Neuroscience News and Research

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Hebrew University of Jerusalem develops sonar vision device for congenitally blind people

A "sonar vision" system that enables people who are blind from birth to perceive the shape of a face, a house or even words and letters, is being developed by a team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

28 Nov 2012

French National Center for Scientific Research scientist wins American Epilepsy Society award

Richard Miles, Ph.D., Research Director, French National Center for Scientific Research, and Group Leader, Cortex and Epilepsy, Institute for the Brain and Spinal Cord, Centre Hospitalier Universtaire Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris, has been named recipient of the prestigious 2012 Epilepsy Research Recognition Award for Basic Science conferred by the American Epilepsy Society (AES).

28 Nov 2012

The Neuro clinician-scientists to further research on HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's

Clinician-scientists take a unique, integrated approach that is essential to advancing science and medicine. Problems encountered in the clinic inspire research and new findings from the labs are directly applied to patients' needs.

28 Nov 2012

Carnosic acid promotes eye health

Herbs widely used throughout history in Asian and early European cultures have received renewed attention by Western medicine in recent years. Scientists are now isolating the active compounds in many medicinal herbs and documenting their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In a study published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) report that carnosic acid, a component of the herb rosemary, promotes eye health.

28 Nov 2012

Enrollment begins in Elan’s ELND005 Phase 2 trial for agitation/aggression associated with AD

Elan Corporation, plc today announced that it has enrolled the first patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial of ELND005 (Study AG201) for the treatment of agitation/aggression in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease (AD).

28 Nov 2012

Immediate behavioral intervention effective in reducing PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a form of learning that begins at the moment of the exposure to extremely stressful situations and that grows in impact as trauma-related memories are rehearsed and strengthened repeatedly.

28 Nov 2012

Word-training program found to restore key words in some dementia patients

A simple word-training program has been found to restore key words in people with a type of dementia that attacks language and our memory for words.

26 Nov 2012

Study shows neurobiological mechanisms of how individual risk preferences determine risk perception

Some people live their lives by the motto "no risk - no fun!" and avoid hardly any risks. Others are clearly more cautious and focus primarily on safety when investing and for other business activities. Scientists from the University of Bonn in cooperation with colleagues from the University of Zurich studied the attitudes towards risk in a group of 56 subjects.

26 Nov 2012

Researchers trace specific paths of chandelier cells during development into the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex of the human brain has been called "the crowning achievement of evolution." Ironically, it is so complex that even our greatest minds and most sophisticated science are only now beginning to understand how it organizes itself in early development, and how its many cell types function together as circuits.

23 Nov 2012

Traumatic brain injury incidence could be six times higher than previously estimated

The first study to estimate rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI), without relying on official figures, suggests the worldwide incidence of TBI could be six times higher than previously estimated.

22 Nov 2012

Coronary arteries largely arise from cells of the endocardium

During embryonic development, the all-important coronary arteries arise from cells previously considered incapable of producing them, according to scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

22 Nov 2012

Researchers stream braille patterns directly into a blind patient's retina

For the very first time researchers have streamed braille patterns directly into a blind patient's retina, allowing him to read four-letter words accurately and quickly with an ocular neuroprosthetic device.

22 Nov 2012

IRCM researchers discover a nerve cell's internal clock

A team of IRCM researchers, led by Dr. Fr-d-ric Charron, recently uncovered a nerve cell's internal clock, used during embryonic development.

22 Nov 2012

Study sheds light on how neural ensembles form thoughts

One of the biggest puzzles in neuroscience is how our brains encode thoughts, such as perceptions and memories, at the cellular level. Some evidence suggests that ensembles of neurons represent each unique piece of information, but no one knows just what these ensembles look like, or how they form.

22 Nov 2012

Study provides new insight into human cognitive function and risk for neurological diseases

Short snippets of DNA found in human brain tissue provide new insight into human cognitive function and risk for developing certain neurological diseases, according to researchers from the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The findings are published in the November 20th issue of PLoS Biology.

22 Nov 2012

Electrophysiology: an interview with Dr Kaylene Young

Bioelectricity is an essential part of our make-up. All cells in our body communicate by electrical activity. If an electrical charge is applied to one of our muscles it will interpret that electrical activity as a signal telling it to contract.

21 Nov 2012

Discovery of DKK1-WNT pathway reveals new drug targets for Alzheimer's

The discovery of the molecular pathway that drives the changes seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is reported today, revealing new targets for drug discovery that could be exploited to combat the disease. The study gives the most detailed understanding yet of the complex processes leading to Alzheimer's.

21 Nov 2012

Musical tones can reset the brain and effectively reduce insomnia

If you are among the 50 percent of Americans who suffer from insomnia, then you have probably tried everything – from warm milk to melatonin pills or prescription medications to induce sleep – with varying degrees of success and side effects. But what if sleep could be achieved not by a substance, but through 'balancing' brain activity?

21 Nov 2012

Researchers discover new cause of hydrocephalus

Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered a new cause of hydrocephalus, a devastating neurological disorder that affects between one and three of every 1,000 babies born. Working in mice, the researchers identified a cell signaling defect, which disrupts immature brain cells involved in normal brain development.

20 Nov 2012

TBI, age-related dementia and stroke fuel neurologic disability in India

The 'Global Perspectives' published in the Nov. 20, 2012 issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, features "Neurologic Disability: A Hidden Epidemic for India".

20 Nov 2012