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.

Study shows beneficial impact of TYSABRI on QoL in MS patients

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc today announced results from a one-year, longitudinal health outcomes studys 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10 - 17, 2010. The AAN Annual Meeting is the world's largest gathering of neurologists.

17 Apr 2010

Courage Center accepts nominations for three employment-related annual awards

Minneapolis-based Courage Center, a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center, is accepting nominations for three employment-related annual awards: the Jay and Rose Phillips Award, the Phillips Caregiver Award and the Judd Jacobson Memorial Award.

17 Apr 2010

Intensive rehabilitation therapy with robotic aids can help stroke patients regain limb movement

Patients show modest yet meaningful gains in limb movement and an improved outlook on life years after suffering a stroke, a major clinical study has found. The paper, published online this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, provides the best evidence yet that stroke sufferers in a controlled study can regain limb movement long after an injury, through intensive therapy with specially trained personnel and newly created robotic aids.

17 Apr 2010

ADHD behaviors in children associated with serotonin activity and self-blame

ADHD may be caused by alterations in the serotonin neurotransmission system combined with a tendency to experience psychosocial distress. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions found that ADHD behaviors in children and adolescents were associated with interactions between low and high serotonin activity and self-blame in relation to inter-parental conflict.

17 Apr 2010

Laquinimod may have neuroprotective properties in addition to anti-inflammatory effects for RRMS

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech today announced results from several studies demonstrating that laquinimod, a novel, investigational once-daily oral immunomodulator for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) may have neuroprotective properties in addition to its anti-inflammatory effects.

16 Apr 2010

Scientists grow cultured neurons to investigate basic mechanisms of memory

In order to be able to understand complex organs such as the brain or the nervous system, simplified model systems are required. A group of scientists led by the Frankfurt brain researcher Erin Schuman has successfully developed a novel method to grow cultured neurons in order to investigate basic mechanisms of memory.

16 Apr 2010

DNA modification can define early onset glioblastoma

A class of brain tumor that tends to emerge in younger patients but is less aggressive than others can be identified by examining DNA methylation of a specific set of genes, scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and colleagues with The Cancer Genome Atlas report today online at Cancer Cell.

16 Apr 2010

University Hospital of Zurich treats cancer patients with Varian Medical Systems' TrueBeam system

The University Hospital of Zurich has become the first medical center in the world to commence treating cancer patients with the revolutionary TrueBeam system from Varian Medical Systems, a new platform for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery that was designed from the ground up to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and precision.

16 Apr 2010

Long-term monitoring and education needed to protect lungs of young patients

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified childhood cancer survivors who are at increased risk for deteriorating lung health, in part due to the lifesaving bone marrow transplants they underwent years earlier.

16 Apr 2010

Age-related declines in peripheral nerve function may be related to metabolic factors: Study

New research investigating neurological decline in a population of "super healthy" elderly subjects found that the decline in neurological function of the peripheral nervous system attributed to aging may be related to metabolic factors, such as blood sugar levels, even if these factors are within the normal range.

16 Apr 2010

New research identifies cellular channel that regulates skin and hair growth

Skin and hair follicles are constantly renewed in the body, maintained by specialized stem cells. New research from Children's Hospital Boston identifies a small cellular channel that regulates skin and hair growth and that could be targeted with small-molecule drugs, potentially treating variety of skin conditions, as well as thinning hair or unwanted hair growth. Findings appear in the April 16, 2010 issue of Cell.

16 Apr 2010

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University receives funds to expand stem cell research capabilities

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been awarded $10 million from the National Institutes of Health to expand its stem cell research capabilities. The funds will be used to create new laboratories in order to increase its already substantial base of stem cell investigators.

16 Apr 2010

Obama enforces visitation rights of same sex partners

President Obama passed a memo on Thursday while at a fundraiser in Miami which prohibits hospitals from discriminating against gay and lesbian couples in extending visitation rights. The decision seems to be inspired by the publicity given to the Lisa Pond and Janice Langbehn case. The hospital refused to allow Lisa Pond the visitation of Janice Langbehn and their children at her death bed.

16 Apr 2010

Research may provide better clinical outcomes for patients with aggressive type of brain cancer

A study conducted by a collaborative team led by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) may lead to better insight into the clinical outcome for some patients with a particularly aggressive type of brain cancer. The research may also provide a framework for development of targeted drug treatments.

16 Apr 2010

Lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs for treating acne

A natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk - lauric acid -- shines as a possible new acne treatment thanks to a bioengineering graduate student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The student developed a "smart delivery system" - published in the journal ACS Nano in March - capable of delivering lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to skin-dwelling bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that cause common acne.

15 Apr 2010

AVANIR Pharmaceuticals presents Phase III trial data of Zenvia for PBA at AAN Annual Meeting

AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of detailed data, including safety and tolerability data from the open-label extension as well as cardiac safety data from the double-blind phase of the Phase III confirmatory STAR trial evaluating the investigational drug Zenvia™ (dextromethorphan/quinidine) in the treatment of pseudobulbar affect (PBA). The data were presented in two posters at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada.

15 Apr 2010

Decoding genomes from 25,000 cancer samples

The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) today set out its bold plan to decode the genomes from 25,000 cancer samples and create a resource of freely available data that will help cancer researchers around the world. The publication outlines research design and projects as well as the important ethical framework for this science.

15 Apr 2010

Working memory maintenance linked with synchronisation of neurons

A research project of the Neuroscience Center of the University of Helsinki sheds light on the neuronal mechanisms sustaining memory traces of visual stimuli in the human brain. The results show that the maintenance of working memory is associated with synchronisation of neurons, which facilitates communication between different parts of the brain. On the basis of interaction between the brain areas, it was even possible to predict the subject's individual working memory capacity.

15 Apr 2010

Study: Atorvastatin may slow down MS progression

A UCSF-led study examining the impact of statins on the progression of multiple sclerosis found a lower incidence of new brain lesions in patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drug in the early stages of the disease as compared to a placebo.

15 Apr 2010

GE and U.S. Army to evaluate deployed soldiers for TBI and PTSD symptoms

As part of GE's continuing efforts to support U.S. troops, GE Global Research, the technology development arm of the General Electric Company, is engaged in a two-year research study with the U.S. Army to evaluate soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).

15 Apr 2010