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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.

Neurocrine Biosciences announces resubmission of NDA for Indiplon capsules

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. has announced that they have resubmitted its New Drug Application (NDA) for indiplon 5 mg and 10 mg capsules for the treatment of insomnia in both adult and elderly patients to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

14 Jun 2007

Myelin and Huntington's disease

Last month, Dr. George Bartzokis, director of the UCLA Memory Disorders and Alzheimer's Disease Clinic, suggested in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia that the breakdown of a type of myelin that develops late in life promotes the buildup of toxic amyloid plaques long associated with Alzheimer's disease.

14 Jun 2007

Thirteenth gene linked to Leber's congenital amaurosis

An international research team has discovered a gene that, when mutated, causes one of the most common forms of inherited blindness in babies.

14 Jun 2007

New data on the performance of meningitis vaccine in West African children

The Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) today released new data on the performance of a meningitis vaccine in West African children, suggesting that the new vaccine,expected to sell initially for 40 US cents a dose,will be much more effective in protecting African children and their communities than any vaccine currently on the market in the region.

14 Jun 2007

Early results from Alzheimer's neuroimaging studies could speed research

Disease researchers may be able to reduce the time and expense associated with clinical trials, according to early results from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a public-private research partnership organized by the National Institutes of Health.

14 Jun 2007

Dual-imaging technique improves functional abilities of patients who undergo brain surgery

Brain specialists associated with the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and University Hospital say the ability to incorporate in real time two high-tech imaging tools into the operating room can improve the functional abilities of patients who undergo brain surgery.

14 Jun 2007

Isradipine shown to slow down Parkinson's disease

Northwestern University researchers have discovered a drug that slows and may even halt the progression of Parkinson's disease.

14 Jun 2007

Easily distressed people more likely to develop memory problems

People who are easily distressed and have more negative emotions are more likely to develop memory problems than more easygoing people, according to a study published in the June 12, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Jun 2007

Combining brain scans and behavioral tests aids early identification of at-risk readers

Taken together, functional brain scans and tests of reading skills strongly predict which children will have ongoing reading problems.

14 Jun 2007

Children's brain responses predict impact of sleep loss on attention

The brain responses of those children who don't get enough sleep can accurately predict the impact sleep loss has on their ability to pay attention during the course of a day, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

14 Jun 2007

Can brain exercises improve thinking and concentration?

Can a fitness program for your brain improve thinking and concentration the way lifting weights can increase muscle strength?

14 Jun 2007

Blood pressure drop during bypass surgery linked to increased risk of cognitive decline

Patients whose mean arterial blood pressure drops during bypass surgery may be at risk for early difficulties in thinking, learning and memory, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the August 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

14 Jun 2007

Tiny electronic hearing devices

More than three decades ago, scientists pursued the then-radical idea of implanting tiny electronic hearing devices in the inner ear to help profoundly deaf people.

14 Jun 2007

Distress and negative emotions lead to memory problems

According to the latest research people who are easily distressed and have more negative emotions are more likely to develop memory problems than more easygoing types.

12 Jun 2007

Cure for Parkinson's disease?

Scientists in the U.S. say they have discovered a drug that slows and might even stop the progression of Parkinson's disease.

11 Jun 2007

New vaccine promises end of devastating meningitis epidemics in Africa

Scientists are optimistic that a new meningitis vaccine will end the risk of devastating major epidemics; the new vaccine protects against meningitis A, the deadliest form of the disease.

11 Jun 2007

Deja vu feeling all in the brain

Scientists in the United States say they have discovered a part of the brain responsible for the feeling of deja vu.

11 Jun 2007

New Rochester program to coordinate patient care, research for patients suffering with brain and spinal tumors

The University of Rochester Medical Center and its Department of Neurosurgery are establishing a new multidisciplinary program to coordinate patient care, research and community outreach efforts for patients suffering with brain and spinal tumors.

8 Jun 2007

New contributor to aggressive cancers

Mutations in the cell adhesion molecule known as integrin alpha 7 (integrin 7) lead to unchecked tumor cell proliferation and a significantly higher incidence in cancer spread, or metastasis, in several cancer cell lines, report researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

8 Jun 2007

Researchers discover how strokes trigger biochemical events that increase amyloid-beta production in the brain

Researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders (MGH-MIND) have discovered how the death of brain cells caused by a stroke or head injury may cause generation of amyloid-beta protein ? the key component of senile plaques seen in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

8 Jun 2007