News tagged with brain tissue
Scientists discover previously unknown cleaning system in brain
A previously unrecognized system that drains waste from the brain at a rapid clip has been discovered by neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The findings were published online August 15 in Science Tr ...
Neuroscience
Aug 15, 2012 |
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Evidence builds that meditation strengthens the brain, researchers say
Earlier evidence out of UCLA suggested that meditating for years thickens the brain (in a good way) and strengthens the connections between brain cells. Now a further report by UCLA researchers suggests yet another benefit.
Neuroscience
Mar 14, 2012 |
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Our brains are made of the same stuff, despite DNA differences
Despite vast differences in the genetic code across individuals and ethnicities, the human brain shows a "consistent molecular architecture," say researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. ...
Genetics
Oct 26, 2011 |
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Do salamanders hold the solution to regeneration?
Salamanders' immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have ...
Medical research
19 hours ago |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
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Assessing the effects of cell phone radiation on brain tissue
Researchers have found a novel, non-invasive technique for measuring brain hot spots caused by electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones, according to a study published today.
Medical research
Dec 17, 2012 |
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Researchers create 'endless supply' of myelin-forming cells
(Medical Xpress)—In a new study appearing this month in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers have unlocked the complex cellular mechanics that instruct specific brain cells to continue to divide. This d ...
Neuroscience
Nov 01, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
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Researchers uncover clue to preventing, and possibly reversing, ataxia telangiectasia disease
Rutgers scientists think they have found a way to prevent and possibly reverse the most debilitating symptoms of a rare, progressive childhood degenerative disease that leaves children with slurred speech, unable to walk, ...
Neuroscience
Apr 01, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
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Missing link in Parkinson's disease found
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have described a missing link in understanding how damage to the body's cellular power plants leads to Parkinson's disease and, perhaps ...
Medical research
Apr 25, 2013 |
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A better brain implant: Slim electrode cozies up to single neurons
(Medical Xpress)—A thin, flexible electrode developed at the University of Michigan is 10 times smaller than the nearest competition and could make long-term measurements of neural activity practical at ...
Neuroscience
Nov 11, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
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Bioengineers identify the cellular mechanisms of traumatic brain injury
Bioengineers at Harvard have identified, for the very first time, the mechanism for diffuse axonal injury and explained why cerebral vasospasm is more common in blast-induced brain injuries than in brain injuries ...
Medical research
Jul 23, 2011 |
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Treatment with vitamin C dissolves toxic protein aggregates in Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at Lund University have discovered a new function for vitamin C. Treatment with vitamin C can dissolve the toxic protein aggregates that build up in the brain in Alzheimer's disease. The research findings are ...
Medical research
Aug 18, 2011 |
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Scientists find molecular evidence of brain changes in depressed females
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered molecular-level changes in the brains of women with major depressive disorder that link two hypotheses of the biological mechanisms that lead ...
Psychology & Psychiatry
Sep 16, 2011 |
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More sophisticated wiring, not just bigger brain, helped humans evolve beyond chimps
Human and chimp brains look anatomically similar because both evolved from the same ancestor millions of years ago. But where does the chimp brain end and the human brain begin?
Neuroscience
Aug 22, 2012 |
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Researchers develop laser technology to fight cancer
Researchers at the Center for Laser Applications at the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma have developed a technology that goes on a "seek and destroy" mission for cancerous tumors. They have harnessed ...
Cancer
Jul 23, 2012 |
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Scientists identify protein that stimulates brown fat to burn calories
Scientists have identified a protein which regulates the activation of brown fat in both the brain and the body's tissues. Their research, which was conducted in mice, was published today, Friday 11 May, in the journal Cell.
Medical research
May 10, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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Human brain
The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a mammal with an equivalent body size. Most of the expansion comes from the cerebral cortex, a convoluted layer of neural tissue that covers the surface of the forebrain. Especially expanded are the frontal lobes, which are involved in executive functions such as self-control, planning, reasoning, and abstract thought. The portion of the brain devoted to vision is also greatly enlarged in humans.
Brain evolution, from the earliest shrewlike mammals through primates to hominids, is marked by a steady increase in encephalization, or the ratio of brain to body size. The human brain has been estimated to contain 50–100 billion (1011) neurons[citation needed], of which about 10 billion (1010) are cortical pyramidal cells.[citation needed] These cells pass signals to each other via approximately 100 trillion (1014)[citation needed] synaptic connections.
In spite of the fact that it is protected by the thick bones of the skull, suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and isolated from the bloodstream by the blood-brain barrier, the delicate nature of the human brain makes it susceptible to many types of damage and disease. The most common forms of physical damage are closed head injuries such as a blow to the head, a stroke, or poisoning by a wide variety of chemicals that can act as neurotoxins. Infection of the brain is rare because of the barriers that protect it, but is very serious when it occurs. More common are genetically based diseases[citation needed], such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and many others. A number of psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression, are widely thought to be caused at least partially by brain dysfunctions, although the nature of such brain anomalies is not well understood.
For more information about Human brain, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
