Just like doctors seek to scan deeper into the body with sonograms, CT and MRI, and astronomers seek to look farther out into the universe with space-based telescopes, adaptive optics and different wavelengths of light, neuroscientists pursue new ways to watch brain cells at work deep inside the brain. Three-photon microscopy recently emerged to give […]
Research reveals machinery of a deadly childhood brain cancer
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have mapped the effects of aberrant biological machinery that drives a deadly brain cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). The research included development of a genetically engineered mouse that will offer ways to further understanding of such brain cancers, as well as a laboratory model for developing more […]
South African musician plays guitar during brain surgery
His skull still open, a South African musician with a brain tumor played several notes on his guitar during a successful operation to remove most of the growth. Musa Manzini’s guitar-playing helped guide the medical team in their delicate task while preserving neural pathways, said Dr. Rohen Harrichandparsad, one of the neurosurgeons. Manzini was given […]
‘Error neurons’ play role in how brain processes mistakes
New research from Cedars-Sinai has identified neurons that play a role in how people recognize errors they make, a discovery that may have implications for the treatment of conditions including obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. Catching even small errors, such as making a typo while writing a letter, is a critical executive function that allows us […]
Advanced imaging technology measures magnetite levels in the living brain
Investigators at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have used magnetoencephalography (MEG) – a technology that measures brain activity by detecting the weak magnetic fields produced by the brain’s normal electrical currents—to measure levels of the iron-based mineral called magnetite in the human brain. While magnetite is known to be […]
Drug treatment could offer new hope for some patients with brain bleeding
A drug treatment, already approved for use in patients, could offer new hope for some patients with brain bleeding and strokes. New research, led by the University of Glasgow and published today in Human Molecular Genetics, has shown that the compound sodium phenyl butyric acid could be used to reduce brain bleeding which can cause […]
Researchers hope to be able to replace dysfunctional brain cells
A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet supports the theory that replacement of dysfunctional immune cells in the brain has therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which involved repopulating the brain with new immune cells in an experimental disease model, is published in Nature Communications. Macrophages are immune […]
Study Finds Daily Stress Causes Brain Health Deterioration In Seniors
A new study found that daily stress can lead to brain deterioration in senior citizens. According to a report from Science News, a new study from Oregon State University found that older adults who become stressed by daily activities show more rapid deterioration in cognitive health than those who take these things in stride. From […]
Automated detection of sleep states from olfactory brain waves
Scientists have developed a completely automated technique for real-time detection of sleep/wake states in freely moving mice. Conducted by Karim Benchenane, Sophie Bagur and colleagues at the National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris, the study, publishing on November 8 in the open-access journal, PLOS Biology, describes how local brain activity in the olfactory bulb […]
Study shows potential to develop brain tumour liquid biopsies
Scientists are making strides in developing liquid biopsies for brain tumours by detecting tumour DNA in the fluid from around the brain and spine. Liquid biopsies are fluid samples from patients, for example from the blood or urine, which provide a less invasive way to monitor disease compared to tumour biopsies. A less intrusive test […]