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.

Findings alleviate concerns of physicians reluctant to prescribe beta-blockers because of cardiovascular adverse effects

Beta-blocker therapy in patients with heart failure is well tolerated and associated with fewer overall withdrawals and less heart failure deterioration than placebo, according to a new article in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Jul 2004

New hereditary spastic paraplegia research

In work reported this week, researchers have taken our understanding of HSP to a new level with the development of an animal model for the disease.

13 Jul 2004

Molecular mechanisms behind XsalF's anterior specifying activity

Embryologists have long been interested in working out the means by which this regionalization is achieved, and for years the dominant theory has involved a two-step mechanism in which neural tissues are first induced lengthwise down the entire body axis, followed by a transformation step where a second signal specifies the posterior identities of the neural tissue

13 Jul 2004

Study shows that in older age, myelin insulation breaks down, resulting in a decline in the speed and efficiency of our brain

UCLA neuroscientists using a new MRI analysis technique to examine myelin sheaths that insulate the brain's wiring report that as people age, neural connections that develop last degenerate first.

12 Jul 2004

International leader backs regional brain injury research

President-elect of the International Brain Injury Association Dr David Burke will become patron of a new research partnership between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Greater Murray Area Health Service (GMAHS).

12 Jul 2004

Tobacco, obesity, HIV/AIDS and immigrant health addressed by members of congress

Members of Congress, public health experts, community leaders and citizens of South Florida convened today to address racial and ethnic health disparities in the areas of tobacco, obesity, immigrant health and HIV/AIDS.

11 Jul 2004

The case of a high school student in King County who died this week of meningococcal disease has created public concern

The case of a high school student in King County who was hospitalized and died this week of meningococcal disease – commonly called bacterial meningitis – has created some public concern about risks of exposure to the disease.

10 Jul 2004

Mollycoddled boys are more likely to grow into men who will be more successful at work and in their relationships

Boys who are “mollycoddled” as babies and toddlers are more likely to grow into men who will be more successful at work and in their relationships than babies who are taught to be tough.

10 Jul 2004

Having a good time can strengthen different centres in the brain and help it grow healthy brain cells

Dr Ian Reid, professor of mental health at the University of Aberdeen, told delegates that for many years psychiatrists believed that poor mental health was just caused by imbalances in various brain chemicals.

10 Jul 2004

Role of environmental risks in the development of autism

Funding for a new study to find out more about the role of environmental risks in the development of autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), has been announced by The Medical Research Council.

10 Jul 2004

Natural hormone called melatonin may guide our sleep patterns

Our general sleep patterns – being sleepy at night and awake during the day – are guided to a great extent by our exposure to light and darkness.

10 Jul 2004

HHS strengthen safeguards against mad cow disease

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced three actions being taken to further strengthen existing safeguards that protect consumers against the agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as “mad cow disease”).

10 Jul 2004

The structure of AGT shows how one human protein reduces the potency of chemotherapy

The fine details of this x-ray structure may help scientists find ways to fight certain cancers, such as brain tumors, which express high levels of AGT making them resistant to chemotherapy.

9 Jul 2004

In-depth study into how heavy metals exposure at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Oklahoma may affect the health of children

Unlike many studies that investigate the health effects of a single chemical, the new center will study how exposure to mixtures of metals affects health—reflecting more accurately the nature of toxic waste dumps where multiple chemicals may be present.

9 Jul 2004

Identification of a naturally occurring genetic difference that controls the production of serotonin in the brain

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have provided the first direct evidence in mice for the role of an enzyme that specifically controls the production of serotonin in the brain.

8 Jul 2004

Prosthetic devices operated by brain activity

In the July 9 issue of the journal Science, California Institute of Technology neuroscientists Sam Musallam, Brian Corneil, Bradley Greger, Hans Scherberger, and Richard Andersen report on the Andersen lab's success in getting monkeys to move the cursor on a computer screen by merely thinking about a goal they would like to achieve, and assigning a value to the goal.

8 Jul 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Findings alleviate concerns of physicians reluctant to prescribe beta-blockers because of cardiovascular adverse effects

New hereditary spastic paraplegia research

Molecular mechanisms behind XsalF's anterior specifying activity

Study shows that in older age, myelin insulation breaks down, resulting in a decline in the speed and efficiency of our brain

International leader backs regional brain injury research

Tobacco, obesity, HIV/AIDS and immigrant health addressed by members of congress

The case of a high school student in King County who died this week of meningococcal disease has created public concern

Mollycoddled boys are more likely to grow into men who will be more successful at work and in their relationships

Having a good time can strengthen different centres in the brain and help it grow healthy brain cells

Role of environmental risks in the development of autism

Natural hormone called melatonin may guide our sleep patterns

HHS strengthen safeguards against mad cow disease

The structure of AGT shows how one human protein reduces the potency of chemotherapy

In-depth study into how heavy metals exposure at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Oklahoma may affect the health of children

Identification of a naturally occurring genetic difference that controls the production of serotonin in the brain

Prosthetic devices operated by brain activity

Researchers shed new light on the function of huntingtin, the protein whose mutation underlies Huntington’s disease

New guidelines for treating heart attacks

Diagnosing depression in people with intellectual disabilities

Chiron has received a license for its new meningococcal B vaccine for New Zealand

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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