Tag: Brain

Calculated Surprise Leads to Groundbreaking Discovery in Cognitive Control Research

sarah JonasResearch Results

To better understand how motivational control processes help maximize performance when faced with task challenges, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and provide fascinating insights into the role of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a component network of brain regions that support motivated behavior. They have unified conflicting findings by discovering that the single mechanism of surprise best accounts for activity in dACC during a task requiring motivated control.

Some Learning is A Whole-Brain Affair, Study Shows

sarah JonasResearch Results

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have successfully used a laser-assisted imaging tool to “see” what happens in brain cells of mice learning to reach out and grab a pellet of food. Their experiments, they say, add to evidence that such motor-based learning can occur in multiple areas of the brain, even ones not typically associated with motor control.

Researchers identify immune-suppressing target in glioblastoma

sarah JonasResearch Results

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a tenacious subset of immune macrophages that thwart treatment of glioblastoma with anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade, elevating a new potential target for treating the almost uniformly lethal brain tumor.

To the brain, straight from the vein: IV treatment for TBI

sarah JonasResearch Results

A team of researchers from the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center has found that neural exosomes—“cargo” molecules within the nervous system that carry messages to the brain—can minimize or even avert progression of traumatic brain injury when used as part of a new cell-to-cell messaging technology.

Exploring humanity’s final frontier

sarah JonasAnnouncement

The brightest minds in neuroscience came together Nov. 21 for the UCI Brain Launch Event, an interdisciplinary academic initiative set to define and expand the horizons of brain research at UCI and beyond. More than 700 attended the day-long symposium at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences & Engineering, where Michael Yassa, director of UCI Brain, introduced a host of new technologies that redefine brain research, including a collaboration with the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.

Better Biosensor Technology Created for Stem Cells

sarah JonasResearch Results

A Rutgers-led team has created better biosensor technology that may help lead to safe stem cell therapies for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and other neurological disorders. The technology, which features a unique graphene and gold-based platform and high-tech imaging, monitors the fate of stem cells by detecting genetic material (RNA) involved in turning such cells into brain cells (neurons), according to a study in the journal Nano Letters.

Study: First Evidence of Immune Response Targeting Brain Cells in Autism

sarah JonasResearch Results

In a paper published in Annals of Neurology, a physician-scientist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and colleagues report the presence of cellular features consistent with an immune response targeting specialized brain cells in more than two thirds of autistic brains analyzed postmortem. These cellular characteristics – not previously observed in autism – lend critical new insight into autism’s origins and could pave the way to improved diagnosis and treatment for people with this disorder.

The CNS Announces a New Addition to its NEUROSURGERY® Publications Suite of Journals

sarah JonasAnnouncement

The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) is pleased to announce the debut of its latest journal, Neurosurgery Open. The goal of Neurosurgery Open is to provide an outlet for the publication of scientific papers dealing with clinical neurosurgery and experimental neurosurgery

Microvention Funds $250,000 Educational Grant for the Advancement of Endovascular Education and Technology to the CNS Foundation

sarah JonasAnnouncement

MicroVention, one of the world’s fastest growing medical device companies, has granted $250,000 to the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Foundation (CNS Foundation). This generous gift will fund educational programs dedicated toward the advancement of the field of endovascular education and technology.

CNS Gift to the CNS Foundation Doubles Innovative Clinical Research Initiative, Creating Annual NINDS/CNSF K12 Scholar Awards

sarah JonasAnnouncement

The Congress of Neurological Surgeons Foundation (CNS Foundation) announced a second K12 award will be funded by a generous gift from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). The award is made possible through a collaboration with the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Congress of Neurological Surgeons Hosts 2019 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, October 19–23

sarah JonasAnnouncement

Schaumburg, Illinois, August 21, 2019 — The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) is proud to host its 67th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, October 19–23. Each year, thousands of neurosurgeons, advanced practice providers, health care advocates, and other professionals from around the world gather to celebrate and learn about the advances are being made in the field of neurosurgery.

CNS Publishes Guidelines for Pediatric Myelomeningocele

sarah JonasPolicy

The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) has developed an evidence-based guideline for the treatment of patients with myelomeningocele. Executive summaries of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Pediatric Myelomeningocele were published today in Neurosurgery. Full text of the guidelines can also be found on cns.org.

Online brain games can extend in-game ‘cognitive youth’ into old age, UCI-led study finds

sarah JonasResearch Results

A University of California, Irvine-led study has found that online brain game exercises can enable people in their 70s and even 80s to multitask cognitively as well as individuals 50 years their junior. This is an increasingly valuable skill, given today’s daily information onslaught, which can divide attention and be particularly taxing for older adults.

Single protein plays important dual transport roles in the brain

sarah JonasResearch Results

Edwin Chapman of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of Wisconsin–Madison reports that halting production of synaptotagmin 17 (syt-17) blocks growth of axons. Equally significant, when cells made more syt-17, axon growth accelerated. A wide range of neurological conditions could benefit from the growth of axons, including spinal cord injuries and some neurodegenerative diseases.

Drugs commonly taken to improve cognition only boost short-term focus – at high cost

sarah JonasResearch Results

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 8, 2019 –The use of prescription stimulants by those without medically diagnosed conditions marks a growing trend among young adults – particularly college students seeking a brain boost. But according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine, taking a nonprescribed psychostimulant may slightly improve a person’s short-term focus but impede sleep and mental functions that rely on it – such as working memory.

Carroll, Kalanithi, Kearns Goodwin, Skloot, Stephens, Vedantam, and Zimmer Headline the 2019 CNS Annual Meeting

sarah JonasAnnouncement

An inspiring lineup of guest speakers will address thousands of leading neurosurgeons from around the world at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2019 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California on October 19–23. The chosen speakers are known for their leadership and expertise in healthcare, science, and journalism.