Newsline — Friday, September 5, 2014 9:00
Concussion Symptoms Can Overlap with Neck Injuries
Researchers Pinpoint Protein Necessary for Proper Brain Development
Thursday, September 4, 2014 13:00
In a recent study published in the journal eLife, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine found that the protein glycogen synthase kinase-3, or GSK-3, is crucial for proper brain development early in life. The discovery has implications for the study of neurodevelopmental disorders, which can result from abnormal brain formation during embryonic stages and infancy. “We found that deleting GSK-3 from a specific type of neuron disrupts how those neurons migrate through the cortex,” said the lead author of the study. Neuron migration is key to how the cerebral cortex becomes organized, allowing it to function properly in adulthood. Researchers believe their findings are the tip of the iceberg in terms of what GSK-3 does to neurons, saying it likely affects the regulation of where axons extend and what synapses do to brain plasticity, which are critical for normal brain development. To read more about this study, click here.
Researchers Uncover New Brain Pathways for Understanding Diabetes and Obesity
Thursday, September 4, 2014 9:00
In a recent study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center identified neural pathways that increase the understanding of how the brain regulates body weight, energy expenditure and blood glucose levels. The study found that melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4Rs) expressed by neurons that control the autonomic nervous system are key in regulating glucose metabolism and energy expenditure. Using mouse models, the team of researchers deleted MC4Rs in neurons controlling the sympathetic nervous system. This manipulation lowered energy expenditure and subsequently caused obesity and diabetes in the mice. The findings show that MC4Rs are required to regulate glucose metabolism, energy expenditure, and body weight, including thermogenic responses to diet and exposure to cold. The results of the study show that understanding this pathway in greater detail may be key to identifying the exact processes in which type 2 diabetes and obesity are developed independently of each other. To read more about this study, click here.
New Tools Help Neuroscientists Analyze Big Data
Wednesday, September 3, 2014 13:00
In a recent study published in the journal Nature Methods, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have used new technology to quickly find patterns in high-resolution images collected from the brains of active zebrafish and mice. The technology (named “Thunder”) can quickly analyze data sets so large and complex they would normally take days or weeks to analyze on a single workstation. Researchers used Thunder to analyze imaging data from a new microscope that was developed to monitor the activity of nearly every individual cells in the brain of a zebrafish, as it behaves in response to visual stimuli. Thunder can run on a private cluster or on Amazon’s cloud computing services. Neuroscientists rarely arrive at new insights about the brain the first time they consider their data. “Being able to apply these analyses quickly — one after the other — is important. Speed gives a researchers more flexibility to explore and get new ideas,” said a lead author of the study. Distributed computing was one solution to accelerate analysis while exploring the full…
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Researchers Find Surprising Differences in How Teens Experience Concussion
Wednesday, September 3, 2014 9:00
Drawing from a large University of Kentucky database, researchers from the University of Kentucky’s Department of Psychology conducted a study of 37 athletes from the ages of 12 to 17 in order to explore post-concussion changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms over time. Of the 37 participants, 22 demonstrated post-concussive emotional symptoms. Of those, 23 percent were sensitive to light, while 14 percent were sensitive to noise. In comparison, of the 15 teens without emotional symptoms, 13 percent were sensitive to light and no teens were sensitive to noise. “We discovered a bidirectional relationship between both emotional symptoms developing in conjunction with physical symptoms, and also emotional symptoms developing because of the physical symptoms,” said a lead author of the study. While the findings are preliminary and require a larger sample size to predict outcomes with more confidence, the research offers the potential to provide teens with better treatment plans based on their unique concussions symptoms. To read more about this study, click here.
