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).
GM-CSF required for the immune attack in multiple sclerosis – The neutralization of the cytokine GM-CSF could halt the development of multiple sclerosis, demonstrated by the research team of the immunologist Burkhard Becher at the University of Zurich in an animal model.
Spring-cleaning the mind? — Concordia study shows a cluttered brain doesn’t remember – Lapses in memory occur more frequently with age, yet the reasons for this increasing forgetfulness have not always been clear. According to new research from Concordia University, older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks.
FDA approves the first vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease in infants and toddlers – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Menactra in children as young as 9 months for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W-135. Menactra already is approved for use in people ages 2 through 55 years.
Musical activity may improve cognitive aging – A study conducted by Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist in Emory’s Department of Neurology, and cognitive psychologist Alicia MacKay, PhD, found that older individuals who spent a significant amount of time throughout life playing a musical instrument perform better on some cognitive tests than individuals who did not play an instrument.
Weight loss improves memory, according to Kent State researcher – John Gunstad, an associate professor in Kent State University’s Department of Psychology, and a team of researchers have discovered a link between weight loss and improved memory and concentration. The study shows that bariatric surgery patients exhibited improved memory function 12 weeks after their operations.
Differences in brain structure indicate risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease — Thinning of key cortical areas predicts dementia up to a decade in advance – Subtle differences in brain anatomy among older individuals with normal cognitive skills may be able to predict both the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the following decade and how quickly symptoms of dementia would develop.
Study: Omega-3 consumed during pregnancy curbs risk for postpartum depression symptoms – Fish has long been considered in myriad cultures to be “brain food,” but only recently has bona fide science begun to support this deep-rooted belief.
Stem cells take cues from cerebrospinal fluid in the brain – Proteins in fluids bathing the brain are essential for building the brain, revealed by researchers in the journal Neuron. The finding promises to advance research related to neurological disease, cancer and stem cells.
Coffee drinking linked to reduced stroke risk in women — American Heart Association rapid access journal report – Drinking more than a cup of coffee a day was associated with a 22 percent to 25 percent lower risk of stroke, compared with those who drank less, in a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
As we sleep, speedy brain waves boost our ability to learn — A UC Berkeley study suggests we’re busy recharging our brain?s learning capacity during a dreamless light slumber that takes up half our sleeping hours – During sleep, we’re busy recharging our brain’s learning capacity, which can take up half the night, revealed a new study from the University of California, Berkeley.
Boosting protein garbage disposal in brain cells protects mice from Alzheimer’s disease — Gene therapy shows that clearing toxic proteins inside brain cells prevents plaque formation outside neurons – Gene therapy that boosts the ability of brain cells to gobble up toxic proteins prevents development of Alzheimer’s disease in mice that are predestined to develop it, report researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Using EEGs to diagnose autism spectrum disorders in infants — Machine-learning system finds differences in brain connectivity – A computational physicist and a cognitive neuroscientist at Children’s Hospital Boston have come up with the beginnings of a noninvasive test to evaluate an infant’s autism risk.
