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3-D hand movement reconstructed using brain signals: Future portable prosthetic devices for movement-impaired
Researchers have successfully reconstructed 3-D hand motions from brain signals recorded in a non-invasive way. This finding uses a technique that may open new doors for portable brain-computer interface systems. Such a non-invasive system could potentially operate a robotic arm or motorized wheelchair -- a huge advance for people with disabilities or paralysis.
Can blood-pressure cuffs work? Novel ways to limit stroke damage
Can using a simple blood-pressure cuff limit damage from strokes caused by decreased blood supply to the brain? An emerging field of study is working to see whether using this blood-pressure cuff or other methods of "training the brain" could help reduce damage from a stroke as it is occurring while a patient is being transported to the hospital.
Deficits in brain's 'executive' skills common with TIA, minor stroke
Cognitive impairment is common in transient ischemic attack and minor ischemic stroke patients. Cognitive impairment in these patients can be detected with tests that evaluate the brain's "executive functions" -- but not with another commonly used screening designed to test for Alzheimer's dementia.
New form of prion disease damages brain arteries
Scientists investigating how prion diseases destroy the brain have observed a new form of the disease in mice that does not cause the sponge-like brain deterioration typically seen in prion diseases. Instead, it resembles a form of human Alzheimer's disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, that damages brain arteries.
Crowded houses: Why our peripheral vision may not be as random as we think
As you read this, you may notice that the word directly in front of you is clear, but all the surrounding words are hard to make out. For most people, this effect is not a problem. However, for millions of people worldwide with eye disease, it can make everyday tasks such as reading or recognizing friends a challenge. Researchers have made new insights into this process.
Learning keeps brain healthy: Mental activity could stave off age-related cognitive and memory decline
Neurobiologists are providing the first visual evidence that learning promotes brain health -- and, therefore, that mental stimulation could limit the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind.
Brain holds early signs of glaucoma
Researchers are now a step closer to deciphering a leading cause of blindness in the United States -- glaucoma. They found that the first sign of injury in glaucoma actually occurs in the brain. The findings show that glaucoma is very much like other neurodegenerative central nervous system diseases.
Study supports alternative anti-seizure medication following acute brain injury
A new study supports the use of an alternative medication to prevent seizures in patients who have suffered a life-threatening traumatic brain injury or bleeding stroke.
Vitamin B3 shows early promise in treatment of stroke
An early study suggests that vitamin B3 or niacin, a common water-soluble vitamin, may help improve neurological function after stroke. When rats with ischemic stroke were given niacin, their brains showed growth of new blood vessels, and sprouting of nerve cells which greatly improved neurological outcome. Now research is underway to investigate the effects of an extended-release form of niacin on stroke patients.
Children can have recurrent strokes
Children can have strokes, and the strokes can recur, usually within a month, according to pediatric researchers. Unfortunately, the strokes often go unrecognized the first time, and the child does not receive treatment before the recurrence.
Clot-busting drugs effective in patients with unwitnessed strokes
When stroke symptom onset is unknown, basing emergency clot-busting treatment on the time patients were last seen normal may be beneficial. Clot-busting drugs are only recommended for stroke patients within three to 4.5 hours of symptom onset.
Treating neonatal meningitis: Is nitric oxide a foe or a friend to bacteria?
Nitric oxide plays a key role in the pathogenesis of meningitis; however, it remains unclear whether it plays a pro- or anti-microbial role.
Mild traumatic brain injury, not so mild after all
Scientists are gaining a better understanding of the molecular mechanism at play in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly called concussions. Although mTBI affects over one million people each year in the United States, it is generally ignored as a major health issue.
Progesterone for traumatic brain injury tested in phase III clinical trial
Researchers at 17 medical centers soon will begin using the hormone progesterone to treat patients who experience traumatic brain injury (TBI). The treatment is part of an NIH-funded, randomized, double-blind Phase III clinical trial that will enroll approximately 1,140 people beginning in March, 2010. An earlier trial in 100 patients found that giving progesterone to trauma victims shortly after a brain injury appears to be safe and may reduce the risk of death and long-term disability.
How far should neuroscience evidence go in court trials?
Although MRI scans showing a malfunctioning brain could conjure empathy and a finding of innocence for a criminal defendant, they might just as well lead jurors and judges to opt for convictions and long sentences, the law professor says.
