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.

Stress causes whole body deterioration

Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study now reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.

9 Jan 2008

High number of entrepreneurs in the UK and US suffer from dyslexia

A staggering 35% of US entrepreneurs suffer from dyslexia, compared to 20% in the UK, a ground-breaking study by Julie Logan, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Cass Business School, reveals.

9 Jan 2008

Discovery of a core mechanism underlying Fragile X syndrome

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are uncovering how brain cells are affected in Fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited mental retardation and the most common genetic cause of autism.

9 Jan 2008

Loss of a small portion of chromosome 16 linked to autism

Loss of a small portion of chromosome 16, known as 16p11.2, is significantly associated with autism report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in an article, published Dec. 21, 2007, online by the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

9 Jan 2008

Taranabant shows promise for weight loss in obese people

The first clinical studies of an experimental drug have revealed that obese people who take it for 12 weeks lose weight, even at very low doses.

9 Jan 2008

Brain response differences found in way women with irritable bowel syndrome deal with pain

UCLA researchers found that women with IBS cannot effectively turn-off a pain modulation mechanism in the brain, which causes them to be more sensitive to abdominal pain, compared to women without IBS.

9 Jan 2008

Two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control brain development

Scientists at University College London have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and expanding our knowledge of stem cell behavior.

9 Jan 2008

Trichloroethylene chemical - widely used in industry - is a risk factor for parkinsonism

Parkinson's disease, the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder caused by aging, can also be caused by pesticides and other neurotoxins.

8 Jan 2008

Testosterone levels may affect men's cognitive performance

When we think about the powers of testosterone, we usually do not consider mental processes.

8 Jan 2008

Researchers establish risk factors for Parkinson's disease

Doctors know an impaired sense of smell is an early indicator of Parkinson's Disease.

8 Jan 2008

New gene identified for cerebral venous thrombosis

Researchers have identified a new gene linked to cerebral venous thrombosis, a condition that causes blood clots in the veins of the brain that can lead to stroke.

8 Jan 2008

Differentiation blocked in tumor stem cells

A new comparison of normal stem cells and cancer stem cells reveals that the cancer stem cells are abnormally trapped at an early stage of development.

8 Jan 2008

Daytime 'Nanna naps' improve memory

A ninety minute daytime nap helps speed up the process of long term memory consolidation, a recent study conducted by Prof. Avi Karni and Dr. Maria Korman of the Center for Brain and Behavior Research at the University of Haifa found.

8 Jan 2008

A look at China's most innovative health biotechnology companies

Government funds innovation but venture capital needed; Wary investors 'need to be shown the exits'; Returning 'sea turtles' bring expertise, international credibility

8 Jan 2008

Better access to cool caps improves outcomes, lowers cost of treating asphyxia in newborns

When newborns suffering from a form of asphyxia at birth have better access to head cooling devices, fewer will face a lifetime of debilitating and costly health complications, according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

7 Jan 2008

Genital mycoplasmas are a frequent cause of congenital fetal infection

Premature babies are subject to a host of threats that can result in fetal/neonatal disease.

7 Jan 2008

Pollution from heavy traffic affects the size of an unborn baby

According to Australian researchers the pollution caused by heavy traffic affects the size of an unborn baby.

7 Jan 2008

New research shows that paralyzed mice walk again

People paralyzed because of spinal cord injuries may glean some hope from new research carried out in mice.

7 Jan 2008

Hopkins researchers paint picture of cancer-promoting culprit

They say that a picture can be worth a thousand words. This especially is true for describing the structures of molecules that function to promote cancer.

7 Jan 2008