Newsline — Wednesday, June 26, 2013 13:00
Journal Highlights Research Developments in Brain Cancer, Stereotactic Biopsy, Off-Label Drug Use
Study: Virus Combination Kills Fatal Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumor
Wednesday, June 26, 2013 9:52
According to research conducted by the Moffitt Cancer Center, a combination of the myxoma virus and the immune suppresant rapamycin can kill glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the deadliest form of malignant brain tumor. The findings suggest that barriers in treating the tumor may be surpassed as the comination kills both brain cancer stem cells and varied compartments of GBM. Click here to read the full story.
TED Talk: Atul Gawande on How to Heal Medicine
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 13:00
Surgeon and author Atul Gawande shares his insights on medical systems and patient safety. From the TED video description: Our medical systems are broken. Doctors are capable of extraordinary (and expensive) treatments, but they are losing their core focus: actually treating people. Doctor and writer Atul Gawande suggests we take a step back and look at new ways to do medicine — with fewer cowboys and more pit crews. Surgeon by day and public health journalist by night, Atul Gawande explores how doctors can dramatically improve their practice using something as simple as a checklist. If you are unable to view the video above, click here.
Vanderbilt Team Studies Maps of the Brain in its Resting State
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 9:00
The brain’s resting state, a space in which a person is not thinking about the outside world, has been the subject of much research in recent years. Potential benefits of these studies include clear diagnoses of disorders like bipolar and post-traumatic stress. With the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), neuroscientists examine activity in human and animal brains in a resting state with hopes to identify the structural changes that occur in those with neurological and psychological diseases. A team a Vanderbilt University has worked on a study that provides vailidity to studies investigating networks of the brain in its resting state and its anatomical and neurological structure. Click here to read the full article.
‘BigBrain’ Map, a Boon for Neuroscience, Studies Brain at Cellular Level
Monday, June 24, 2013 13:20
Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University have created a reconstruction of the complete human brain that reveals the brain’s composition at the cellular level. The brain map allows scientists to zoom in on various brain cells the way Google Maps allows users to view locations at a street level. “What this allows us is to further examine the interaction between different brain regions, the organization of the brain and how it observes behaviour — how it underpins how our brains work and how we function as human beings,” said one brain researcher. Click here to read the full story.
Study: Neurostimulation Helps Constipation in Children
Monday, June 24, 2013 9:04
An at-home neuromodulation treatment allowed a group of children with difficult-to-treat (and possibly congenital) constipation to see an improvement in their conditions. The study, conducted at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute of the Royal Childrens Hospital in Australia, suggests that neuromodulation could be used to treat constipation in adults, especially in the elderly. Click here to read the full article.
TED Talk: Andres Lozano on Parkinson’s, Depression and the Switch That Might Turn Them Off
Friday, June 21, 2013 13:00
During a TED Talk, Andres Lozano, chair of the University of Toronto’s Department of Neurosurgery, shares the fascinating ways in which deep brain stimulation can correct the effects of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. From the video’s description: “Deep brain stimulation is becoming very precise. This technique allows surgeons to place electrodes in almost any area of the brain, and turn them up or down — like a radio dial or thermostat — to correct dysfunction. Andres Lozano offers a dramatic look at emerging techniques, in which a woman with Parkinson’s instantly stops shaking and brain areas eroded by Alzheimer’s are brought back to life.” Click here if you’re unable to view the video above.
Brain Region Tied to Negative Emotions Found Key in Cocaine Addiction
Friday, June 21, 2013 9:00
Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute have found that the central amygdala – the region of the brain associated with emotions of malaise and unhappiness – is a key factor in continued cocaine addiction. The rat model study suggests that changes influenced by cocaine use led to anxious feelings and other drug withdrawl symptoms that incited continued drug use. Signs of the rats’ addiction dwindled when scientists blocked kappa opioid receptors in the brain, and researchers believe that the receptors are a good target for therapy. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Deep Brain Stimulation Increases Metabolism, Study Suggests
Thursday, June 20, 2013 13:00
While deep brain stimulation (DBS) typically is used to control motor symptoms in those with movement disorders, researchers from Allegheny General Hospital’s Department of Neurosurgery have found the use of DBS on the brain’s “feeding center” to increase metabolism in those with treatment-resistant obesity. Researchers feel that additional studies may reduce appetite and food cravings. Click here to read the full article.
Neuroscientist: Five Things You Don’t Know About Your Brain
Thursday, June 20, 2013 9:00
During a presentation at the TEDMED conference in Washington D.C., Neuroscientist Rafael Yuste shared five myth-shattering insights into the brain, noting that, “Some people think the brain is like a computer, where it sits there doing nothing until you stimulate it. In reality, the brain is always going, even when we’re sleeping. “It has a life of its own.” Click here to read the full story.