http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/brain_injury/ Medical research on concussion, stoke an other brain injury. Learn how CT scans may not show extent of brain damage and that some brain cells can regenerate. Read about brain injury recovery. en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/brain_injury/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723190514.htm Sports-related concussions in young athletes frequently go unrecognized, and often do not receive proper respect for the potential seriousness that even a mild injury may have, according to a pediatric sports medicine specialist. With more high-profile athletes describing their postconcussive symptoms, awareness is at an all-time high. An explosion in research about concussions in the past five years has increased understanding of how serious concussions may be. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723190514.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720214453.htm Again and again, experiments confirmed it. Without glia, neurons die. So scientists who wanted to study in living animals what glia -- the most abundant brain cells -- do for neurons besides keep them alive were out of luck. But now, a breakthrough. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720214453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718180729.htm Prenatal alcohol exposure may be particularly destructive for neurotrophins, a family of peptides that influence the growth, development and functional plasticity of the fetal brain. A new rodent study of alcohol's effects on three key neurotrophins has found that, even though environmental enrichment may be able to improve some fetal-alcohol effects, those benefits do not appear to be mediated by neurotrophins. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718180729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718180726.htm Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder often have structural brain damage. Recent findings show that several specific white matter regions, as well as deep gray matter areas, of the brain are particularly sensitive to prenatal alcohol exposure. These abnormalities likely underlie the cognitive, motor, behavioral and emotional difficulties that are associated with FASD. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718180726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714141300.htm The damage to brain tissue seen in Huntington's disease may be caused by an overactive immune response in the bloodstream and the brain. Working separately, two teams found evidence in both brain cells and the bloodstream suggesting an important link between the immune system's response and Huntington's disease. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714141300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714162632.htm Mild Alzheimer's disease patients with higher physical fitness had larger brains compared to mild Alzheimer's patients with lower physical fitness, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714162632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709180722.htm Neurons in brains of one songbird species equipped with a built-in suicide program that kicks in at the end of the breeding season have been kept alive for seven days in live birds by researchers trying to understand the role that steroid hormones play in the growth and maintenance of the neural song system. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709180722.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080711090048.htm A typical symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremor in patients. Scientists have succeeded in demonstrating the mechanisms which cause the so-called tremor: neuron clusters in the depths of the brain drive the tremor. This discovery supports Tass' research activities aiming at developing a therapy for Parkinson's disease. A new deep brain pacemaker has been developed with the aim of bringing cells out of the diseased mode for good. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080711090048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709161922.htm In addition to helping protect us from heart disease and cancer, a balanced diet and regular exercise can also protect the brain, and ward off mental disorders. Changes in diet are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities, protecting the brain from damage, and counteracting the effects of aging, according to a professor of neurosurgery and physiological science, who has spent years studying the effects of food and exercise on the brain. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709161922.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710070827.htm Female soccer players and soccer players who have had a previous concussion recuperate differently from males or players without a history of concussion, new research shows. The study found that prior history of concussion and gender account for significant differences in test results following the injury. Because of these differences, the authors urge physicians and coaches to take an individualized approach to treating concussion patients. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710070827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703203240.htm Canadian scientists have shown that a noisy brain is a healthy brain. "Brain noise" is a term that has been used by neuroscientists to describe random brain activity that is not important to mental function. Intuitive notions of brain-behavior relationships would suggest that this brain noise quiets down as children mature into adults and become more efficient and consistent in their cognitive processing. But new research overturns this notion. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703203240.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707092055.htm Despite scores of studies documenting the effects of healthful plant nutrients called polyphenols in protecting nerves from damage, it would be "unwise" to assume that the same protective effects occur for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other human disorders, a new report concludes.  Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707092055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703101320.htm A woman in southern Ontario is one of the first cases in Canada of a rare neurological syndrome in which a person starts speaking with a different accent, researchers reported in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703101320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703113631.htm Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells known as glial progenitor cells that are important to brain health as we age, scientists have found. The new findings shed light on a long-debated potential role for statins in the area of dementia. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080703113631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701171144.htm Clinician-scientists are suggesting an immediate and important change to guidelines used in the care of patients with traumatic brain injury. The researchers say that following traumatic brain injury, patients should be given nutritional supplementation through a gastric feeding tube as soon as possible, which they say can improve their chances of survival by as much as four-fold. