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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.

Rush University Medical Center opens TMS Clinic to offer non-drug treatment for depression

Rush University Medical Center has opened the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic to offer patients suffering from major depression a safe, effective, non-drug treatment. TMS therapy is the first FDA-approved, non-invasive antidepressant device-based treatment clinically proven for treatment of depression.

6 Nov 2009

$1.85 million grant to study how digital games can improve players' health behaviors and outcomes

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced more than $1.85 million in grants for research that will offer unprecedented insight into how digital games can improve players' health behaviors and outcomes. With funding from RWJF's Health Games Research national program, nine research teams across the country will conduct extensive studies to discover, for example, how the popular dance pad video game Dance Dance Revolution might help Parkinson's patients reduce the risk of falling, how Wii Active might be most effectively implemented in high schools to help overweight students lose weight, how a mobile phone game with a breath interface might help smokers quit or reduce their tobacco use, or how facial recognition games might be designed to help people with autism learn to identify others' emotions.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 6 Nov 2009

Scientists identify new behavioral traits of immune cells; findings may help in understanding complex diseases

In diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cells of the immune system infiltrate the brain tissue, where they cause immense damage. For many years, it was an enigma as to how these cells can escape from the bloodstream. This is no trivial feat, given that specialized blood vessels act as a barrier between the nervous system and the bloodstream.

6 Nov 2009

Internet stimulates and improves brain functioning for seniors: Study

A study by UCLA suggests that use of the Internet by seniors helps to "stimulate and possibly improve brain functioning." Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, noted "Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."

6 Nov 2009

Newborns' cries already bear the mark of their parents' language, reveals new study

From their very first days, newborns' cries already bear the mark of the language their parents speak, reveals a new study published online on November 5th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The findings suggest that infants begin picking up elements of what will be their first language in the womb, and certainly long before their first babble or coo.

5 Nov 2009

Nanoparticles may cause DNA damage across a cellular barrier

Scientists have shown in the laboratory that metal nanoparticles damaged the DNA in cells on the other side of a cellular barrier. The nanoparticles did not cause the damage by passing through the barrier, but generated signalling molecules within the barrier cells that were then transmitted to cause damage in cells the other side of the barrier.

5 Nov 2009

Prenatal DHA, a product developed for pregnant women to ensure adequate DHA, introduced

Nordic Naturals Professional Exclusive Division announces Prenatal DHA, a product developed especially for pregnant women to ensure adequate DHA, an important omega-3 essential fatty acid and a vital nutrient for the new mother and developing baby.

5 Nov 2009

American Shared Hospital Services reports financial results for the third quarter of 2009

AMERICAN SHARED HOSPITAL SERVICES, a leading provider of turnkey technology solutions for advanced radiosurgical and radiation therapy services, today announced financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2009.

5 Nov 2009

Financial results for the second-quarter reported by Micrus Endovascular

Micrus Endovascular Corporation (Nasdaq: MEND) today reported financial results for the three and six months ended September 30, 2009 and increased fiscal 2010 revenue guidance.

5 Nov 2009

Limitations of prevalence estimates of TBI and PTSD among OIF/OEF veterans discussed

In a special guest editorial, Bass and colleagues discuss the limitations of current estimates of the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veterans. Since these estimates often determine the allocation of resources, the authors urge decision makers to understand the limitations of these prevalence estimates.

5 Nov 2009

Scientists identify molecular disparity between iPS cells and embryonic stem cells

The same genes that are chemically altered during normal cell differentiation, as well as when normal cells become cancer cells, are also changed in stem cells that scientists derive from adult cells, according to new research from Johns Hopkins and Harvard.

5 Nov 2009

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder can benefit from synthetic marijuana

Use of cannabinoids (marijuana) could assist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder patients. This is exposed in a recent study carried out at the Learning and Memory Lab in the University of Haifa's Department of Psychology.

5 Nov 2009

Literary Arabic is expressed in the brain of an Arabic speaker as a second language, says researcher

Literary Arabic is expressed in the brain of an Arabic speaker as a second language and not as a native language. This has been shown in a new study by Dr. Raphiq Ibrahim of the Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities at the University of Haifa's Department of Learning Disabilities. "The cognitive disparity between the two languages is similar to the difference between a native and a second language.

5 Nov 2009

Tetracycline-like compound raises hope for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

A chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. This is the finding of a research collaboration involving Adrian Krainer, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and scientists from Paratek Pharmaceuticals and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

5 Nov 2009

Researchers develop new molecular tools to investigate Alzheimer's disease

One of the many mysteries of Alzheimer's disease is how protein-like snippets called amyloid-beta peptides, which clump together to form plaques in the brain, may cause cell death, leading to the disease's devastating symptoms of memory loss and other mental difficulties.

5 Nov 2009

Surgery may not be the best option for children with obstructive sleep apnea

For children with obstructive sleep apnea, standard care often includes a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. But researchers at Saint Louis University say further research is needed to determine if surgery is the best option for these patients.

5 Nov 2009

People with MS who relapse within first five years of onset have more severe disability: Study

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have relapses within the first five years of onset appear to have more severe disability in the short term compared to people who do not have an early relapse, according to a new study published in the November 4, 2009, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study is one of the first to examine how MS relapses affect people during different time periods of the disease.

5 Nov 2009

NIAID funds CCHI and IMVC programs to help identify new vaccines for emerging infectious diseases

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism.

5 Nov 2009

Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital offers behavioral testing for children

Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital now provides neuropsychological assessments and testing for children ages 5 to 18 who are exhibiting behavioral issues or academic difficulties.

4 Nov 2009

Possible cure for Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Iowa State University have found an essential key to possibly cure Parkinson's disease and are looking for others.

4 Nov 2009

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Rush University Medical Center opens TMS Clinic to offer non-drug treatment for depression

$1.85 million grant to study how digital games can improve players' health behaviors and outcomes

Scientists identify new behavioral traits of immune cells; findings may help in understanding complex diseases

Internet stimulates and improves brain functioning for seniors: Study

Newborns' cries already bear the mark of their parents' language, reveals new study

Nanoparticles may cause DNA damage across a cellular barrier

Prenatal DHA, a product developed for pregnant women to ensure adequate DHA, introduced

American Shared Hospital Services reports financial results for the third quarter of 2009

Financial results for the second-quarter reported by Micrus Endovascular

Limitations of prevalence estimates of TBI and PTSD among OIF/OEF veterans discussed

Scientists identify molecular disparity between iPS cells and embryonic stem cells

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder can benefit from synthetic marijuana

Literary Arabic is expressed in the brain of an Arabic speaker as a second language, says researcher

Tetracycline-like compound raises hope for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

Researchers develop new molecular tools to investigate Alzheimer's disease

Surgery may not be the best option for children with obstructive sleep apnea

People with MS who relapse within first five years of onset have more severe disability: Study

NIAID funds CCHI and IMVC programs to help identify new vaccines for emerging infectious diseases

Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital offers behavioral testing for children

Possible cure for Parkinson's disease

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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