Adelaide is poised to open Australia’s first proton therapy center in 2025, with children and young adults expected to be the main beneficiaries of more effective cancer treatment with fewer side effects. But just how safe is proton therapy for children with brain cancer compared to the conventional X-ray radiation delivered post-surgery? A new study […]
Social isolation increases anxiety and asymmetry in brain atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have conducted a study which allows estimating the effects of isolation in the current pandemic scenarios in elderly patients with dementia. The findings could serve as a guide to the rethinking of these conditions after the COVID-19 crisis. The study was published in a special edition of […]
Low-level alcohol use during pregnancy can impact child’s brain development
New research from the University of Sydney finds that even low levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have an impact on a child’s brain development and is associated with greater psychological and behavioral problems in youth including anxiety, depression and poor attention. Published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study was led […]
Face-specific brain area responds to faces even in people born blind
More than 20 years ago, neuroscientist Nancy Kanwisher and others discovered that a small section of the brain located near the base of the skull responds much more strongly to faces than to other objects we see. This area, known as the fusiform face area, is believed to be specialized for identifying faces. Now, in […]
Getting gene therapy to the brain
A lone genetic mutation can cause a life-changing disorder with effects on multiple body systems. Lysosomal storage diseases, for example, of which there are dozens, arise due to single mutations that affect production of critical enzymes required to metabolize large molecules in cells. These disorders affect multiple organs including, notably, the brain, causing intellectual disability […]
Coronavirus and the brain: Diagnosing and treating COVID-19’s neurological effects
As the number of COVID-19 patient records grows, researchers are meticulously combing through the data, searching for a better understanding of the virus and what we can expect in the months and years ahead. What is now of increasing concern in health care is the realization that the virus can not only be severe, but […]
Brain tumors may originate in a brain region distinct from where it becomes a lethal disease
A mouse model of glioblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain, suggests that this recalcitrant cancer originates from a pool of stem cells that can be a significant distance away from the resulting tumors. The findings of a new study, led by Children’s National Hospital researchers and published July 22 […]
Feeling anxiety? Reverse-engineering the brain could help
The anxiety you may be feeling right now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic stems back to our prehistoric need to survive. Biologists have explored this principle for decades. Those breathing techniques that your mobile app, HR office or best friend might be recommending? They can help—psychology studies have proven this. But what’s happening […]
Eyes send an unexpected signal to the brain
The eyes have a surprise. For decades, biology textbooks have stated that eyes communicate with the brain exclusively through one type of signaling pathway. But a new discovery shows that some retinal neurons take a road less traveled. New research, led by Northwestern University, has found that a subset of retinal neurons sends inhibitory signals […]
Michelle Money ‘Considering Options’ After Daughter’s Brain Pressure Goes Up
Michelle Money is evaluating her next steps after her 15-year-old daughter Brielle’s brain pressure went up after she underwent surgery following a skateboarding accident. “Today has been a week [since the accident] and if we can’t get her numbers stabilized than we are going to have to put her into a deeper coma that has […]