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).
Alzheimer’s disease: Newly found peptide offers hope of early test and better treatment – Researchers in Japan have detected a peptide in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that can show whether a person is developing Alzheimer’s disease. Measuring the level of this peptide could show that the disease process has started, long before any serious damage is done to the brain.
Tau protein tangles are found in the brains of people with a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. – New research published in Nature Cell Biology suggests that tangle formation can be transferred from one type of trans genetic mouse line to another.
Lyme disease is spreading in Canada, and physicians are crucial in helping minimize its impact – Lyme disease is emerging in Canada, and is expected to increase with climate change, but effective, enhanced surveillance and clinician awareness will be key to minimizing the impact of the disease, write researchers in a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Embracing your primitive nature can help in fight against depression – KU researcher finds primitive lifestyle elements ease depression. – He doesn’t care for the term “caveman therapy.” But Stephen Ilardi, associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas, has turned to our hunter-gatherer ancestors for clues about how to best combat major depressive disorder.
Fatty Foods ? Not Empty Stomach ? Fire Up Hunger Hormone – New research led by the University of Cincinnati (UC) suggests that the hunger hormone ghrelin is activated by fats from the foods we eat-not those made in the body-in order to optimize nutrient metabolism and promote the storage of body fat.
Fat to make you feel fuller — UK scientists have designed a fatty formulation that can make you feel fuller for longer. – Scientists have designed a fatty formulation that can make you feel fuller for longer. When the fat remains stable in the acid environment of the stomach, it empties into the small intestine more slowly and increases satiety.
Eating a curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, a US researcher Professor Murali Doraiswamy suggests. – Professor Murali Doraiswamy, from the Duke University Medical Center in Carolina, has suggested that curcumin, found in the popular curry ingredient tumeric, could help prevent the onset of dementia.
The antidepressant citalopram does not appear to reduce the occurrence of repetitive behaviors in children and teens with autism spectrum disorders. – Citalopram, a medication commonly prescribed to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors, according to researchers.
Small molecule inhibitor shows promise in trastuzumab-resistant metastatic breast cancer – Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers report that a combination of trastuzumab and neratinib (HKI-272) a novel small molecule inhibitor of the HER2 receptor (ErbB2) appears active in women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have progressed on previous trastuzumab based therapies.
Stanford study expands window for effective stroke treatment – stroke treatment limit extended to 4.5 hours after first symptom. – Once symptoms start, there’s only a tiny window of time for stroke victims to get life-saving treatment. Now, research from the Stanford University School of Medicine has cracked that window open a bit wider.
Identification of genetic variants affecting age at menopause could help improve fertility treatment – For the first time, scientists have been able to identify genetic factors that influence the age at which natural menopause occurs in women. Ms Lisette Stolk, a researcher from Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics that a greater understanding of the factors influencing age at menopause might eventually help to improve the clinical treatment of infertile women.
Menopause transition may cause trouble learning – The largest study of its kind to date shows that women may not be able to learn as well shortly before menopause compared to other stages in life. The research is published in the May 26, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
