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.

Toy recall fuels concern over lead poisoning in children

The recall by toy manufacturer Mattel of millions of Chinese-made toys containing lead paint and small, powerful magnets has turned the spotlight back onto lead poisoning in children.

15 Aug 2007

Fibrin may be new target for Alzheimer's drugs

Despite the rapid rise of Alzheimer's disease - the Alzheimer's Association predicts as many as 7.7 million cases by 2030 - there are no preventative treatments available, few in the pharmaceutical pipeline, and those drugs being developed all share the same two molecular targets.

15 Aug 2007

Longer term effects of dementia drugs to be investigated

A £50,000 grant from the Alzheimer's Research Trust will look at whether ACE inhibitors used to treat Alzheimer's could have a longer term effect.

15 Aug 2007

Pregnant women advised to cut out junk food for their child's sake

British researchers are warning pregnant women that a penchant for junk food may be condemning their children to crave the same diet.

14 Aug 2007

MS patients given hope with new vaccine treatment

Canadian researchers have developed a vaccine to stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and they say encouraging results have already been seen.

14 Aug 2007

New avenues for the treatment of amblyopia

Contrary to accepted dogma, a University of Maryland researcher has developed a method that allows an adult to recover function in an eye that has been damaged and dysfunctional throughout life.

13 Aug 2007

Oestrogen research points to new class of analgesic drugs

Oestrogen plays an important role in determining how sensitive a person is to pain, and the oestrogen receptor known as ER-beta is particularly significant in this context.

13 Aug 2007

Gene use sets humans and chimps apart

The striking differences between humans and chimps aren't so much in the genes we have, which are 99 percent the same, but in the way those genes are used, according to new research from a Duke University team.

13 Aug 2007

Warfarin versus aspirin for stroke prevention

A study tracking nearly 1,000 over-75s at high risk of stroke has found that the anticoagulant drug warfarin cuts the risk by half in this older population without causing more side-effects than alternatives.

13 Aug 2007

Genetic engineering offers promising new approaches to improve dietary iron intake

Using selective plant breeding and genetic engineering could be used to reduce the incidence of iron deficiency worldwide by improving the quality of dietary iron, conclude authors of a Seminar in this week’s edition of The Lancet.

13 Aug 2007

Scientists take plumber's approach to Alzheimer's

Scientists are trying a plumber's approach to rid the brain of the amyloid buildup that plagues Alzheimer's patients: Simply drain the toxic protein away.

13 Aug 2007

DIY hole-in-the-heart repair kit

Specialists in the UK have found a way to treat a common heart defect using the body's natural healing power.

12 Aug 2007

Neuregulin 1 gene linked to schizophrenia

Scientists have provided new insight into how a gene is related to schizophrenia.

12 Aug 2007

High-tech diagnosis pinpoints causes of behavioral and psychiatric problems in patients

Is there a definitive test for mental illness? Not yet, but using advanced neuropsychiatric diagnostic tools including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), mental health professionals at The Menninger Clinic in Houston are pinpointing the causes of behavioral and psychiatric problems in patients.

12 Aug 2007

Leptin controls our fondness for food

Scientists have discovered that leptin, one of the key hormones responsible for reducing hunger and increasing the feeling of fullness, also controls our fondness for food.

12 Aug 2007

Women with migraines and aura have higher stroke risk

Women who have migraine headaches with visual symptoms (or aura) may be at increased risk for stroke compared to women who do not have migraines, researchers reported in Stroke, journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Aug 2007

Thyroid hormones may play important role in sleep regulation

While the thyroid has long been linked to metabolism, cutting-edge research underway at Rutgers University Camden is investigating the possibility that thyroid hormones have an important role in sleep regulation.

9 Aug 2007

Cerebral blood flow provides clues to treating depression

The usefulness of established molecular imaging/nuclear medicine approaches in identifying the hows and whys of brain dysfunction and its potential in providing immediately useful information in treating depression are emphasized in a study in the August Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

9 Aug 2007