In animals, the brain (enkephale) (Greek for “in the skull”), is the control center of the central nervous system, responsible for behavior. The brain is located in the head, protected by the skull and close to the primary sensory apparatus of vision, hearing, equilibrioception (balance), sense of taste, and olfaction (smell).
Avastin Loses FDA Approval to Treat Breast Cancer – US health agency FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. has revoked the approval of the breast cancer indication for Avastin (bevacizumab) after concluding that the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective for that use.
Nicotine primes brain for cocaine use: Molecular basis of gateway sequence of drug use – Cigarettes and alcohol serve as gateway drugs, which people use before progressing to the use of marijuana and then to cocaine and other illicit substances; this progression is called the “gateway sequence” of drug use.
Neural stem cell transplant may tackle diabetes — Using patients’ own stem cells can overcome shortage of insulin-producing cells without the need for gene transfer – Researchers in Japan have discovered how a patient’s neural stem cells could be used as an alternative source of the beta cells needed for a regenerative treatment for diabetes.
MRI study finds that depression uncouples brain’s hate circuit — Depressed people may process feelings of hate differently – Depression frequently seems to uncouple the brain’s “Hate Circuit”. The study entitled “Depression Uncouples Brain Hate Circuit” is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Premature birth may increase risk of epilepsy later in life — Preemies are at higher risk of epilepsy later in life – Being born prematurely may increase your risk of developing epilepsy as an adult, revealed by researchers in a new study published in the Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Some link between CCSVI and MS but quality of evidence prevents definitive conclusion – Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) appears to be more common in people with multiple sclerosis than in people without the condition, states a review of published studies in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).However, there are not enough high-quality studies to allow definitive conclusions.
Blood Tests May Hold Clues to Pace of Alzheimer?s Disease Progression – Researchers found a way to predict how quickly patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will lose cognitive function by looking at ratios of two fatty compounds in their blood.
CSHL team finds evidence for the genetic basis of autism — Models of autism show that gene copy number controls brain structure and behavior – Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered that one of the most common genetic alterations in autism — deletion of a 27-gene cluster on chromosome 16 — causes autism-like features.
Mayo Clinic study: multiple surgeries and anesthesia exposure – 36.6 percent children who had multiple surgeries before age 2 developed a learning disability later in life, but it should not alter decision-making related to surgery in young children. The new study examines children experiencing anesthesia and surgeries under age 2.
Low vitamin B12 levels may lead to brain shrinkage, cognitive problems – Older people with low blood levels of vitamin B12 markers may be more likely to have lower brain volumes and have problems with their thinking skills, according to researchers at Rush University Medical Center.
Diabetes may significantly increase your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease – People with diabetes appear to be at a significantly increased risk of developing dementia, revealed by researchers in a recent study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
CONJOINED TWINS SEPARATED — UK Children?s Charity Facing the World Announces Successful Separation of Sudanese Twins – Twin girls joined at the head, such that their major brain blood vessels were interconnected, have been safely separated. UK charity Facing the World played the central role in funding treatment, evaluating the children abroad, supporting the family and handling the logistics to bring Rital and Ritag Gaboura and their parents to London.