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701171144.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083506.htm The current standard practice of giving infants and children 100 percent oxygen to prevent brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation may actually inflict additional harm, researchers have found. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630093621.htm In recent years, stem cell researchers have become very adept at manipulating the fate of adult stem cells cultured in the lab. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies achieved the same feat with adult neural stem cells still in place in the brain. They successfully coaxed mouse brain stem cells bound to join the neuronal network to differentiate into support cells instead. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630093621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163339.htm Severe brain injury due to blunt force trauma could be reduced by application of a simple polymer, polyethylene glycol or PEG, mixed in sterile water and injected into the blood stream -- as reported in the Journal of Biological Engineering. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626150628.htm The growing body of evidence that marijuana (cannabis) may be effective as a pain reliever has been expanded with publication of a new study in The Journal of Pain reporting that patients with nerve pain showed reduced pain intensity from smoking marijuana. Researchers examined whether marijuana produces analgesia for patients with neuropathic pain. Thirty-eight patients were examined. They were given either high-dose (7%), low-dose (3.5%) or placebo cannabis. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626150628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626165115.htm MRIs on healthy Framingham offspring found that about 10 percent had experienced a silent stroke. Silent stroke -- silent cerebral infarction -- is a risk factor for stroke and dementia. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626165115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624174843.htm Scientists have genetically programmed embryonic stem cells to become nerve cells when transplanted into the brain, according to a new study. The research, an important step toward developing new treatments for stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological conditions showed that mice afflicted by stroke showed therapeutic improvement following transplantation of these cells. None of the mice formed tumors, a major setback in prior attempts at stem cell transplantation. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624174843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624110952.htm An anti-inflammatory drug may help restore brain function in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to an animal study in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624110952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080622224654.htm For over a decade, the drug called tPA has proven its worth as the most effective emergency treatment for the most common kind of stroke, but bleeding risks and a limited time window for treatment have held it back. Now, a new study reveals why tPA has these limitations and gives tantalizing evidence about how those problems might be overcome, if a stroke victim first takes a drug currently used to treat leukemia. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080622224654.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619203301.htm Researchers have determined that there are hundreds of biological differences between the sexes when it comes to gene expression in the cerebral cortex of humans and other primates. These findings indicate that some of these differences arose a very long time ago and have been preserved through evolution. These conserved differences constitute a signature of sex differences in the brain. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619203301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619142121.htm In work that solves a long-standing mystery in neuroscience, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have shown for the first time that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes -- previously considered bit players by most neuroscientists -- make noninvasive brain scans possible. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619142121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617160819.htm Too much alcohol can cause permanent brain damage, such as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is largely related to thiamine deficiency. Previous animal studies have shown that alcohol can also cause brain injury and degeneration by inhibiting insulin and insulin-like growth factor. A new study using postmortem human brain tissue has found that chronic alcohol abuse can decrease levels of genes needed for brain cells to respond to insulin/IGF, leading to neurodegeneration similar to that caused by Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617160819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080622224428.htm A new UCLA study shows that the FDA-approved drug rapamycin reverses mental retardation in mice with a genetic disease called tuberous sclerosis complex. Because half of TSC patients also suffer from autism, the findings offer a possible mechanism for addressing learning disorders due to autism. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080622224428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612172150.htm The increased beating of the heart that one experiences when in a stressful situation is just one part of the body's response, often known as the "fight-or-flight response", to stress. Another component of the fight-or-flight response is the suppression of pain, also known as stress-induced analgesia. New research has now revealed that nerves producing the peptide N/ORQ and nerves producing the peptide Hcrt are key regulators of SIA in mice. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612172150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616092116.htm Drink coffee to send a wake-up call to the brain? Or just smell its rich, warm aroma? An international group of scientists is reporting some of the first evidence that simply inhaling coffee aroma alters the activity of genes in the brain. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616092116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080615142301.htm Estrogen therapy may limit stroke damage if started close to, but not long after reproductive cycles are over, according to a new animal study. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080615142301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610092756.htm Scientists demonstrate that pontine neuron migration in mice is controlled by specific Hox genes. They show that by knocking out the expression of the Hoxa2 gene the path of the neurons changes, causing them to end up in the wrong part of the brain. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610092756.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612100904.htm After a stroke, even unaffected areas of the brain are at risk -- depolarization waves arise at the edges of the dead tissue and spread through the adjacent areas of the brain. If these waves are repeated, more cells die. This has previously been observed only in animal studies. