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.

World's first PET/MR images of the human brain

The world's first PET/MR images of the human brain, taken simultaneously by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and magnetic resonance (MR), debuted during the 54th Annual Meeting of SNM, the world's largest society for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine professionals, June 2-6 in Washington, D.C.

From Siemens Healthineers 5 Jun 2007

Brits get serious about smokers

Authorities in the UK have given approval for an anti-smoking pill to be available on the National Health Service (NHS).

3 Jun 2007

Real-time, direct MRI monitoring of vector distribution within the brain

A team of scientists, led by Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, University of California-San Francisco, presented this significant advance, which allows, for the first time, to adjust parameters of vector infusion while delivering gene therapy, giving surgeon full control over gene transfer technology.

3 Jun 2007

Research explains why those with obstructive sleep apnea are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease

Researchers have found that patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have higher levels of a type of dead cells (apoptotic cells) from the lining (endothelium) of their blood vessels circulating in their bloodstream than people who do not have OSA.

3 Jun 2007

Novel technologies show promise for future of gene transfer

Several new technologies that could significantly impact the future of gene transfer applications were presented at a conference at the 10th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) in Seattle.

3 Jun 2007

Brain inflammation may actually be a friend for Alzheimer's patients

Inflammation in the brain may not be so bad after all when it comes to Alzheimer's disease.

3 Jun 2007

Aerial mosquito treatment in Philadelphia to start this week

The Department of Environmental Protection announced today that it will conduct aerial spraying to control large populations of mosquito larvae in Philadelphia on Monday, June 4.

3 Jun 2007

Scientist develops a measure of distraction

A scientific indicator of how easily distracted you are has been designed by a UCL (University College London) psychologist.

1 Jun 2007

New insights into visual disturbances accompanying skull deformations

Most children with a craniofacial deformity known as unicoronal synostosis have the eye-alignment abnormality strabismus, reports a study in the May Journal of Craniofacial Surgery , published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

1 Jun 2007

Stress experienced by a woman during pregnancy may effect unborn child

Stress experienced by a woman during pregnancy may have an effect on her unborn child, most likely mediated by the transfer of stress hormones across the placenta.

1 Jun 2007

Once-fatal metabolic disorders treatable

People with a class of rare genetic disorders that often lead to brain damage, coma and death can be successfully treated with drugs, says a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

1 Jun 2007

How cells breathe

Inhaling oxygen is only the first step in a long journey through the nooks and crannies of the body.

1 Jun 2007

Study looks at brain damage that occurs after stroke

Brain damage that occurs even days after a stroke, increasing stroke size and devastation, is the focus of researchers trying to identify new treatments.

1 Jun 2007

Device to treat brain cancer shows promise

New early data showed that an investigational device that specifically targets rapidly growing cancer cells with intermediate frequency electrical fields -- called Tumor-Treating Fields (TTFields) -- more than doubled the median overall survival rates in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of malignant brain tumor.

1 Jun 2007

Better understanding of deep brain stimulation

Brain "pacemakers" that have helped ease symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders seem to work by drowning out the electrical signals of their diseased brains.

1 Jun 2007

MRI effective method for revealing anatomical details of soft tissues

Contrast agents can help to make these images even clearer and allow physiological processes to be followed in real time. Conventional gadolinium complexes currently used as MRI contrast agent cannot reveal anatomic structures.

1 Jun 2007

Treatment for urea cycle disorders proves its worth 25 years later

The simple notion of copying the body's own natural "waste disposal" chemistry to mop up potentially toxic nitrogen has saved an estimated 80 percent of patients with urea cycle disorders --- most of them children, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine summarizing a quarter century of experience with the treatment.

1 Jun 2007

More complete understanding of lactic acid production in muscle

In a paper published in The Journal of Physiology, Frank de Paoli and colleagues, working at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, add to the growing literature leading to a more complete understanding of the physiological role of lactic acid production in muscle.

1 Jun 2007

Breakthrough in stem cell banking

Scientists from the Research Department of Cryo-Save Group NV together with the University of Cologne (DE) have developed a new scientifically validated method to collect adult mesenchymal stem cells ("MSCs") from the lining of umbilical cord tissue.

1 Jun 2007

JRRD releases issue on pain

Effects of depression and pain severity on satisfaction in medical outpatients: Analysis of the Medical Outcomes Study, pg. 143 Patient satisfaction is a critical measure of healthcare quality.

1 Jun 2007