July 11, 2018 by Marilynn Marchione Decades ago, hundreds of nuns and priests made an extraordinary decision: They agreed to donate their brains upon death to science, hoping to help solve mysteries about Alzheimer’s and other diseases. Now, a study that used their gifts is giving some clues. It reveals that high blood pressure late...
Tag: <span>brain</span>
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Huntington’s disease—how brain training games could help
July 9, 2018 by Emma Yhnell, The Conversation In the search for new treatments, science often focuses on medication first. But drugs aren’t the only way to fight illness, particularly when looking at brain diseases. My research looks into how playing specially designed computer games might help people who are living with Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s is a brain disorder that gets...
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Opioids don’t have to be addictive – the new versions will treat pain without triggering pleasure
The problem with opioids is that they kill pain – and people. In the past three years, more than 125,000 persons died from an opioid overdose – an average of 115 people per day – exceeding the number killed in car accidents and from gunshots during the same period. America desperately needs safer analgesics. To create them, biochemists...
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Researchers find important new piece in the Huntington’s disease puzzle
UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN THE FACULTY OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES Researchers find important new piece in the Huntington’s disease puzzle In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a hitherto unknown error in the transport of glutamine between astrocytes and neurons in the brain of mice with Huntington’s disease. At the same time, it...
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Planned movements and spontaneous reactions are processed differently in the brain
The runners are lined up at the starting line, patiently awaiting the start signal for the 1000-meter race. In the second turn a runner falls in front of the one next to him. He dodges his falling neighbor and continues to sprint towards the finish line. Whilst awaiting the start signal, the runner had time...
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A new therapy proves effective against brain metastasis
A study published in Nature Medicine by a team led by Manuel Valiente, head of the Brain Metastasis Group at the Spanish National Cancer ResearchCentre (CNIO), shows that the administration of silibinin in patients with brain metastasis reduces lesions without causing any adverse effects. This preliminary trial provides proof of concept that this compound could be a new...
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Why solvents can affect brain health even at low levels of exposure
The health effects associated with occupational exposure to solvents have long been recognised. But despite greater health and safety awareness in general, our research suggests that workers from some industries are still at risk. New research suggests that spray painters and panel beaters could be at higher risk of health effects through solvent exposure. Several studies have shown both...
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How to activate your brain’s ability to learn
A new study looks at the power of practicing well beyond mastery. In music, you have scales. In Jiu Jitsu, it’s drilling. Most of us just call it practice. Whatever you label it, many believe that greatness, heck even mere competency, requires training a skill well past proficiency. It’s continuing to practice your free throw even after you’ve nailed every...
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Waves move across the human brain to support memory
The coordination of neural activity across widespread brain networks is essential for human cognition. Researchers have long assumed that oscillations in the brain, commonly measured for research purposes, brain-computer interfacing, and clinical tests, were stationary signals that occurred independently at separate brain regions. Biomedical engineers at Columbia Engineering have discovered a new fundamental feature of...
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Aggression neurons identified
High activity in a relatively poorly studied group of brain cells can be linked to aggressive behaviour in mice, a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows. Using optogenetic techniques, the researchers were able to control aggression in mice by stimulating or inhibiting these cells. The results, which are published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience, contribute...