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.

MIT researchers use specialized MRI sensor to detect light deep within tissues

Using a specialized MRI sensor, MIT researchers have shown that they can detect light deep within tissues such as the brain.

3 Jan 2023

Genetic cause behind novel DEE syndrome discovered

Autism and epilepsy are two highly prevalent conditions that fall under the umbrella of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), which affect 1–3% of the world’s population just in terms of cognitive disabilities.

20 Dec 2022

Octopuses' acuity may provide a critical link in understanding the evolution of complex life

Octopuses have captured the attention of scientists and the public with their remarkable intelligence, including the use of tools, engaging in creative play and problem-solving, and even escaping from aquariums.

16 Dec 2022

Involvement of the piRNA pathway in brain plasticity and successful aging

The Neurobiology of miRNA team, headed by Davide De Pietri Tonelli of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology), established a link between a family of small RNA molecules known as piRNAs and brain inflammation.

16 Dec 2022

Simple inexpensive test determines the genetic susceptibility to PML

Four genetic mutations have been linked to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but sometimes fatal brain infection that can be provoked by dozens of FDA-approved drugs.

16 Dec 2022

Using CRISPR technology to reduce the symptoms of Huntington’s disease

A neurological condition called Huntington's disease (HD) results in a progressive decline in movement, coordination, and mental ability. It is brought on by a mutation in the huntingtin, or HTT, gene.

From UC San Diego 14 Dec 2022

Scientist honored for his contribution on ALS research

The Drs Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family ALS Endowed Award for Innovative Healing was given to Clive Svendsen, PhD, a pioneer in regenerative medicine, for his significant contributions to the field of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (AL) at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS.

12 Dec 2022

Small fluorescent protein helps researchers to capture deeper, more precise biomedical images

Biomedical and genetic engineers at Duke University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have designed a small fluorescent protein that emits and absorbs light that penetrates deep into biological tissue.

7 Dec 2022

The link between tandem repeats and development of Schizophrenia

Each human cell is distinct because it is written in the DNA language.

1 Dec 2022

Microglial cells trigger inflammatory protective mechanisms in the immune system

Microglia, the brain’s own immune cells, are present in the central nervous system.

1 Dec 2022

Figuring out how immune cells prevent cognitive decline

Could Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive decline be caused by the underproduction of immune cells that are poorly understood? It might, according to a Rutgers study published in Nature Immunology, and increasing these cells could undo the harm.

From Rutgers University 1 Dec 2022

Using nanotechnology and magnetic manipulations to bioengineer 3D neural networks

Neurons are the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, the cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, for sending motor commands to our muscles, and for transforming and relaying the electrical signals at every step in between.

30 Nov 2022

Discovery provides insights into how invertebrates have evolved complex nervous systems

Octopuses are not much like humans -; they are invertebrates with eight arms, and more closely related to clams and snails.

29 Nov 2022

Tackling epilepsy with a potential new drug

One of the epilepsy types that are most prevalent worldwide is temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Although there are symptomatic medications available, one-third of TLE patients are still not responding to the current course of treatment, necessitating the urgent need for new drug targets.

25 Nov 2022

Newly developed tool helps snip out faulty genes in a safe manner

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come up with a new tool that has the potential to detach faulty genes and exchange them with new ones in a highly safe and effective way.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 25 Nov 2022

Fastest-evolved regions of the human genome diverged rapidly after split from chimpanzee ancestor

A team of Duke researchers has identified a group of human DNA sequences driving changes in brain development, digestion and immunity that seem to have evolved rapidly after our family line split from that of the chimpanzees, but before we split with the Neanderthals.

24 Nov 2022

RNA-targeting strategy to repair the genetic cause of ALS and dementia

Researchers at UF Scripps Biomedical Research have created a potential treatment for a major factor in the development of ALS and dementia that functions by removing disease-causing RNA segments.

24 Nov 2022

Launch of stem cells into space to investigate stem cell aging

Lab tests on astronaut Scott Kelly’s blood cells after he returned from a year-long stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) showed telomeric and pre-leukemic changes.

From UC San Diego 24 Nov 2022

Highlighting the potential of new techniques to study mental disorders

Researchers investigating the fundamental brain mechanics of autism spectrum disorder have discovered that a gene mutation known to be connected with the illness causes considerably more overstimulation of brain cells than in neuronal cells without the mutation.

23 Nov 2022

Atypical antibody shows extremely potent zika-resistant activity

A group of researchers led by Weill Cornell Medicine, New York-Presbyterian, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators has discovered an unusual type of antibody that, even at extremely low concentrations, neutralizes the Zika virus and renders the virus infection undetectable in preclinical models.

22 Nov 2022