http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Results of a clinical trial that began in 2001 show that a gene therapy cocktail conveyed into the brain by a molecular special delivery vehicle may help extend the lives of children with Canavan disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-gene-therapy-cocktail-long-term-clinical.html Medical research Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:00:01 EST news275137462 An active lifestyle helps preserve gray matter in the brains of older adults and could reduce the burden of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-lifestyle-boosts-brain-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:07 EST news273068818 All patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) lose brain cells, which leads to a shrinking, or atrophy, of the brain. But the pattern of gray matter loss is significantly different in men and women, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-gender-based-differences-alzheimer-disease.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:04 EST news273068868 Uncontrolled high blood pressure damages the brain's structure and function as early as young middle-age, and even the brains of middle-aged people who clinically would not be considered to have hypertension have evidence of silent structural brain damage, a study led by researchers at UC Davis has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-high-blood-pressure-brain-early.html Neuroscience Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:20:01 EST news270932782 (HealthDay)—In older adults, physical activity is associated with less brain atrophy and white matter lesion (WML) load, according to a study published in the Oct. 23 issue of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-atrophy-white-lesion-elderly.html Health Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:10:02 EST news270313481 Chronic alcohol abuse can severely damage the nervous system, particularly cognitive functions, cerebral metabolism, and brain morphology. Building upon previous findings that alcoholics can experience brain volume recovery with abstinence, this study found that recovery of cerebral gray matter (GM) can take place within the first two weeks of abstinence, but may vary between brain regions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-recovery-brain-volumes-abstinence-vary.html Addiction Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:00:17 EST news269614979 Most people equate "gray matter" with the brain and its higher functions, such as sensation and perception, but this is only one part of the anatomical puzzle inside our heads. Another cerebral component is the white matter, which makes up about half the brain by volume and serves as the communications network. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-white-dogs.html Neuroscience Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:49:22 EST news267724155 (HealthDay) -- Researchers have uncovered more evidence that certain types of delays in brain development seem to be related to a heightened risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-brain-growth-adhd.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 Aug 2012 15:20:04 EST news264260102 Go ahead - do it: Grab a pencil. Right now. Write your name backward. And upside down. Awkward, right? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-mind-games-mental-key-brain.html Health Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:00:18 EST news259404567 Stress may affect brain development in children — altering growth of a specific piece of the brain and abilities associated with it — according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-stress-brain-early-years.html Neuroscience Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:02:44 EST news258217358 (Medical Xpress) -- Poor Phineas Gage. In 1848, the supervisor for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Vermont was using a 13-pound, 3-foot-7-inch rod to pack blasting powder into a rock when he triggered an explosion that drove the rod through his left cheek and out of the top of his head. As reported at the time, the rod was later found, "smeared with blood and brains." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-neurological-traumatic-brain-injury-survivor.html Neuroscience Thu, 17 May 2012 06:52:26 EST news256406147 It is increasingly recognized that chronic psychotropic drug treatment may lead to structural remodeling of the brain. Indeed, clinical studies in humans present an intriguing picture: antipsychotics, used for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis, may contribute to cortical gray matter loss in patients, whereas lithium, used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and mania, may preserve gray matter in patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-psychiatric-medication-effects-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 08 May 2012 10:15:32 EST news255690834 New research confirms that childhood onset temporal lobe epilepsy has a significant impact on brain aging. Study findings published in Epilepsia, a peer-reviewed journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), show age-accelerated ventricular expansion outside the normal range in this patient population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-aging-brain-abnormalities-childhood-onset.html Neuroscience Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:37:48 EST news252560253 Adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses appear to show greater decreases in gray matter volume and increases in cerebrospinal fluid in the frontal lobe compared to healthy adolescents without a diagnosis of psychosis, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-schizophrenia-diagnosis-brain-adolescents.