Using stem cells to regenerate parts of the skull, scientists corrected skull shape and reversed learning and memory deficits in young mice with craniosynostosis, a condition estimated to affect 1 in every 2,500 infants born in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The only […]
Quadriplegic patient uses brain signals to feed himself with two advanced prosthetic arms
For more than 30 years—following an accident in his teens—Robert “Buz” Chmielewski has been a quadriplegic with minimal movement and feeling in his hands and fingers. But last month he was able to manipulate two prosthetic arms with his brain and feed himself dessert. Buz’s accomplishment marks a big step […]
A first look at how the drug salvinorin A works in the brain
Recent interest in developing therapies from hallucinogenic drugs has scientists exploring how these chemicals work in the brain. Recently, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers imaged the brains of people who had vaped salvinorin A, a drug used in Native Mexican rituals, and found that, like other psychedelic drugs, it increased the […]
Researchers develop low-cost, portable brain imaging scanner
When it comes to brain scans for assessing head trauma, detecting brain cancer, and performing numerous other tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best option, but MRI scanners are costly, require special infrastructure, and are immobile. Now a team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has developed […]
Tumor DNA in spinal fluid could help doctors better monitor childhood brain cancer
For many cancers, doctors are increasingly looking to the DNA that solid tumors shed into the blood stream to help with diagnosis and monitoring. But brain cancer has been a different story thanks to the natural blockade created by the blood-brain barrier. Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer […]
Keeping weight off is up to your brain, not just willpower, researchers discover
What if an MRI scan could determine whether a weight loss program was likely to be effective? Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have discovered a neural subnetwork of connected regions between the brain and gastric basal electric frequency that correlates with future weight loss based on connectivity patterns. […]
Brain regions with impaired blood flow have higher tau levels
In Alzheimer’s disease, impaired blood flow to brain regions coincides with tau protein buildup. This relationship strengthens as cognition declines, according to new research published in JNeurosci. Vascular function declines and amyloid-β and tau protein accumulate as Alzheimer’s disease progresses, resulting in neuron death. Like the proverbial chicken and egg, […]
Brain tumour survivor gets cards from all over the world for first birthday
A baby who survived a giant brain tumour returned home from hospital to celebrate his first birthday surrounded by hundreds of birthday cards from around the world. Roux Owen was discharged from hospital on his birthday after undergoing 10 operations in just 11 months to remove a tumour the size […]