Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

New devices pave way for applications in cardiology and neurology

A team of cardiologists, materials scientists, and bioengineers have created and tested a new type of implantable device for measuring the heart's electrical output that they say is a vast improvement over current devices. The new device represents the first use of flexible silicon technology for a medical application.

26 Mar 2010

Modified protein plays a key role in memory processes

How do we process thoughts and store memories? A team of researchers headed by Dr. Nahum Sonenberg of McGill's Department of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Centre has discovered that brains in mammals modify a particular protein in a unique way, which alters the protein's normal function.

26 Mar 2010

New diagnostic test for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

A new test developed by Japanese scientists may revolutionize how and when physicians diagnose Alzheimer's disease.

26 Mar 2010

Study: Cell-based strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases

UCSF scientists have used a novel cell-based strategy to treat motor symptoms in rats with a disease designed to mimic Parkinson's disease.

26 Mar 2010

Mexican-American women les likely to use emergency medical services for stroke symptoms

Mexican Americans are 40 percent less likely than non-Hispanic whites to call 9-1-1 and be taken to the hospital via ambulance for stroke - resulting in medical treatment delays - according to a new study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

26 Mar 2010

New experiments may hold clues for controlling cancer

A protein discovered in fruit fly eyes has brought a Johns Hopkins team closer to understanding how the human heart and other organs automatically "right size" themselves, a piece of information that may hold clues to controlling cancer.

26 Mar 2010

Telemedicine evaluation of stroke patients results in more accurate diagnoses: Study

A growing number of medical centers that have access to stroke specialists are transmitting their expertise to rural communities via audio/video telemedicine consultation, with significant clinical results, according to a new clinical study that examined trials conducted in Arizona and California.

26 Mar 2010

Insulin receptor vital for keeping neural stem cells alive

University of California, Berkeley, biologists have found a signal that keeps stem cells alive in the adult brain, providing a focus for scientists looking for ways to re-grow or re-seed stem cells in the brain to allow injured areas to repair themselves.

26 Mar 2010

Artist and scientist examine principles of visual perception

A novel research project spearheaded by the University of Leicester and part-funded by The Leverhulme Trust aims to shed new light on the way people perceive art.

26 Mar 2010

Leap Medical secures seed financing to develop innovative technology for detection of brain injuries

Leap Medical Inc., a privately held Medical Device company, announced today that it has successfully secured seed financing in the amount of $1.025 million (Canadian dollars) to develop its innovative technology for the rapid detection of brain injuries and infection.

26 Mar 2010

Genetic variants in brain proteins may increase autism risk

Two genes have been associated with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in a new study of 661 families. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's newly launched journal Molecular Autism found that variations in the genes for two brain proteins, LRRN3 and LRRTM3, were significantly associated with susceptibility to ASD.

26 Mar 2010

AVASTIN receives Health Canada approval for patients with GBM

Roche Canada announced today that Health Canada has approved AVASTIN(R) (bevacizumab), as a single agent, for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive primary malignant brain tumour, after relapse or disease progression, following prior therapy.

26 Mar 2010

How does a heart know when it's big enough?

25 Mar 2010

Arena Pharmaceuticals initiates patient screening for phase 1 clinical trial of APD916

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of patient screening in a Phase 1 clinical trial of APD916, a novel oral drug candidate discovered by Arena that targets the histamine H3 receptor for the treatment of narcolepsy and cataplexy.

25 Mar 2010

Tips offered in April 2010 issue of American Journal Of Pathology

A group led by Dr. Massimo Loda at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA has generated a preclinical model of human prostate cancer that mimics the genetic and growth behavior of primary tumors. Their report can be found in the April 2010 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

25 Mar 2010

NIH grants $1.4 Million to WPI to continue study of arterial plaque

A Worcester Polytechnic Institute research team has received a four-year, $1.4 million award from the National Institutes of Health to continue a groundbreaking study of arterial plaque. This research could lead to tools that will enable physicians to predict the likelihood of plaque rupture, which is responsible for most heart attacks and strokes.

25 Mar 2010

Prior knowledge of impending distraction does not improve memory performance in older adults

One of the most common complaints among healthy older adults relates to a decline in memory performance. This decline has been linked to an inability to ignore irrelevant information when forming memories.

25 Mar 2010

Biogen Idec and Elan begin comparative trial of MS treatments

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) today announced enrollment of the first patient in a global Phase IIIb, randomized, rater-blinded, active-controlled study designed to evaluate switching to TYSABRI® (natalizumab) from Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate) or Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.

25 Mar 2010

Research could pave way for new generation of painkillers

An international group of scientists led by Dr Nikita Gamper of the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences has discovered how two proteins play a key role in the way we feel pain, offering new targets on which drug development can be focused.

25 Mar 2010

Biocompatible electronics could enable new surgical applications

Arrhythmic hearts soon may beat in time again, with minimal surgical invasion, thanks to flexible electronics technology developed by a team of University of Illinois researchers, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Northwestern University.

25 Mar 2010