Brain | Page 1270 | Science Codex

Why does feeling low hurt?

When it comes to pain, the two competing schools of thought are that it's either "all in your head" or "all in your body". A new study led by University of Oxford researchers indicates that, instead, pain is an amalgam of the two.

Depression and pain often co-occur, but the underlying mechanistic reasons for this have largely been unknown. To examine the interaction between depression and pain, Dr. Chantal Berna and colleagues used brain imaging to see how healthy volunteers responded to pain while feeling low.

Successful Phase III clinical trial results reported for Novocure's novel medical device for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma

June 5, 2010 (Chicago, IL) – Data from the first phase III clinical trial of NovoCure's NovoTTFdevice for treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) were presented today as alate breaking abstract during the Neuro-Oncology session at the American Society of ClinicalOncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. Study results show that NovoTTF, a novel, noninvasive,portable medical device, may be as or more effective than the best availablechemotherapies for GBM, but without the toxicity usually associated with cytotoxic or targetedtreatments.

Experimental targeted therapy shows early promise against medulloblastomas

(CHICAGO – June 5, 2010) Researchers from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC) presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology the findings of a pediatric brain tumor study using an experimental drug that targets the underlying genetic makeup of the tumor. The research focused on a new way to attack the tumors by blocking the Hedgehog pathway that is linked to approximately 20 percent of medulloblastomas.

Acute toxicity predicts overall survival in high-grade gliomas

(PHILADELPHIA) Patients with high-grade gliomas who experience acute (early) neurological toxicity during their treatment were more likely to experience chronic (late) neurological toxicity and shortened overall survival, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. The study will be presented at the 2010 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract #2037).

Sexsomnia is common in sleep center patients

WESTCHESTER, IL – Sexsomnia was reported by almost eight percent of patients at a sleep disorders center and was more common in men than women, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

Study is first to find that CPAP therapy restores brain tissue in adults with sleep apnea

WESTCHESTER, IL – Obstructive sleep apnea patients had reductions of grey-matter volume at baseline but showed significant grey-matter volume increase after three months of CPAP therapy, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

Nocturnal alertness improves after exposure to milliseconds of bright light flashes

WESTCHESTER, IL - Exposure to extraordinarily brief, millisecond flashes of bright light improves alertness at night, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

Chronic insomnia linked to increased risk of death

WESTCHESTER, IL – Individuals with chronic insomnia have an elevated risk of death, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

Study finds a seasonal variance in sleep-disordered breathing in young children

WESTCHESTER, IL – The prevalence of mild sleep-disordered breathing in young children may fluctuate seasonally, suggests a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

'Remote control' for cholesterol regulation discovered in brain

CINCINNATI—Circulation of cholesterol is regulated in the brain by the hunger-signaling hormone ghrelin, researchers say. The finding points to a new potential target for the pharmacologic control of cholesterol levels.

The animal study, led by Matthias Tschöp, MD, professor in the University of Cincinnati (UC) endocrinology division, appears online ahead of print Sunday, June 6, 2010, in Nature Neuroscience.

University Hospitals Case Medical Center experts present at ASCO Annual Meeting

Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Ireland Cancer Center will present new clinical research findings at the 46th Annual Meeting of The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) June 4-8 in Chicago.

How smarter school lunchrooms increase fruit sales

How smarter school lunchrooms increase fruit sales

ITHACA, N.Y.: How many more apples can a school cafeteria sell if the fruit is displayed in an attractive basket and placed in a well-lit area?

Estradiol estrogen may be implicated in eating disorders

Estradiol estrogen may be implicated in eating disorders

EAST LANSING, Mich. — For the first time, scientists have discovered a possible biological culprit in the development of eating disorders during puberty: a type of estrogen called estradiol.

Pheromone responsible for male mouse 'sex appeal'

The researchers have named the pheromone 'darcin', after Jane Austen's hero in Pride and Prejudice, Mr Darcy. Darcin stimulates females to 'learn' an individual male's scent, reinforcing their memory of sexual attraction to that same male.

Previous studies have shown that many mammals, from mice to elephants, use urine to communicate sexual attractiveness. In mice, females learn attraction to a male's scent through contact with urine and recall their attraction when the scent is detected at a distance.

Reducing Alzheimer's-related protein in young brains improves learning in Down syndrome animal model

DALLAS – June 3, 2010 – Reducing a protein called beta-amyloid in young mice with a condition resembling Down syndrome improves their ability to learn, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

"This preliminary study in the animal model raises the intriguing possibility that drugs that lower beta-amyloid levels might offer some benefit to children with Down syndrome," said Dr. Craig Powell, assistant professor of neurology at UT Southwestern and co-lead author of the study, which is available in PLoS One, the Public Library of Science's online journal.