Brain

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, but they don't work for everyone. What's more, patients must often try several different SSRI medications, each with a different set of side effects, before finding one that is effective. It takes three to four weeks to see if a particular antidepressant drug works. Meanwhile, patients and their families continue to suffer.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A head injury can lead immune-system brain cells to go on "high alert" and overreact to later immune challenges by becoming excessively inflammatory – a condition linked with depressive complications, a new animal study suggests.

The findings could help explain some of the midlife mental-health issues suffered by individuals who experience multiple concussions as young adults, researchers say. And these depressive symptoms are likely inflammation-related, which means they may not respond to common antidepressants.

The individual difference and non-repeatability in acupuncture have not only restricted the development of acupuncture, but have also affected the specificity of acupoints. As reported in a recent study published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 28, 2013), acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) was performed using a custom lifting- and thrusting-controlled machine. A frequency of 1, 2, or 3 Hz and duration of 5, 60, or 180 seconds were used to observe cerebral blood flow and ratio of infarct volume recovery.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation uses a non-invasive and relatively painless tool to stimulate the human brain in vivo using very strong, pulsed magnetic fields. It is also used to explore and elucidate neocortical functions and treat neuropsychiatric disorders.

Studies have shown that aluminum neurotoxicity can likely affect learning and memory function, and a diet containing 100–200 mg/kg zinc is adequate for maintaining learning and memory function in rats. Previous findings by Dr. Hao Lu and coworkers from Academy of Military Medical Sciences, China showed that male Wistar rats after treatment with aluminum chloride at a dose of 300 mg/kg daily for 7 weeks exhibited decreased acetylcholinesterase activity and enhanced lipid peroxidation in the cerebrum, appearing to have neurotoxic performance.

AURORA, Colo. (Dec. 9, 2013) – A new study shows that high school athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions than those closer to sea-level, a phenomenon attributed to physiological changes in the brain causing it to fit more tightly in the skull.

Researchers at the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) have made a discovery that could lead to better treatment for patients suffering from brain cancer.

Despite current treatment strategies, the median survival for patients with the most aggressive brain cancer – called glioblastoma, is 15 months. Less than five per cent of patients survive beyond five years.

There is more than meets the eye following even a mild traumatic brain injury. While the brain may appear to be intact, new findings reported in Nature suggest that the brain's protective coverings may feel the brunt of the impact.

(Washington, DC) – Hundreds of linguistics scholars from across the U.S. and around the world will convene in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the 88th Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) this January. Members of the news media are invited to observe and report on the proceedings.

AURORA, Colo. (Dec. 6, 2013) Researchers at University of Colorado School of Medicine may have figured out what causes Meniere's disease and how to attack it. According to Carol Foster, MD, from the department of otolaryngology and Robert Breeze, MD, a neurosurgeon, there is a strong association between Meniere's disease and conditions involving temporary low blood flow in the brain such as migraine headaches.

TORONTO, Dec. 6, 2013—Parental stress is linked to weight gain in children, according to a new study from St. Michael's Hospital.The study found that children whose parents have high levels of stress have a Body Mass Index, or BMI, about 2 per cent higher than those whose parents have low levels of stress. Children with higher parental stress also gained weight at a 7 per cent higher rate during the study period than other children.

Why do certain Alzheimer medications work in animal models but not in clinical trials in humans? A research team from the University of Bonn and the biomedical enterprise LIFE & BRAIN GmbH has been able to show that results of established test methods with animal models and cell lines used up until now can hardly be translated to the processes in the human brain. Drug testing should therefore be conducted with human nerve cells, conclude the scientists. The results are published by Cell Press in the journal "Stem Cell Reports".

However, as the propagated sensation along the meridian is a subjective feeling, there is no direct evidence for its presence. According to a study published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 28, 2013), participants with notable propagated sensation along the meridian were given electro-acupuncture at the Jianyu (LI15) acupoint of the large intestine meridian.

Caveolin-1 may be a new target for interfering with age-dependent decline in synaptic plasticity. To explore the relationship between synaptic plasticity in the aging process and changes in learning and memory, Dr. Yang Liu and coworkers from the First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, China examined synaptophysin expression in the hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum of rats at different ages, and analyzed the association between synaptophysin expression and cognition and behaviors.

Steroid hormones and their metabolites within the central nervous system are commonly defined as neuroactive steroids or neurosteroids. Although neuroactive steroids have been shown to improve learning and memory ability and protect against amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide-induced neurotoxicity, changes in their level during Alzheimer's disease and their role in Aβ-mediated cognitive impairment remain elusive given the limitation in sample sizes and analysis methods. To gain a better understanding on the role of neuroactive steroids in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease, Dr.