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612100904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606110925.htm Scientists have identified specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when activated, can transform into neurons and repair damaged brain tissue. Their findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606110925.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605203618.htm Researchers have now shown that rats transplanted with cells isolated from human nasal polyps have improved brain function following a stroke compared with rats not transplanted with these cells. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605203618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602214214.htm Researchers have developed a new approach to identify molecular changes in the fluid bathing the central nervous system and used it to obtain insight into the mechanisms of central nervous system damage in a monkey model of the dementia and encephalitis (acute inflammation of the brain) that can occur during the late stages of HIV/AIDS. It is hoped that similar approaches could be used to provide new information about other neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602214214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603171442.htm Every year, millions of people are confronted with potentially irreparable brain or spinal cord injuries resulting from traffic accidents. Because the nerves in a damaged spinal cord cannot, or cannot fully, be repaired, the patient remains (partially) paralyzed. Now, scientists have successfully developed a simple model that enables the study of injured brain tissue. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603171442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603184256.htm Healthy adults who were close to the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, have less gray matter in key emotion centers of their brains compared with people who were more than 200 miles away, finds a new Cornell study. "This suggests that really bad experiences may have lasting effects on the brain, even in healthy people," said the study's lead researcher. Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603184256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602160845.htm Long-term, heavy cannabis use may be associated with structural abnormalities in areas of the brain known as the hippocampus and amygdala, according to a new article in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602160845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080531074847.htm According to some experts, newly born neuronal stem cells in the adult brain may provide a therapy for brain injury. But if these stem cells are to be utilized in this way, the process by which they are created, neurogenesis, must be regulated. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080531074847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080531091527.htm A new study has revealed that effects of the drug ecstasy are compounded when taken in warm environments. Preclinical research shows that ecstasy deaths, which are invariably related to elevated body temperature, may be related to drug users' failure to recognize their body is abnormally hot. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080531091527.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529162711.htm A new drug candidate could provide protection against Alzheimer's disease. This compound could also treat a number of diseases where patients suffer from cognitive deficits, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson’s, by limiting damage to the brain. The new drug candidate, known as AL-108, was found to protect American patients with mild cognitive damage against memory loss by protecting the skeleton and transport system of brain cells. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529162711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527170516.htm Researchers have uncovered a completely unexpected way that the brain repairs nerve damage, wherein cells known as astrocytes deliver a protective protein to nearby neurons. Thu, 29 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527170516.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527113200.htm The first large-scale analysis of proteins in the brains of monkeys addicted to cocaine reveals new information on how long-term cocaine use changes the amount and activity of various proteins affecting brain function. Thu, 29 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527113200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527201829.htm Childhood exposure to lead is associated with shrinking of specific parts of the brain in adulthood, finds a new study. Scientists studied the association between exposure to lead in the uterus and during early childhood and brain volume in adulthood. Wed, 28 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527201829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528140245.htm A monkey has fed itself with fluid, well-controlled movements of a human-like robotic arm by using only signals from its brain, researchers report. Use of the robotic arm, complete with working joints, is directly controlled by the monkey, a significant advance that could benefit prosthetics for people with paralysis and spinal cord injuries, particularly those with "locked-in" conditions such as Lou Gehrig's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Wed, 28 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528140245.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519092202.htm Researchers have for the first time identified a protein that is key to the regeneration of damage in the peripheral nervous system and which could with further research lead to understanding diseases of our peripheral nervous systems and provide clues to methods of repairing damage in the central nervous system, according to a study in the Journal of Cell Biology. Thu, 22 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519092202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519150602.htm An old intravenous antibiotic may have new life as a stroke treatment, researchers say. Minocycline appears to reduce stroke damage in multiple ways -- inhibiting white blood cells and enzymes that, at least acutely, can destroy brain tissue and blood vessels, respectively, say researchers. The broad-spectrum antibiotic also seems to reduce cell suicide in the minutes and hours following a stroke, enabling more cells to recover. Wed, 21 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519150602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520212222.htm You went to a wedding yesterday. The service was beautiful, the food and drink flowed and there was dancing all night. But people tell you that you are in hospital, that you have been in hospital for weeks, and that you didn't go to a wedding yesterday at all. The experience of false memories like this following neurological damage is known as confabulation. The reasons why patients experience false memories such as these has largely remained a mystery. Wed, 21 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520212222.htm