Exercise helps protect brain of multiple sclerosis patients, study suggests
Highly fit multiple sclerosis patients perform significantly better on tests of cognitive function than similar less-fit patients, a new study shows. In addition, MRI scans of the patients showed that the fitter MS patients showed less damage in parts of the brain that show deterioration as a result of MS, as well as a greater volume of vital gray matter.
How nerve cells grow: Researcher decodes molecular process that controls growth of nerve cells
A brain researcher has discovered the workings of a process that had been completely overlooked until now, and that allows nerve cells in the brain to grow and form complex networks. The study shows that an enzyme which usually controls the destruction of protein components has an unexpected function in nerve cells: it controls the structure of the cytoskeleton and thus ensures that nerve cells can form the tree-like extensions that are necessary for signal transmission in the brain.
Learning from the brain: Computer scientists develop new generation of neuro-computer
Intelligent machines that not only think for themselves but also actively learn are the vision of researchers who have been co-ordinating the European Union research project "Brain-i-Nets" (Novel Brain Inspired Learning Paradigms for Large-Scale Neuronal Networks). The scientists want to design a new generation of neuro-computers based on the principles of calculation and learning mechanisms found in the brain, and at the same time gain new knowledge about the brain's learning mechanisms.
Scientists image brain at point when vocal learning begins
Scientists have imaged living juvenile songbird brains at the moment the brains heard a tutor's mating song. Instead of staying plastic and dynamic after hearing the song, the bird's neurons snapped into a framework nearly immediately, surprising the researchers. Some birds were unable to learn or learn it well, indicating they were past their prime learning window.
Brain-controlled cursor doubles as a neural workout
Electrodes on the surface of the brain show that using imagined movements to control a computer cursor can generate larger-than-life brain signals after less than 10 minutes of training.
New CATCH rule to determine need for CT scans in children with minor head injury
A new tool may help standardize the use of computed tomography (CT scans) in children with minor head injury and help reduce the number of scans, according to a new study.
Shifting cellular energy metabolism may help treat cardiovascular disease
Drugs that target the way cells convert nutrients into energy could offer new approaches to treating a range of conditions including heart attack and stroke. Using a new way to screen for potential drugs, researchers have identified several FDA-approved agents, including an over-the-counter anti-nausea drug, that can shift cellular energy metabolism processes in animals.
Selective brain damage modulates human spirituality, research reveals
New research provides fascinating insight into brain changes that might underlie alterations in spiritual and religious attitudes. The study explores the neural basis of spirituality by studying patients before and after surgery to remove a brain tumor.
Brain scans track hoop fans' happy memories
In a novel study that used historical tape of a thrilling overtime basketball game between Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, brain researchers at Duke have found that fans remember the good things their team did much better than the bad.
Locust study promises new insights into limb control
New research into how the brain controls the movements of limbs could prompt major advances in understanding the human brain and the development of prosthetic limbs.
Mediterranean diet may lower risk of brain damage that causes thinking problems
A Mediterranean diet may help people avoid the small areas of brain damage that can lead to problems with thinking and memory, according to a new study.
Double agent: Glial cells can protect or kill neurons, vision
Scientists have identified a double agent in the eye that, once triggered, can morph from neuron protector to neuron killer. The discovery has significant health implications since the neurons killed through this process results in vision loss and blindness.
Scientists discover new treatment for chronic pain condition
Scientists have discovered that treating the immune system of patients with complex regional pain syndrome leads to a significant reduction in pain.
Helmets reduce the risk of head injuries among skiers and snowboarders by 35 percent
Helmets reduce the risk of head injury among skiers and snowboarders by 35 percent with no evidence of an increased risk of neck injury, a new study finds.
Blacks with MS have more severe symptoms, decline faster than whites, new study shows
Fewer African Americans than Caucasians develop multiple sclerosis, statistics show, but their disease progresses more rapidly, and they don't respond as well to therapies, a new study by neurology researchers has found.
New brain research: Hunger for stimulation driven by dopamine in the brain
Our need for stimulation and dopamine's action upon the brain are connected, which explains why people who constantly crave stimulation are in danger of addictive behavior such as drug abuse and gambling.
