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.

Drug's ability to reverse acute ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke patients who arrive at the hospital too late to receive currently available treatment options might someday have a new treatment option. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the only site in Chicago to participate in a phase III trial of abciximab (ReoPro - Centocor/Eli Lilly and Company), which seeks to determine the drug's ability to improve neurological function and minimize disability in patients who present with an acute ischemic stroke.

13 Apr 2004

Both sides of brain working together are key to math giftedness

There really may be something different about the brains of math-heads. Mathematically gifted teens did better than average-ability teens and college students on tests that required the two halves of the brain to cooperate, as reported in the April issue of Neuropsychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

12 Apr 2004

Australian symposium on stroke and head injury

A condition which leaves some stroke and head injury victims unable to see half their world will be the subject of a one-day symposium being hosted by Southern Cross University (SCU) this week.

10 Apr 2004

Low carb diets should be avoided by growing children and adolescents

Even if you're not eating "low-carb," it's a good bet you at least know several people who are. Many people have found this the way to lose and maintain weight, while others argue that although you may see results, it could ultimately cause health problems such as heart disease. Most pediatricians would agree that a low-carb diet is not one a growing child should embrace.

9 Apr 2004

A drug that improves function of retinal blood vessels may be able to reduce the risk of stroke

The small study found that endothelial function is abnormal in eye blood vessels of patients who have early-stage hypertension, but that treatment with an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) drug improves endothelial function. The endothelium is the lining of vessel walls and plays a key role in the vessels’ ability to relax and to constrict.

9 Apr 2004

Alcohol screening can spot addiction

Have you ever felt like you needed a drink? If an occasional cocktail changes into a need, it could mean an alcohol problem. National Alcohol Screening Day is April 8. In cities and towns throughout the United States, screening programs will be offered to help people determine whether they exhibit drinking behaviors that could be signs of alcohol addiction.

7 Apr 2004

Results of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease research in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers

The largest study of its kind, designed to track the development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers, has found that the vast majority of those who received the hormone did not contract the fatal condition. However, some recipients (26 out of approximately 7,700) did develop the disease.

7 Apr 2004

A protein involved in the release of neurotransmitters in the brain is essential to learning and memory

A study published today in Neuron offers the first evidence that lack of this protein - known as RIM1 alpha - causes profound deficits in the learning process. The discovery is a major step in understanding the molecular events that underlie learning and memory - complex processes that can be impaired in human neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, mental retardation and schizophrenia.

7 Apr 2004

New research findings in study of Rett Syndrome

Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA reports in the April 6, 2004 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that introduction of the MeCP2 protein into post-mitotic nerve cells of MeCP2 mutant mice rescues the symptoms of Rett Syndrome. This raises the possibility that neurons are functionally normal in a newborn child and that neural dysfunction manifests itself only later due to prolonged MeCP2 deficiency. If correct, therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing the onset of Rett symptoms could be initiated at birth.

7 Apr 2004

Effects of lead in petrol are well-known however a recent additive to petrol manganese may be just as toxic

The disastrous environmental and health effects of lead in petrol are well-known, and western countries have been phasing it out for many years now. However, a recent additive to petrol - manganese - may be just as toxic. A Macquarie University study aims to find out.

7 Apr 2004

Requests for organ donors must be tempered by a better understanding of cultural differences

In Canada, most organ donations come from people who have died, rather than from living donors. In western culture, there is a division between mind and body, he explains. Once the brain no longer functions, the corpse is no longer considered a true person -- as highlighted by Descartes' philosophy, "I think, therefore, I am" -- so organ donation is seen as acceptable. In addition, western society has been greatly influenced by the Christian belief in the spiritual value of non-reciprocal giving, says Bowman, making organ donation a gift of love and generosity.

6 Apr 2004

Study Identifies Predictors of Alzheimer's Disease Longevity

It's among the first questions asked after someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease: "What can we expect?" It's a tough question that has been difficult to answer. But a new study suggests that assessing several key clinical aspects of the disease soon after diagnosis could help families and physicians better predict long-term survival in individuals with AD.

6 Apr 2004

Research shows giving Tourette Syndrome patients the drug levodopa normalizes brain activity

Scientists have known for years that abnormal activity involving a brain chemical called dopamine is somehow connected to the movements and vocalizations, or tics, associated with Tourette syndrome. Now neuroscience researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found brain activity in these patients is abnormal during memory tasks, as well.

5 Apr 2004

More evidence needed to link symptoms like tics or behavioral problems to a strep infection

Common cholinesterase inhibitor eases behavioral symptoms like agitation, depression, and psychosis in patients

The so-called "memory drugs" used to treat Alzheimer's disease and other causes of dementia also ease or prevent a barrage of troublesome behaviors that affect the majority of patients, ultimately lightening the burden on caregivers, researchers have found. They report their results in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

5 Apr 2004

Yohimbe Tree Bark Hold Promise for Revolutionizing Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

New findings at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute demonstrate the potential of a substance found in yohimbe tree bark to accelerate recovery from anxiety disorders suffered by millions of Americans.

4 Apr 2004

MIT scientists are reporting new insights into how the human brain recognizes objects

MIT scientists are reporting new insights into how the human brain recognizes objects, especially faces, in work that could lead to improved machine vision systems, diagnostics for certain neurological conditions and more.

4 Apr 2004

Link Between Stress And Multiple Sclerosis Attacks

A new study that combined results of previously published research findings suggests that acute attacks of multiple sclerosis may be associated with stressful life events. The study, appearing in the British Medical Journal and funded in part through National MS Society postdoctoral fellowships, is a “meta-analysis” (which statistically combines findings) of previously published studies of the topic of stress and MS.

1 Apr 2004

New treatment for Tourette Syndrome, patients experience significant resolution of symptoms following brain surgery

A neurosurgical team at University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) has, for the first time in North America, applied a new surgical approach to the treatment of Tourette syndrome, resulting in the immediate and nearly complete resolution of symptoms for the patient, who has suffered from this neurologic disorder since he was a child.

1 Apr 2004

Machine can switch off brain by transmitting harmless magnetic pulses

Professor Snyder's creativity machine was developed at the Centre for the Mind, a joint venture between The Australian National University and the University of Sydney. The machine transmits harmless magnetic pulses through the brain, temporarily switching part of it off, with the potential to reveal an inner genius

1 Apr 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Drug's ability to reverse acute ischemic stroke

Both sides of brain working together are key to math giftedness

Australian symposium on stroke and head injury

Low carb diets should be avoided by growing children and adolescents

A drug that improves function of retinal blood vessels may be able to reduce the risk of stroke

Alcohol screening can spot addiction

Results of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease research in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers

A protein involved in the release of neurotransmitters in the brain is essential to learning and memory

New research findings in study of Rett Syndrome

Effects of lead in petrol are well-known however a recent additive to petrol manganese may be just as toxic

Requests for organ donors must be tempered by a better understanding of cultural differences

Study Identifies Predictors of Alzheimer's Disease Longevity

Research shows giving Tourette Syndrome patients the drug levodopa normalizes brain activity

More evidence needed to link symptoms like tics or behavioral problems to a strep infection

Common cholinesterase inhibitor eases behavioral symptoms like agitation, depression, and psychosis in patients

Yohimbe Tree Bark Hold Promise for Revolutionizing Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

MIT scientists are reporting new insights into how the human brain recognizes objects

Link Between Stress And Multiple Sclerosis Attacks

New treatment for Tourette Syndrome, patients experience significant resolution of symptoms following brain surgery

Machine can switch off brain by transmitting harmless magnetic pulses

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