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.

Tendency to be prejudiced is a form of common sense, hard-wired into the human brain

Contrary to what most people believe, the tendency to be prejudiced is a form of common sense, hard-wired into the human brain through evolution as an adaptive response to protect our prehistoric ancestors from danger.

26 May 2005

Comprehension of metaphors down to brain region called angular gyrus

What does it take to fathom a proverb - catch the figurative meaning of "an apple doesn't fall far from the tree"?

26 May 2005

Brain fatty acid levels linked to depression

A group of researchers from Israel has discovered that rats exhibiting the signs of depression have increased levels of the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, in their brains. The details of their findings appear in the June issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.

25 May 2005

Protein TRPA1 essential for hearing also vital for pain perception

The same protein that "translates" sound into nerve signals to the brain and enables individuals to hear is also required for pain perception, researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have found.

25 May 2005

Scientists watch agents of brain-wasting diseases invade and move within brain cells

Scientists for the first time have watched agents of brain-wasting diseases, called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), as they invade a nerve cell and then travel along wire-like circuits to points of contact with other cells.

25 May 2005

Early-onset antisocial behaviour in children with psychopathic tendencies is largely inherited

The findings are the result of extensive research funded by the Medical Research Council, the Department of Health and the Home Office, and carried out by Dr. Essi Viding of the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, within the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.

24 May 2005

Medical Research Council funds research to look at cannabis based medicines in multiple sclerosis treatment

A trial to determine whether cannabis-based medicines can reduce disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

24 May 2005

Obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke

Moderate to severe cases of the nighttime breathing problem known as obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke, according to a study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23.

23 May 2005

Patients at high risk of stroke may need to continue Warfarin therapy after heart rhythm is controlled

Treatment with warfarin, a medication that prevents blood clotting, may reduce the risk of stroke by more than two-thirds in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition which places them at high risk of stroke, according to a study in the May 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 May 2005

Sarcasm the lowest form of wit demands the highest functions of the brain

New research suggests that the highest functions of our brains handle the lowest form of wit.

23 May 2005

British surgeons remove part of a woman's brain to cure her epilepsy

Helen Hollis, 41, from Teversal, near Mansfield, Nottingham, a former nurse and the mother of two, had her first seizure aged 19, but had to wait years before her condition was diagnosed.

23 May 2005

Pregnancy factors, parental psychiatric history, and preterm delivery may be associated with the risk of autism

...according to a recent study supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study, "Risk Factors for Autism: Perinatal Factors, Parental Psychiatric History, and Socioeconomic Status," appears in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

23 May 2005

Gene keeps neural cells on correct developmental path

23 May 2005

Secrets of how the brain is wired for sex revealed

There are two brain structures that a mouse just can't do without when it comes to hooking up with the mate of its dreams--and trying to stay off the lunch menu of the neighborhood cat. These are the amygdala, which is involved in the initial response to cues that signal love or war, and the hypothalamus, which coordinates the innate reproductive or defensive behaviors triggered by these cues.

23 May 2005

Investigational device-based therapies will lead to entirely new treatment options for chronic depression sufferers

Researchers said that developing brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), vagal nerve stimulation and deep brain stimulation are emerging as significant treatment options for the millions of patients "poorly served" by existing therapies.

23 May 2005

Israeli psychologists draw conclusions from how brain-damaged people comprehend sarcasm - or not

The ability to comprehend sarcasm depends upon a carefully orchestrated sequence of complex cognitive skills based in specific parts of the brain. Yeah, right, and I’m the Tooth Fairy. But it’s true: New research details an “anatomy of sarcasm” that explains how the mind puts sharp-tongued words into context.

23 May 2005

Bald men can blame mum!

Despite an enormous range of treatments, obscure lotions and tinctures there appears to be very few successful counter-measures for hair loss in men. Beginning with receding hairlines, every second man suffers from hair loss to some degree, and it has always been suspected that hereditary factors are important in causing hair loss.

22 May 2005

Vitamin E as part of diet may prevent Parkinson's

A new study by Canadian researchers at Royal Victoria Hospital in Quebec has shown that a moderate daily intake of vitamin E through foods appears to prevent the onset of Parkinson's disease.

22 May 2005

Gene keeps neural cells on correct developmental path

Embryonic stem cells with identical genomes grow into distinctive tissues, such as heart, bone, and brain. At one time, scientists believed the differences among cell types arose from various sets of genes switched on inside developing cells. Then, studies showed that adult neurons uniquely lack a protein that permanently turns off neuronal genes in the rest of the body's cells.

20 May 2005

Dextromethorphan temporarily reduces the intensity of fibromyalgia

Dextromethorphan, an over-the-counter medication that silences coughs, may help fibromyalgia patients quiet over-reacting nerves that amplify ordinary touches into agony.

20 May 2005

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Tendency to be prejudiced is a form of common sense, hard-wired into the human brain

Comprehension of metaphors down to brain region called angular gyrus

Brain fatty acid levels linked to depression

Protein TRPA1 essential for hearing also vital for pain perception

Scientists watch agents of brain-wasting diseases invade and move within brain cells

Early-onset antisocial behaviour in children with psychopathic tendencies is largely inherited

Medical Research Council funds research to look at cannabis based medicines in multiple sclerosis treatment

Obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke

Patients at high risk of stroke may need to continue Warfarin therapy after heart rhythm is controlled

Sarcasm the lowest form of wit demands the highest functions of the brain

British surgeons remove part of a woman's brain to cure her epilepsy

Pregnancy factors, parental psychiatric history, and preterm delivery may be associated with the risk of autism

Gene keeps neural cells on correct developmental path

Secrets of how the brain is wired for sex revealed

Investigational device-based therapies will lead to entirely new treatment options for chronic depression sufferers

Israeli psychologists draw conclusions from how brain-damaged people comprehend sarcasm - or not

Bald men can blame mum!

Vitamin E as part of diet may prevent Parkinson's

Gene keeps neural cells on correct developmental path

Dextromethorphan temporarily reduces the intensity of fibromyalgia

Innovations in baculovirus–insect cell expression systems

Compound Management and its Crucial Role in Early Pharmaceutical Research

Natural products: the next frontier in drug discovery

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