pain is the most common form of chronic pain among adults. Lesser known is the fact that those withchronic pain also experience cognitive impairments and reduced gray matter in parts of the brain associated with pain processing and the emotional components of pain, like depression and anxiety.

18 May 2011

Tips to get better sleep

Your life is already tense — teens rebelling, house under renovation, work life in overload, bills piling up, elderly parents declining — yet the demands requiring your attention and time continue to grow, overflowing into sleep-time territory. Oftentimes, mass marketing's solutions to women's challenging lifestyles focus on quick fixes and more consumer goods.

18 May 2011

The Incubation Factory, UMDNJ and NJIT partner to commercialize personal tonometer for glaucoma

NJIT and UMDNJ have executed a license agreement with The Incubation Factory, St. Louis, MO, covering their personal tonometer technology on which a patent is pending. The tonometer was developed by a research team led by NJIT Professor Gordon Thomas, PhD, and Robert Fechtner, MD, director of the glaucoma division at UMDNJ.

18 May 2011

Leucine deprivation triggers apoptosis in melanoma cells

Whitehead Institute researchers have found that depriving human melanoma cells of the essential amino acid leucine can be lethal to the cells, suggesting a possible strategy for therapeutic intervention.

18 May 2011

Study offers new understanding of cell signaling networks tied to diabetes and cancer

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine have published a study that offers a new understanding of a protein critical to physiological processes involved in major diseases such as diabetes and cancer. This work could help scientists design drugs to battle these disorders.

18 May 2011

Cytonet receives FDA orphan drug designation for liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders

International biotechnology firm Cytonet, which is investigating a liver cell infusion of donated human liver cells for the treatment of urea cycle disorders in young children, announced it has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

18 May 2011

Anavex comments on new Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic guidelines

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex”) (OTCBB: AVXL) today commented on new diagnostic criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease published recently by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer’s Association, which have been updated for the first time in more than 25 years. The new guidelines discuss the importance of new technologies, including brain imaging and biomarker analysis, in research and clinical diagnosis. They describe Alzheimer’s disease at a preclinical stage, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia due to Alzheimer’s pathology.

18 May 2011

Early exposure to social deprivation and neglect linked to prematurely shortened telomeres in children

Studies in institutionalized Romanian children have found that the length of time spent in conditions of social deprivation and neglect correlates with lower IQ and behavioral problems. A new study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Tulane University, shows that early adversity even affects children's chromosomes – prematurely shortening the chromosome tips, known as telomeres, and hastening how quickly their cells "age."

17 May 2011

Medtronic to present clinical trial data of IN.PACT drug-eluting balloon technology at EuroPCR meeting

A global leader in advancing the treatment of cardiovascular disease through innovative medical technology, Medtronic, Inc. today announced recent milestones in its clinical program for the IN.PACT drug-eluting balloon technology.

From Medtronic 17 May 2011

Scientists identify 'de novo' genetic mutations in autism spectrum disorder children

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) Department of Genome Sciences have identified several sporadic or "de novo" genetic mutations in children with autism spectrum disorder. The researchers applied leading edge molecular biology techniques and massively parallel sequencing to simultaneously examine all of the protein coding portions of the genome, collectively called the exome.

17 May 2011

'Mu opioid' receptors in the brain linked to smoking relapse

Nearly everyone who has tried to quit smoking says it's incredibly difficult, and the struggle is due in part to genetic factors. Now, a new study from the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sheds light on how one specific genetic risk for smoking relapse may work: Some of the difficulties may be due to how many receptors, called "mu opioid" receptors, a smoker has in his or her brain.

17 May 2011

CytRx sells global rights of molecular chaperone assets to Orphazyme

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced that it has sold the worldwide rights to its molecular chaperone assets to privately-held, Copenhagen, Denmark-based Orphazyme ApS.

17 May 2011

Eli Lilly responds to Amylin's exenatide lawsuit

Eli Lilly and Company has provided additional perspective in response to Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.

17 May 2011

HealthPartners prescribes walking or exercise for patients with depression

Giving pedometers to patients screened for depression, HealthPartners Medical Group (HPMG) is prescribing walking or exercise in addition to medication and/or therapy as an effective tool in helping patients with depression.

17 May 2011

Early stages of Alzheimer’s difficult to detect: Study

According to a new study, more than half of people who develop Alzheimer's disease before the age of 60 are initially misdiagnosed as having other kinds of brain disease when they do not have memory problems. The research is published in the May 17, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 May 2011

Imec, VIB and KU Leuven join forces in pioneering brain research at NERF and in the Human Brain Project

Today, Flanders' ambitious brain research that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of brain disease, new prosthesis technologies for patients with a disability, a new generation of more intelligent robots, etc. switches into higher gear. In the presence of Ingrid Lieten, Flemish Minister of Innovation, Public Procurement, the Media and Combatting Poverty, imec, VIB and K.U.Leuven officially inaugurated the NERF (Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders) labs on the Imec campus in Leuven. The Human Brain Project was also launched on this occasion, one of the projects on the shortlist of the prestigious European Flagship Programme. Through NERF and the participation of Flanders' research institutes in the Human Brain Project, Flanders shows that it is putting progressive brain research high on its research agenda.

16 May 2011

IsoRay third fiscal quarter sales increase 17%

IsoRay Inc., announced financial results for the third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2011 underscoring significant improvements in quarterly sales revenue growth both sequentially and in the prior year quarter. Sales increased 17% in the period with the Company posting a 581% gain in gross profit compared to the prior year third quarter.

16 May 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Novel gene associated with heart development and aging process

Neurochemical basis for sleep deprivation's effects on memory

Gut bacteria influences brain chemistry and behaviour: Research

Treatment of chronic low back pain can reverse abnormal brain activity and function

Tips to get better sleep

The Incubation Factory, UMDNJ and NJIT partner to commercialize personal tonometer for glaucoma

Leucine deprivation triggers apoptosis in melanoma cells

Study offers new understanding of cell signaling networks tied to diabetes and cancer

Cytonet receives FDA orphan drug designation for liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders

Anavex comments on new Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic guidelines

Early exposure to social deprivation and neglect linked to prematurely shortened telomeres in children

Medtronic to present clinical trial data of IN.PACT drug-eluting balloon technology at EuroPCR meeting

Scientists identify 'de novo' genetic mutations in autism spectrum disorder children

'Mu opioid' receptors in the brain linked to smoking relapse

CytRx sells global rights of molecular chaperone assets to Orphazyme

Eli Lilly responds to Amylin's exenatide lawsuit

HealthPartners prescribes walking or exercise for patients with depression

Early stages of Alzheimer’s difficult to detect: Study

Imec, VIB and KU Leuven join forces in pioneering brain research at NERF and in the Human Brain Project

IsoRay third fiscal quarter sales increase 17%

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 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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