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.

Wake Forest University to begin clinical trial for low-grade gliomas

For patients with low-grade gliomas, or slow growing brain tumors, a shot in the arm might soon lead to a new treatment therapy. A groundbreaking, first in humans vaccine will be tested in an early phase clinical trial that will soon begin at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Eighteen patients will be the first in the world to receive it.

2 Dec 2010

Sleep plays a crucial role in post-infarction remission

The heart and the brain appear to be even more closely connected than previously imagined. The damaging effects of myocardial infarction are apparently not confined to the heart, but also affect the brain.

2 Dec 2010

Daiichi Sankyo completes patient enrollment in Phase III edoxaban study for AF

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (TSE: 4568) announced today that it has successfully completed patient enrollment for its Phase III ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 clinical study of edoxaban, a direct, specific, oral Factor Xa inhibitor that is being investigated in two different dosing regimens given once daily, to prevent the occurrence of strokes and systemic embolic events (SEE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

2 Dec 2010

RegeneRx receives patent for Tβ4 to prevent immunological responses from toxic agents

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Company received a patent in Australia using thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), and various fragments and anologues of Tβ4, to treat or prevent biological and immunological responses to reactive chemical, biological or toxic agents.

2 Dec 2010

Noncancerous cells from primary site appear to facilitate tumor growth: Study

The process of metastasis requires that cancer cells traveling from a primary tumor find a hospitable environment in which to implant themselves and grow. A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center researchers finds that circulating tumor cells prepare this environment by bringing along from their original site noncancerous cells that support tumor growth. The report has been published online in PNAS Early Edition.

1 Dec 2010

Study finds duplicated region of DNA in major depressive disorder

A large genetic study of people with major depression has found that a duplicated region of DNA on chromosome 5 predisposes people to the disorder. The gene involved plays an important role in the development of nerve cells, adding to evidence that disruptions in neurotransmission networks form a biological basis for depression.

1 Dec 2010

Dec. 1 news from RSNA 2010

The risk of developing radiation-induced cancer from computed tomography (CT) may be lower than previously thought, according to a Stanford University study. Using more than 10 million Medicare claims from 1998 through 2005, the researchers analyzed the distribution of CT scans, determined the ionizing radiation exposure associated with the exams and estimated the associated cancer risk in a population of older adults.

1 Dec 2010

Elsevier launches Case Reviews Online for radiology professionals

Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the availability of Case Reviews Online, an online edition of Case Reviews print series offering radiology professionals self-assessment preparation for board review.

1 Dec 2010

Genes linked to one-night stands and acts of infidelity

So, he or she has cheated on you for the umpteenth time and their only excuse is: "I just can't help it." According to researchers at Binghamton University, they may be right. The propensity for infidelity could very well be in their DNA.

1 Dec 2010

Penicillamine challenge ineffective for detecting Wilson's disease in asymptomatic children

An Italian research team confirmed that the scoring system for Wilson's disease (WD) provides good diagnostic accuracy with 93% positive and 92% negative predictive values, respectively in children with mild liver disease. In asymptomatic children, a urinary copper excretion above 40 μg/24 hours was suggestive of WD, however the penicillamine challenge test (PCT) did not provide an accurate diagnosis in this patient subset.

1 Dec 2010

Early eye exam can save sight and prevent a life time disability

Jennifer Hartman had no idea her child had a significant vision problem. The day after her daughter's sixth birthday, after an eye exam, she was diagnosed as being legally blind in one eye with a condition called amblyopia or lazy eye.

1 Dec 2010

Clinicians should assess sleep-wake disturbances to understand physiology of Parkinson's disease

Nearly three-quarters of patients with Parkinson's disease experience fatigue or excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), but clinicians should assess both problems separately in order to improve the profession's understanding of their distinct, but overlapping, physiology. That is the key finding of a study published in the December issue of the European Journal of Neurology.

1 Dec 2010

Diabetes plays a vital role in regulating brain cholesterol: Research

The brain contains more cholesterol than any other organ in the body, has to produce its own cholesterol and won't function normally if it doesn't churn out enough. Defects in cholesterol metabolism have been linked with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Now researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that diabetes can affect how much cholesterol the brain can make.

1 Dec 2010

Mitochondrial brain changes contribute to risk of Alzheimer's disease: Research

What are the earliest brain changes associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A scientific report published in the October Journal of Alzheimer's Disease finds reduced activity of an energy-generating enzyme in deceased young adult brain donors who carry a common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

1 Dec 2010

Physician-scientists enroll patients with NSCLC cancer in MAGE-A3 Phase III trial

An experimental immunotherapy may someday become the newest weapon against lung cancer. Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University Medical Center are enrolling patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital as part of an ongoing Phase III trial.

1 Dec 2010

Odors in womb sensitize fetus to smells, alters brain development

A major new study shows that a pregnant mother's diet not only sensitizes the fetus to those smells and flavors, but physically changes the brain directly impacting what the infant eats and drinks in the future.

1 Dec 2010

New cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers to monitor Parkinson's disease

KineMed Inc. presents data on the new use of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of microtubule-mediated neuronal transport for the monitoring of disease progression and the advancement of therapeutic interventions in Parkinson's disease, a debilitating neurological condition with considerable unmet need for new treatments.

1 Dec 2010

MRS imaging technique may help diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy

In a study of ex-pro athletes, researchers found that a specialized imaging technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) may help diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disorder caused by repetitive head trauma that currently can only be definitively diagnosed at autopsy. Results of the study were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2010

New tool helps gauge care for people with neurological disorder

A national conversation continues about the best ways to improve both the quality of medical care and to contain costs. So far, developing quality measurements has focused on primary care or highly prevalent, chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. But what about brain disorders? To date, the number of measures that apply to neurologic care has been limited.

1 Dec 2010

Mitochondrial dysfunction observed in children with full syndrome autism

Preliminary research has found that children with autism are more likely to have impaired mitochondrial function (structures within cells responsible for energy production) and mitochondrial DNA abnormalities than typically developing children, according to a study in the December 1 issue of JAMA.

1 Dec 2010