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.

First genetic test on developing risk of Alzheimer's disease and heart attacks

Alzheimer and heart attacks have been found to share common genetic basis. The research leads the way to the first genetic test on developing the risk of the diseases even at a young age. According to Federico Licastro, an immunologist at the University of Bologna who coordinated the study published in the scientific journal, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, a test is now ready. "They are already selling it in America", he says, citing the case of a private firm in New Mexico (USA) that collaborated on the study. "But the tests could easily be also conducted wherever, using a simple blood test".

10 Dec 2010

New 5-minute Memory Orientation Screening Test to identify elderly patients with dementia

A new 5-minute test to identify elderly patients with dementia promises to give doctors a more sensitive tool to use in the Annual Wellness Examination. The Memory Orientation Screening Test (MOST™) developed by Mitchell Clionsky, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist, and Emilymarie Clionsky, MD, an internist/psychiatrist, is based on their clinical experience with thousands of patients who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias, which now afflicts more than 5 million Americans.

10 Dec 2010

Exposure to tobacco smoke causes immediate damage leading to serious illness or death

Exposure to tobacco smoke - even occasional smoking or secondhand smoke - causes immediate damage to your body that can lead to serious illness or death, according to a report released today by U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin. The comprehensive scientific report - Benjamin's first Surgeon General's report and the 30th tobacco-related Surgeon General's report issued since 1964 - describes specific pathways by which tobacco smoke damages the human body and leads to disease and death.

10 Dec 2010

New molecular tools show promise for cleansing brain of amyloid plaques

New molecular tools developed at the University of Michigan show promise for "cleansing" the brain of amyloid plaques, implicated in Alzheimer's disease.

10 Dec 2010

Oxygen Biotherapeutics reports net revenue of $27,126 for second quarter of fiscal 2011

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc., a development stage biomedical company focused on developing oxygen-rich intravenous and topical products, today announced results for the fiscal year second quarter ended October 31, 2010.

10 Dec 2010

Clearance of plaque-forming substance is impaired in Alzheimer's disease

"Clearance is impaired in Alzheimer's disease," says Randall Bateman, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

10 Dec 2010

Researchers verify several factors associated with increased risk of brain metastases in breast cancer patients

Nearly one-fifth of all metastatic breast cancer patients develop brain metastases and have significantly shorter overall survival than patients who do not have brain involvement. One way to improve the affected patients' survival might be to prevent the brain metastases from arising in the first place. With that in mind, researchers have been working on a predictive model that accurately identifies these high risk patients.

10 Dec 2010

The Joint Commission names AMC as Certified Primary Stroke Center

Adventist Medical Center, a nonprofit, 302-bed acute care hospital in southeast Portland, Ore., has been named a Certified Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. This distinction means AMC offers fast and effective stroke care, and has a commitment to continuing education and improvement to issues connected with stroke.

9 Dec 2010

Acorda initiates enrollment in GGF2 Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with heart failure

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the first clinical trial of Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2). Acorda is collaborating with the Vanderbilt University Heart and Vascular Institute to conduct this Phase 1 single-dose trial in patients with heart failure.

9 Dec 2010

Is neuroimaging voodoo, new phrenology, or scientific breakthrough

Neuroimaging-is it voodoo, new phrenology, or scientific breakthrough? See what the experts have to say in this special section on fMRI in Perspectives on Psychological Science.

9 Dec 2010

Research sheds new light on dopamine's role in brain's reward system

Researchers have shed new light on dopamine's role in the brain's reward system, which could provide insight into impulse control problems associated with addiction and a number of psychiatric disorders.

9 Dec 2010

New finding could help identify individuals with abnormal brain function

Mayo Clinic researchers found that the part of the brain generating seizures in individuals with epilepsy is functionally isolated from surrounding brain regions. The researchers hope this finding could be a clinical biomarker to help identify individuals with abnormal brain function.