Reduced brain gray matter concentration found in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea
In a study of 36 newly diagnosed men with severe obstructive sleep apnea and 31 healthy controls, significant gray matter concentration deficits were found in multiple brain areas of men with OSA, including limbic structures, prefrontal cortices and the cerebellum. These changes in brain structure may be related to problems such as memory impairment and executive dysfunction that are observed in OSA patients.
Memory failing? You may be at higher risk for stroke
People who experience memory loss or a decline in their thinking abilities may be at higher risk of stroke, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with dementia, according to a new study.
Stem cells rescue nerve cells by direct contact
Scientists in Sweden have shown how transplanted stem cells can connect with and rescue threatened neurons and brain tissue. The results point the way to new possible treatments for brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases.
First evidence that the brain’s native dendritic cells can muster an immune response
The human brain is a delicate organ, robustly defended. A thick skull shields it from any direct exposure to the outside world, and the blood-brain barrier keeps out any foreign substances that are circulating within. New research shows that the brain may have its own specialized immune defenses, too.
Discovery of mechanism in brain cell injury in Huntington's offers new treatment approaches
Scientists have uncovered a key cellular mechanism that alters brain cell function in Huntington's disease, and identified a possible treatment for the disease.
New class of brain-protecting drugs emerging
The compound 7,8-dihydroxyflavone mimics BDNF, one of the brain's own growth factors, and can protect brain cells against damage in animal models of seizure, stroke and Parkinson's disease. 7,8-dihydroxyflavone is a member of a family of antioxidant compounds naturally found in foods ranging from cherries to soybeans.
A mind at rest strengthens memories, researchers find
Our memories are strengthened during periods of rest while we are awake, researchers have found. The findings expand our understanding of how memories are boosted -- previous studies had shown this process occurs during sleep, but not during times of awake rest.
Treating depression by stimulating brain's pleasure center
Even with the best of available treatments, over a third of patients with depression may not achieve a satisfactory antidepressant response. Deep brain stimulation (DBS), a form of targeted electrical stimulation in the brain via implanted electrodes, is now undergoing careful testing to determine whether it could play a role in the treatment of patients who have not sufficiently improved during more traditional forms of treatment.
'Silent strokes' linked to kidney failure in diabetics
In patients with type 2 diabetes, silent cerebral infarction -- small areas of brain damage caused by injury to small blood vessels -- signals an increased risk of progressive kidney disease and kidney failure, according to a new study.
Novel computational model: How Parkinson's medications affect learning and attention
A new brain-based computational model is helping to understand how Parkinson's disease and dopamine medications -- used to treat motor symptoms caused by the disease -- can affect learning and attention.
Human brain uses a grid to represent space
"Grid cells" that act like a spatial map in the brain have been identified for the first time in humans, which may help to explain how we create internal maps of new environments.
Stroke's 'death signal' can be blocked; discovery may aid drug development
Biomedical scientists have identified a way to block a "cell death signal" that they believe triggers brain damage during strokes.
Brain abnormalities in Parkinson's patients develop before symptoms occur
Scientists who have identified brain networks damaged in Parkinson's disease have new evidence that these systems become abnormal a few years before symptoms appear. And what's more, parts of the network appear to respond in a last ditch attempt to rescue the brain.
Neurons developed from stem cells successfully wired with other brain regions in animals
Transplanted neurons grown from embryonic stem cells can fully integrate into the brains of young animals, according to new research. Healthy brains have stable and precise connections between cells that are necessary for normal behavior. This new finding is the first to show that stem cells can be directed not only to become specific brain cells, but to link correctly.
By measuring magnetic fields in brain, researchers identify post-traumatic stress disorder biomarker
Researchers have identified a biological marker in the brains of those exhibiting post-traumatic stress disorder. A group of 74 United States veterans were involved in the study, which for the first time objectively diagnoses PTSD using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain. It's something conventional brain scans such as an X-ray, CT, or MRI have failed to do.
HIV infection prematurely ages the brain
HIV infection or the treatments used to control it are prematurely aging the brain, researchers have found. Blood flow in the brains of HIV patients is reduced to levels normally seen in uninfected patients 15 to 20 years older.
New target for central nervous system drug development
Scientists have discovered that the small molecule withaferin-A simultaneously targets two intermediate filaments, GFAP and vimentin, which are implicated in reactive gliosis, a damaging biological process common to a variety of diseases of the central nervous system and eye.
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Stroke and Brain Injury Links
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