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.

Life Sciences Discovery Fund announces nearly $600,000 in awards

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced nearly $600,000 in awards to support commercial development of technologies to improve the diagnosis and management of major health conditions.

9 Feb 2011

Gates Foundation awards USF $5.45M for malaria research

The University of South Florida received $5.45 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The first grant is to create advanced devices that mimic the human liver to better study the life cycle of the malaria parasite - particularly the elusive liver stage where the disease may be most vulnerable to attack.

9 Feb 2011

BeneChill, Physio-Control to launch RhinoChill IntraNasal Cooling System in Europe

Physio-Control, a global leader in emergency medical solutions and wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic, and BeneChill, a pioneer in portable therapeutic cooling systems, today announced a strategic partnership to launch the RhinoChill IntraNasal Cooling System in Europe.

9 Feb 2011

Specific gene variation linked to late-onset Alzheimer's

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found evidence suggesting that a variation of a specific gene may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's, the disease which accounts for over 90% of Alzheimer's cases. This innovative study has combined genetics and brain imaging to determine who may be at risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms appear.

9 Feb 2011

UW research receives Keck Foundation grant to restore lost brain function using neurochips

Tiny, implantable computers that would restore brain function lost to disease or injury is the goal of University of Washington research recently funded by a $1 million, three-year grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation.

9 Feb 2011

Researchers link brain's neural networks to specific cognitive functions

The human brain operates as a highly interconnected small-world network, not as a collection of discrete regions as previously believed, with important implications for why many of us experience cognitive declines in old age, a new study shows.

9 Feb 2011

FDA proposes new Innovation Pathway program for pioneering medical devices

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed the Innovation Pathway, a priority review program for new, breakthrough medical devices and announced the first submission: a brain-controlled, upper-extremity prosthetic that will serve as a pilot for the program. The FDA also announced plans to seek further public comment before the Pathway can be used more broadly.

9 Feb 2011

Specific gene variation may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's disease: New study

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has found evidence suggesting that a variation of a specific gene may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's, the disease which accounts for over 90% of Alzheimer's cases. This innovative study has combined genetics and brain imaging to determine who may be at risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms appear.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists monitor frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how it works

Like listeners adjusting a high-tech radio, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have tuned in to precise frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how the brain works.

9 Feb 2011

Urocortin system plays central role in regulating stress responses

Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect soldiers after combat or ordinary people who have undergone harrowing experiences. Of course, feelings of anxiety are normal and even desirable - they are part of what helps us survive in a world of real threats. But no less crucial is the return to normal - the slowing of the heartbeat and relaxation of tension - after the threat has passed.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists develop novel technique to detect disordered protein folding

A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technique to observe previously unknown details of how folded structures are formed from an intrinsically disordered protein.

9 Feb 2011

New study: Cannabis use significantly hastens onset of psychotic illness

A new study has provided the first conclusive evidence that cannabis use significantly hastens the onset of psychotic illnesses during the critical years of brain development - with possible life-long consequences.

9 Feb 2011

CytRx's bafetinib helps reduce skeletal complications in cancer patients

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced that results from a series of preclinical studies show that bafetinib may be useful in preventing bone loss in cancer patients who are at high risk for this event.

8 Feb 2011

New study shows eggs are 14% lower in cholesterol

According to new nutrition data from the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, eggs are lower in cholesterol than previously thought.

8 Feb 2011

Positron anticipates expanded market opportunity for Attrius PET scanner

Positron Corporation a molecular imaging solutions company focused on nuclear cardiology, announced today that with the conditional U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Eli Lilly's PET imaging agent Amyvid (florbetapir), it expects to see an expanded market opportunity for its Attrius® PET scanner.

8 Feb 2011

Motorcycle helmets reduce spine injuries after collisions

Motorcycle helmets, long known to dramatically reduce the number of brain injuries and deaths from crashes, appear to also be associated with a lower risk of cervical spine injury, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests.

8 Feb 2011

Researchers develop reality-based video game therapies to help stroke patients

The Journal of the American Medical Society featured the research of NJIT Associate Professor Sergei Adamovich, a biomedical engineer. Adamovich and his research partners, physical therapists Alma Merians, PhD, PT, and Eugene Tunik, PhD, PT, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, have developed innovative robotic and virtual reality-based video game therapies to help stroke patients regain use of hands and arms.

8 Feb 2011

Scientists use fruit flies to study how prenatal alcohol exposure causes FAS

Drinking excess alcohol during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) due to the damaging effects of alcohol on a developing baby's brain. Despite its harmful effects, pregnant mothers continue to drink alcohol - up to 3 in every 1000 babies are born with FAS, which causes intellectual disabilities, behavioural problems, growth defects and abnormal facial features.

8 Feb 2011

Genentech's OCEANS Phase III study of Avastin in platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer meets primary endpoint

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that OCEANS, a Phase III study evaluating Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and gemcitabine) followed by continued use of Avastin alone until disease progression in women with previously treated (recurrent), platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, met its primary endpoint.

8 Feb 2011

Higher vitamin D levels and sun exposure linked to lower risk of multiple sclerosis

People who spend more time in the sun and those with higher vitamin D levels may be less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in the February 8, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. MS is a chronic disease of the brain and spinal cord, usually with recurrent flare-ups of symptoms. It is often preceded by a first episode (or event) of similar symptoms lasting days to weeks.

8 Feb 2011