9 Dec 2010

Results of proteomics study performed utilizing plasma samples from ADNI now available

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health's Biomarkers Consortium announced today that the results of a proteomics study performed utilizing plasma samples from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative are ready to be shared with scientists worldwide for further analysis.

9 Dec 2010

New study shows how meditators don't ponder pain

Zen meditation has many health benefits, including a reduced sensitivity to pain. According to new research from the Universit- de Montr-al, meditators do feel pain but they simply don't dwell on it as much. These findings, published in the month's issue of Pain, may have implications for chronic pain sufferers, such as those with arthritis, back pain or cancer.

9 Dec 2010

Rexahn presents data from Serdaxin Phase IIa study at 49th ACNP Annual Meeting

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing potential best in class oncology and central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics, today announced the presentation of data from its proof of concept study with lead CNS compound Serdaxin® at the 49th American College of Neuropsychopharmacologists (ACNP) Annual Meeting, held in Miami Beach, FL, December 5-9, 2010 at the Fountainbleau Resort.

9 Dec 2010

Sunovion reports results of Latuda third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial for schizophrenia

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the results of the PEARL 3 study, the third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial of Latuda® (lurasidone HCl) tablets, a once-daily atypical antipsychotic agent recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. In this six-week, placebo-controlled trial, both fixed doses of LATUDA 80 and 160 mg once-daily, demonstrated statistically significant improvement in symptoms of schizophrenia versus placebo across both primary and secondary efficacy measures.

9 Dec 2010

Researchers to study effect of resveratrol on impaired IGT in older prediabetic patients

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have been awarded $600,000 from the American Diabetes Association to study the effect of resveratrol, a chemical compound most notably found in red wine and grapes, on impaired glucose tolerance in older adults.

9 Dec 2010

Novel treatment strategy for social impairment of people with ASD

Eastern Virginia Medical School researchers have identified a potential novel treatment strategy for the social impairment of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), an aspect of the condition that has a profound impact on quality of life.

9 Dec 2010

Teva, Active Biotech report positive initial results from laquinimod Phase III study in multiple sclerosis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech announced today initial results from the two-year Phase III ALLEGRO study, which demonstrated that relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with 0.6 mg daily oral laquinimod experienced a statistically significant reduction in annualized relapse rate compared to placebo. Additional clinical endpoints, including significant reduction in disability progression, as measured by Expanded Disability Severity Scale (EDSS), were also achieved.

9 Dec 2010

Research findings could lead to new therapies to correct neurological disorders

Yale University researchers have found that a single molecule not only connects brain cells but also changes how we learn. The findings, reported in the December 9 issue of the journal Neuron, may help researchers discover ways to improve memory and could lead to new therapies to correct neurological disorders.

9 Dec 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

First genetic test on developing risk of Alzheimer's disease and heart attacks

New 5-minute Memory Orientation Screening Test to identify elderly patients with dementia

Exposure to tobacco smoke causes immediate damage leading to serious illness or death

New molecular tools show promise for cleansing brain of amyloid plaques

Oxygen Biotherapeutics reports net revenue of $27,126 for second quarter of fiscal 2011

Clearance of plaque-forming substance is impaired in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers verify several factors associated with increased risk of brain metastases in breast cancer patients

The Joint Commission names AMC as Certified Primary Stroke Center

Acorda initiates enrollment in GGF2 Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with heart failure

Is neuroimaging voodoo, new phrenology, or scientific breakthrough

Research sheds new light on dopamine's role in brain's reward system

New finding could help identify individuals with abnormal brain function

Results of proteomics study performed utilizing plasma samples from ADNI now available

New study shows how meditators don't ponder pain

Rexahn presents data from Serdaxin Phase IIa study at 49th ACNP Annual Meeting

Sunovion reports results of Latuda third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial for schizophrenia

Researchers to study effect of resveratrol on impaired IGT in older prediabetic patients

Novel treatment strategy for social impairment of people with ASD

Teva, Active Biotech report positive initial results from laquinimod Phase III study in multiple sclerosis

Research findings could lead to new therapies to correct neurological disorders

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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