http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. William Leonard has conducted extensive research on the diets and ways of prehistoric populations. A paper on his research will be presented Friday, Feb. 15, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The research shows that the transition from subsistence to a modern, sedentary lifestyle has created energy imbalances that have increased rapidly—evolutionarily speaking—in recent years and now play a major role in obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-evolutionary-human-dietary-patterns.html Health Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:57:47 EST news280159051 Is athleticism linked to brain size? To find out, researchers at the University of California, Riverside performed laboratory experiments on house mice and found that mice that have been bred for dozens of generations to be more exercise-loving have larger midbrains than those that have not been selectively bred this way. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-athleticism-linked-brain-size-mice.html Medical research Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:13:40 EST news277650812 (Medical Xpress)—Neurobiologists at the Research institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna have discovered one of the key genes required to make a brain. Mutations in this gene, called TUBB5, cause neurodevelopmental disease in children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-key-gene-brain.html Genetics Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:17:37 EST news274691841 (HealthDay)—Newborns who weigh around 9 pounds or more at birth tend to have bigger brains as teens than those who weigh less at birth, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-bigger-babies-brains-teens.html Health Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:11:48 EST news272567500 Exercising regularly in old age may better protect against brain shrinkage than engaging in mental or social activities, according to a new study published in the October 23, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Research suggests that brain shrinkage may lead to problems with memory and thinking. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-trump-mental-brain-shrinkage.html Neuroscience Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:00:09 EST news270136497 Trauma in infancy and childhood shapes the brain, learning, and behavior, and fuels changes that can last a lifetime, according to new human and animal research released today. The studies delve into the effects of early physical abuse, socioeconomic status (SES), and maternal treatment. Documenting the impact of early trauma on brain circuitry and volume, the activation of genes, and working memory, researchers suggest it increases the risk of mental disorders, as well as heart disease and stress-related conditions in adulthood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-early-childhood-trauma-visible-toll.html Neuroscience Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:18:37 EST news269612309 (Medical Xpress) -- When it comes to intelligence, what factors distinguish the brains of exceptionally smart humans from those of average humans? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-brain-imaging-intelligent.html Neuroscience Wed, 01 Aug 2012 06:26:48 EST news263021190 Research published Aug. 1 by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) links gene mutations found in some patients with Meier-Gorlin syndrome (MGS) with specific cellular dysfunctions that are thought to give rise to a particularly extreme version of dwarfism, small brain size, and other manifestations of abnormal growth which generally characterize that rare condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-protein-involved-dna-replication-centrosome.html Genetics Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:30:39 EST news262974631 A research team led by Seattle Children's Research Institute has discovered new gene mutations associated with markedly enlarged brain size, or megalencephaly. Mutations in three genes, AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA, were also found to be associated with a constellation of disorders including cancer, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, autism, vascular anomalies and skin growth disorders. The study, "De novo germline and postzygotic mutations in AKT3, PIK3R2 and PIK3CA cause a spectrum of related megalencephaly syndromes," was published online June 24 in Nature Genetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-gene-mutations-enlarged-brain-size.html Genetics Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:02:13 EST news260200921 Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have discovered that mice that lack a gene called Snf2l have brains that are 35 per cent larger than normal. The research, led by Dr. David Picketts and published in the prestigious journal Developmental Cell, could lead to new approaches to stimulate brain regeneration and may provide important insight into developmental disorders such as autism and Rett syndrome. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-mice-big-brains-insight-brain.html Genetics Tue, 15 May 2012 10:15:16 EST news256295665 Scientists have discovered a mutation limited to brain tissue that causes hemimegalencephaly (HMG), a condition where one half of the brain is enlarged and dysfunctional, leading to intellectual disability and severe epilepsy. The research, published by Cell Press in the April 12 issue of Neuron, has broad significance as a potential model for other complex neuropsychiatric diseases that may also be caused by "brain-only" mutations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-brain-only-mutation-epileptic-brain-size.html Neuroscience Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:00:01 EST news253364106 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers are suggesting that there is a link between the number of friends you have and the size of the region of the brain – known as the orbital prefrontal cortex – that is found just above the eyes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-brain-size-good-friendships.html Neuroscience Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:48:11 EST news247384068 New research from Uppsala University shows that reduced insulin sensitivity is linked to smaller brain size and deteriorated language skills in seniors. The findings are now published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-insulin-resistance-linked-brain-health.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:31:32 EST news247314682 Brain tissue is a major consumer of energy in the body. If an animal species evolves a larger brain than its ancestors, the increased need for energy can be met by either obtaining additional sources of food or by a trade-off with other functions in the body. In humans, the brain is three times larger and thus requires a lot more energy than that of our closest relatives, the great apes. Until now, the generally accepted theory for this condition was that early humans were able to redirect energy to their brains thanks to a reduced digestive tract. Zurich primatologists, however, have now disproved this theory, demonstrating that mammals with relatively large brains actually tend to have a somewhat bigger digestive tract. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-guts-larger-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:10:21 EST news240066606 New research suggests the growth rate of the brain's cerebral cortex in babies born prematurely may predict how well they are able to think, speak, plan and pay attention later in childhood. The research is published in the October 12, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain covering the cerebrum, and is responsible for cognitive functions, such as language, memory, attention and thought. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-bigger-brain-smarter-child-babies.html Neuroscience Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:40:15 EST news237656407 New research shows that exposure to stressors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is associated with alterations in the brain structure and function of very preterm infants. According to the study now available in Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, infants who experienced early exposure to stress displayed decreased brain size, functional connectivity, and abnormal motor behavior. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-preterm-infants-exposed-stressors-nicu.html Neuroscience Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:38:32 EST news236921898 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found an apparent correlation between religious practices and changes in the brains of older adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-religious-factors-brain.html Neuroscience Thu, 19 May 2011 05:45:31 EST news225002679 Scientists using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) observed that the brains of children with autism spectrum disorder are larger than those without autism, but this difference appears related to increased rates of brain growth before 2 years of age, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-autism-related-early-brain-overgrowth-age.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 May 2011 17:02:03 EST news223574494