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:00:11 EST news244731708 Adolescents who were abused and neglected have less gray matter in some areas of the brain than young people who have not been maltreated, a new Yale School of Medicine study shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-abuse-loss-gray-brains-adolescents.html Medical research Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:30:39 EST news242325032 People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-fish-alzheimer-disease.html Health Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:10:01 EST news241843475 The more gray matter you have in the decision-making, thought-processing part of your brain, the better your ability to evaluate rewards and consequences. That may seem like an obvious conclusion, but a new study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory is the first to show this link between structure and function in healthy people — and the impairment of both structure and function in people addicted to cocaine. The study appears in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-gray-brain-center-linked-ability.html Neuroscience Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:42:51 EST news241796563 (Medical Xpress) -- Short-term estrogen treatment increased the volume of the brain’s gray matter in postmenopausal women, making a case for the potential benefit of short-term hormone replacement therapy, according to a study presented this week by Vanderbilt’s Paul Newhouse, M.D. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-short-term-hormone-therapy-benefit-brains.html Health Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:38:35 EST news241177102 Fourteen-year-olds who were frequent video gamers had more gray matter in the rewards center of the brain than peers who didn't play video games as much - suggesting that gaming may be correlated to changes in the brain, much as addictions are. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-frequent-gamers-brain-differences.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:49:03 EST news240598129 A hard probe inserted in the cerebral cortex of a rat model turns nearly as pliable as the surrounding gray matter in minutes, and induces less of the tough scarring that walls off hard probes that do not change, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-brain-probe-softens-insertion-scarring.html Neuroscience Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:46:55 EST news239532397 Researchers at UCLA have found a possible explanation for why autistic children act and think differently than their peers. For the first time, they've shown that the connections between brain regions that are important for language and social skills grow much more slowly in boys with autism than in non-autistic children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-autistic-brains-slowly-healthy.html Neuroscience Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:02:36 EST news238338147 The human body has a love-hate relationship with iron. Just the right amount is needed for proper cell function, yet too much is associated with brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-hysterectomy-iron-brain.html Neuroscience Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:49:41 EST news236958572 A new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that declines in hearing ability may accelerate gray mater atrophy in auditory areas of the brain and increase the listening effort necessary for older adults to successfully comprehend speech. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-mild-loss-linked-brain-atrophy.html Neuroscience Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:51:19 EST news234003069 Infants born prematurely are at risk for injuries to the white and gray matter of the brain that affect cortical development and neural connectivity. Certain forms of these injuries can be detected in the neonatal period using ultrasound, according to Columbia University Medical Center researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-abnormal-brain-ultrasounds-premature-infants.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:21:42 EST news229879286 (Medical Xpress) -- Two years ago, researchers at UCLA found that specific regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger and had more gray matter than the brains of individuals in a control group. This suggested that meditation may indeed be good for all of us since, alas, our brains shrink naturally with age. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-meditation-push-up-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:55:42 EST news229841722 A brain imaging study suggests that men with a history of violent behavior may have greater gray matter volume in certain brain areas, whereas men with a history of substance use disorders may have reduced gray matter volume in other brain areas, according to a report published online today by the Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-brain-scans-violent-behavior.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:40:01 EST news226596548 To increase patient safety in clinical practice and minimize risks and damage that may arise during surgery, computer support and digital medical imaging are key technologies. Before brain operations, neurosurgeons can now evaluate patient-specific surgical risks, achieve increased safety, and avoid unacceptable risks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-fraunhofer-mevis-procedure-brain-surgery.html Other Fri, 27 May 2011 10:26:20 EST news225710770 Children and youth who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders have less deep-gray matter in their brains compared to children who don’t have the condition, according to a collaborative study by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Alberta. This difference affects the way messages are relayed in the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-children-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders.html Neuroscience Thu, 19 May 2011 11:28:43 EST news225023299 It likely comes as no surprise that low back pain is the most common form of chronic pain among adults. Lesser known is the fact that those withchronic pain also experience cognitive impairments and reduced gray matter in parts of the brain associated with pain processing and the emotional components of pain, like depression and anxiety. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-treatment-chronic-pain-reverse-abnormal.html Neuroscience Tue, 17 May 2011 17:00:01 EST news224853115