Well-connected brains make you smarter in older age
Brains that maintain healthy nerve connections as we age help keep us sharp in later life, new research funded by the charity Age UK has found. View More (2012-05-24)
No new neurons in the human olfactory bulb
Research from Karolinska Institutet shows that the human olfactory bulb - a structure in the brain that processes sensory input from the nose - differs from that of other mammals in that no new neurons are formed in this area after birth. View More (2012-05-24)
GPS for the brain: UGA researchers develop new brain map
University of Georgia researchers have developed a map of the human brain that shows great promise as a new guide to the inner workings of the body's most complex and critical organ. View More (2012-05-23)
Neuron-nourishing cells appear to retaliate in Alzheimer's
When brain cells start oozing too much of the amyloid protein that is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, the astrocytes that normally nourish and protect them deliver a suicide package instead, researchers report. View More (2012-05-23)
Dartmouth researchers are learning how exercise affects the brain
Exercise clears the mind. It gets the blood pumping and more oxygen is delivered to the brain. This is familiar territory, but Dartmouth's David Bucci thinks there is much more going on. View More (2012-05-21)
Acid in the brain
University of Iowa neuroscientist John Wemmie, M.D., Ph.D., is interested in the effect of acid in the brain. His studies suggest that increased acidity or low pH, in the brain is linked to panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. View More (2012-05-21)
Oxytocin improves brain function in children with autism
Preliminary results from an ongoing, large-scale study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows that oxytocin - a naturally occurring substance produced in the brain and throughout the body- increased brain function in regions that are known to process social information in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). View More (2012-05-21)
Modeling neurological damage of a traumatic brain injury survivor
In 1848, railroad worker Phineas Gage survived a severe brain injury when a tamping rod shot through his skull, resulting in significant behavioral changes. View More (2012-05-17)
Let's get moving: Unravelling how locomotion starts
Scientists at the University of Bristol have shed new light on one of the great unanswered questions of neuroscience: how the brain initiates rhythmic movements like walking, running and swimming. View More (2012-05-17)
Revised glioblastoma classification should improve patient care
Radiation oncology researchers have revised the system used by doctors since the 1990s to determine the prognosis of people with glioblastoma, which is the most devastating of malignant brain tumors. View More (2012-05-17)
Mice with big brains provide insight into brain regeneration and developmental disorders
Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have discovered that mice that lack a gene called Snf2l have brains that are 35 per cent larger than normal. View More (2012-05-16)
Children's brain tumors more diverse than previously believed
Paediatric brain tumours preserve specific characteristics of the normal cells from which they originate - a previously unknown circumstance with ramifications for how tumour cells respond to treatment. View More (2012-05-15)
Brain circuitry is different for women with anorexia and obesity
Why does one person become anorexic and another obese? A study recently published by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher shows that reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women and desensitized in obese women. View More (2012-05-15)
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury May Alter the Brain's Neuronal Circuit Excitability and Contribute to Brain Network Dysfunction
Even mild head injuries can cause significant abnormalities in brain function that last for several days, which may explain the neurological symptoms experienced by some individuals who have experienced a head injury associated with sports, accidents or combat, according to a study by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers. View More (2012-05-14)
Gifts of the MAGI in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
These findings are not about the classic story of gift-giving, although the MAGI genes (officially named membrane associated guanylate kinase, WW and PDZ domain containing proteins) do influence brain function in important ways. View More (2012-05-11)
Virtual reality allows researchers to measure brain activity during behavior at unprecedented resolution
Researchers have developed a new technique which allows them to measure brain activity in large populations of nerve cells at the resolution of individual cells. View More (2012-05-10)
The music of the (hemi)spheres sheds new light on schizophrenia
In 1619, the pioneering astronomer Johannes Kepler published Harmonices Mundi in which he analyzed data on the movement of planets and asserted that the laws of nature governing the movements of planets show features of harmonic relationships in music. View More (2012-05-10)
Chronic Cocaine Use Triggers Changes in Brain's Neuron Structure
Chronic exposure to cocaine reduces the expression of a protein known to regulate brain plasticity, according to new, in vivo research on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction. View More (2012-05-10)
Psychiatric medication effects on brain structure
It is increasingly recognized that chronic psychotropic drug treatment may lead to structural remodeling of the brain. Indeed, clinical studies in humans present an intriguing picture: antipsychotics, used for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis, may contribute to cortical gray matter loss in patients, whereas lithium, used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and mania, may preserve... View More (2012-05-09)
Purpose in life may protect against harmful changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease
Greater purpose in life may help stave off the harmful effects of plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. View More (2012-05-08)
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