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.

Stanford researchers identify leukemia stem cells

A handful of leukemia cells constantly replenish the supply of cancerous cells, according to new work by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.

11 Aug 2004

Frog science helps to explain how the environment may have permanent effects on the nervous system

Scientists studying how the nervous system develops in frogs have found that altering the pattern of electrical signaling in individual neurons changes the kinds of neurotransmitters they produce.

11 Aug 2004

Scientists have turned procrastinating primates into workaholics by temporarily suppressing a gene in a brain circuit involved in reward learning

Using a new molecular genetic technique, scientists have turned procrastinating primates into workaholics by temporarily suppressing a gene in a brain circuit involved in reward learning. Without the gene, the monkeys lost their sense of balance between reward and the work required to get it, say researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health .

11 Aug 2004

Important for physicians to identify patients at risk for hyperkalemia and implement corresponding measures when using ACE inhibitors

Some patients with hypertension or other cardiovascular diseases should be closely monitored in order to maintain safe potassium levels in the body when prescribed certain medications, counsels a nephrologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

11 Aug 2004

Scientists have tricked subjects in an experiment into believing that a rubber hand was part of their own body

The findings about the brain’s awareness of its own body will hopefully lead to better understanding of disorders of self-perception, as for example in brain-damaged patients who no longer recognise their own limbs after stroke, or amputees who still experience pain from limbs that are no longer there.

10 Aug 2004

Retinal findings in children with severe forms of malaria appear related to disease outcomes such as prolonged coma and death

Retinal findings in children with severe forms of malaria (with brain involvement and severe anemia) appear related to disease outcomes such as prolonged coma and death, according to an article in the August issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Aug 2004

Mexican-Americans have a far higher chance of suffering a stroke than non-Hispanic whites

And, according to a second study published today by the same team, the difference doesn't appear to be related to Mexican-Americans' higher incidence of diabetes, which had been thought to raise their risk of a certain type of stroke.

9 Aug 2004

Premature babies grow up to have a portion of the brain smaller than normal

Kids on a playground can be hard to tell apart. But those who were born significantly preterm may be struggling with a hidden handicap that sets them apart from their peers: specific areas of the brain that are smaller than normal, even years later.

9 Aug 2004

New direction for research into Sly Syndrome

Findings by a Saint Louis University research team led by the scientist who discovered Sly Syndrome 32 years ago point to a new direction for research into the rare genetic disorder that can cause bone deformities, vision and hearing loss, mental retardation and death in children.

9 Aug 2004

Alzheimer’s sufferers are more likely to have jobs that are less mentally challenging than people without Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's is a progressive form of presenile dementia that is similar to senile dementia except that it usually starts in the 40s or 50s; first symptoms are impaired memory which is followed by impaired thought and speech and finally complete helplessness

9 Aug 2004

New treatment strategy for brain cancer

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers have found that combining ionizing radiation with a secreted protein that selectively inhibits tumor cell growth and survival can target cancer cells and leave healthy cells alone, perhaps presenting a new approach for treating the deadliest type of brain tumor.

9 Aug 2004

Effects of oxidative stress on atherosclerosis

Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death among men and women in the United States and account for 40 percent of all mortalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

9 Aug 2004

New screening tool prevents wrong patients from receiving Parkinson's surgery

The allure of a new brain surgery technique to relieve the stiffness and shaking caused by Parkinson’s disease may lead to unnecessary operations, University of Florida researchers say, but a new screening tool they developed could prevent potentially dangerous procedures.

9 Aug 2004

Premature babies, better to delay where possible, to minimise brain damage

Findings from a UK-led international trial, funded by the Medical Research Council, confirm that premature babies across Europe are being delivered at the right time to save their lives, but preventing brain damage by optimising delivery time is still a challenge.

9 Aug 2004

MRI may be better than polygraph for revealing lies

A new study involving people telling lies while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides early indications that understanding the brain basis of deception may lead to a better lie detection method than polygraph tests.

9 Aug 2004

Knowledge about oral and head and neck cancer is severely lacking in the American public

Most adult Americans know how to light a cigarette and order a drink, but a great number of them are clueless about the consequence of these two destructive habits – oral and head and neck cancer.

9 Aug 2004

Step closer to unravelling the mystery of medically unexplained pain such as chronic low back pain

Researchers are one step closer to unravelling the mystery of medically unexplained pain such as chronic low back pain, which continues to baffle doctors.

9 Aug 2004

Neuroscience research in South Australia is mobilising its efforts against diseases of the brain and nervous system

Neuroscience research in South Australia is mobilising its efforts against diseases of the brain and nervous system that cause Australians incalculable distress as well as costing billions of dollars each year in treatment and care.

9 Aug 2004

Delaying delivery by a few days is as effective as immediate delivery for babies who have experienced fetal trauma

Results of a European study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that delaying delivery by a few days is as effective as immediate delivery for babies who have experienced fetal trauma. The study also showed that fetuses delivered without delay at 30 weeks or younger had an increased risk of infant disability compared with delayed delivery.

6 Aug 2004

Second case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease infection that was probably caused by blood transfusion

Research reported in The Lancet this week details the second case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) infection that was probably caused by blood transfusion. The rogue prion responsible for vCJD was identified at postmortem five years after an elderly person received a blood transfusion from a donor who later developed vCJD.

5 Aug 2004

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Stanford researchers identify leukemia stem cells

Frog science helps to explain how the environment may have permanent effects on the nervous system

Scientists have turned procrastinating primates into workaholics by temporarily suppressing a gene in a brain circuit involved in reward learning

Important for physicians to identify patients at risk for hyperkalemia and implement corresponding measures when using ACE inhibitors

Scientists have tricked subjects in an experiment into believing that a rubber hand was part of their own body

Retinal findings in children with severe forms of malaria appear related to disease outcomes such as prolonged coma and death

Mexican-Americans have a far higher chance of suffering a stroke than non-Hispanic whites

Premature babies grow up to have a portion of the brain smaller than normal

New direction for research into Sly Syndrome

Alzheimer’s sufferers are more likely to have jobs that are less mentally challenging than people without Alzheimer’s disease

New treatment strategy for brain cancer

Effects of oxidative stress on atherosclerosis

New screening tool prevents wrong patients from receiving Parkinson's surgery

Premature babies, better to delay where possible, to minimise brain damage

MRI may be better than polygraph for revealing lies

Knowledge about oral and head and neck cancer is severely lacking in the American public

Step closer to unravelling the mystery of medically unexplained pain such as chronic low back pain

Neuroscience research in South Australia is mobilising its efforts against diseases of the brain and nervous system

Delaying delivery by a few days is as effective as immediate delivery for babies who have experienced fetal trauma

Second case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease infection that was probably caused by blood transfusion

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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