New Technique Uses Acoustic Pressure to Penetrate Blood-brain Barrier
Tuesday, September 2, 2014 13:00
In a recent study published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, researchers from Columbia Engineering demonstrated for the first time that the size of molecules penetrating the blood-brain barrier can be controlled using acoustic pressure — the pressure of an ultrasound beam — to let specific molecules through. “This is an important breakthrough in getting rugs delivered to specific parts of the brain precisely, non-invasively, and safely, and may help in the treatment of central nervous system diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s,” said the lead author of the study. Most small — and all large — molecule drugs do not currently penetrate the blood-brain barrier that sits between the vascular bed and the brain tissue. As a result, all central nervous system diseases remain undertreated at best. During the study, researchers targeted the hippocampus and demonstrated that the pressure of an ultrasound beam can be adjusted depending on the size of the drug that needs to be delivered to the brain. Using this technique, researchers were able to penetrate the opened barrier,…
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New Research Shows Tumors Hijack the Brain’s Blood Supply
Tuesday, September 2, 2014 9:03
In a recent study published in the journal Neoplasia, researchers from University of Michigan found that brain tumors hijack the brain’s existing blood supply throughout their progression, and grow only within narrow potential spaces between and along the brain’s thousands of small blood vessels. The findings contradict the concept that brain tumors need to grow their own blood vessels to keep themselves growing. The findings also help explain why drugs that aim to stop growth of new blood vessels in order to extend the lives of patients have failed in clinical trials. The results of the study showed that tumor cells grow exclusively within the spaces around the blood vessels, close enough to draw their own energy and fuel growth in the same way normal brain tissue does. This “autovascular” growth, was detected by researchers from the very beginning to the final stages of tumor progression. To read more about this study, click here.
Researchers Develop Web-based App to Predict Glioma Mutations
Friday, August 29, 2014 13:00
A new web-based program developed by researchers at University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center provides a simple, free way for health-care providers to determine which brain tumor cases require testing for a genetic mutation. In some specific cases of gliomas, patients have a mutation in a gene, known as an IDH1 mutation. Patients who have this tend to survive years long than those who do not carry the mutation. The program uses a statistical model to accurately predict the likelihood that a patient carries the IDH1 mutation and requires screening. Gliomas are often tested for IDH1 mutation following surgery to remove the tumor, but undergoing this type of testing often requires stringent insurance pre-approvals due to rising health-care costs. “Currently, there are no universally accepted guidelines for when gliomas should be tested for this mutation,” said one of the application developers. “Obtaining insurance pre-approval for additional molecular testing is becoming more commonplace, and this program will assist healthcare providers with an evidence-based rationale for when IDH1 screening is necessary.” To read more about this program,…
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New Tool Allows for Real-time Observation During Brain Surgery
Friday, August 29, 2014 9:00
For 20 years, neurosurgeons have discussed a radical way to achieve real-time accuracy in instrument placement: performing surgery with the brain inside an MRI machine. “When you open the brain for surgery, the tissue can shift slightly, and that will throw off predictions made in advance,” said a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To bring the full promise of MRI technology into the operating room, a new company has developed software that will allow neurosurgeons to observe the brain in real time using MRI technology during surgery. For example, because drugs for brain cancer can be delivered over the course of 54 hours, it would be valuable to see where the drug is going during the first few hours of delivery. Because drugs move at different rates through gray and white matter, having the ability to recalibrate the treatment plan based on actual data of where the drug is moving, would allow surgeons to alter the location of the catheter or the flow rate of the medication. To read more about…
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Targeted Brain Training May Help with Multitasking
Thursday, August 28, 2014 13:00
In a recent study published in the journals AGE and PLOS ONE, a research team at the IUGM Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal and the University of Montreal identified the area of the brain involved in multitasking and ways to train it. Cooking while having a conversation, watching a movie while browsing the Web, or driving while listening to a radios how — multitasking is an essential skill in daily life. Many commercial software applications promise to improve this ability through brain training exercises, however many specialists question their usefulness. “To improve your cardiovascular fitness, most people know you need to run laps on the track and not work on your flexibility. But the way targeted training correlates to cognition has been a mystery for a long time. Our work shows that there is also an association between the type of cognition training performed and the resulting effect. This is true for healthy seniors who want to improve their attention of memory and is particularly important for patients who suffer from damage in specific…
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