Novel Protein May Help Detect Lou Gehrig’s Disease and Dementia
Researchers discover an abnormal protein that accumulates in the brains of patients affected with ALS and frontotemporal dementia. The findings have uncovered a potentially new therapeutic target and biomarker that would allow clinicians to confirm diagnosis of the diseases.
Early Music Lessons Boost Brain Development
A new study suggests early musical training has a significant effect on the development of the brain. Practicing instruments before the age of seven boosts the normal maturation of connections between motor and sensory regions of the brain, researchers suggest.
Genes for Autism and Schizophrenia Only Active in Developing Brains
Genes linked to autism and schizophrenia are only switched on during the early stages of brain development, according to a study in mice led by researchers at the University of Oxford.
Strokes Associated with Surgery can be Devastating
Prompt identification of perioperative strokes can improve the outcome, researchers suggest. Study suggests several therapies to treat perioperative strokes caused by blood clots.
Researchers Uncover Genetic Clues Which may Lead to Better Understanding of Organ Development and Birth Defects
Researchers have discovered clues to the development of the head at the cellular level, which could point scientists to a better understanding of how organs and birth defects form in humans.
Simulations Show how Blood Vessels Regroup after Stroke
By simulating patterns of microvasculature cell growth and compare the results with real networks grown in lab, researchers hope to direct how they grow into the tiny blood vessels that feed the brain and help people regain functions lost to stroke and disease.
Putting our Heads Together: Canines may Hold Clues to Human Skull Development
Reviewing research on dog cranium development, scientists consider how the information garnered over the past eight years could help us understand human skull development.
Smartphone App Offers New Possibilities For Psychological Research
Researchers show that the iDichotic smartphone app can be successfully used for psychological testing. A new version of this app has been specially developed for schizophrenic patients suffering from auditory hallucinations.
Researchers Describe Technology that Lets Spinal Cord Injured Man Control Robot Arm with Thoughts
Researchers describe how an electrode array sitting on top of the brain enabled a 30-year-old paralyzed man to control the movement of a character on a computer screen in three dimensions with just his thoughts. It also enabled him to move a robot arm to touch a friend’s hand for the first time in the seven years.
Researchers Uncover Key to Antidepressant Response
Researchers identify a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy. The experimental results explain how these therapies likely work to relieve depression by stimulating stem cells in the brain to grow and mature.
