Brain and Nervous System News & Features

More than 80 percent of the 250,000 Americans with a spinal cord injury lose the ability to urinate at will after their injury and rely on a catheter to drain urine. But long-term catheter use is inconvenient and can pose infection risks.

Radiation treatment for medulloblastoma, the most common type of childhood brain tumor, can leave young survivors struggling to remember recent events, a small study has found. But survivors' ability to recall things that happened before radiation wasn't affected.

A person’s risk of suicide more than triples in the first six months after a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and it stays significantly higher over the long term, a new Danish study suggests.

In the study, the researchers analyzed the brain tissue of 15 patients who had survived a year or more after a  traumatic brain injury (TBI) and compared that tissue with brain tissue from 15 healthy controls. They found the TBI patients had higher levels of abnormal tau proteins.

The boy's intellect, visual perception and object recognition skills have all remained age-appropriate, even with a large portion of his brain gone.

The condition is common in elderly people -- affecting about 30 percent of those aged 70 and older, based on a recent study. It is much less prevalent in younger adults, but when it happens there is cause for concern.

Vitamin D Little Help Against Brain Diseases By Robert PreidtHealthDay Reporter MONDAY, July 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D does little to defend your brain against multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease, a new review shows.The finding is based on an analysis of more than 70 studies."Our work counters an emerging belief held in some quarters suggesting that higher levels of vitamin D can impact positively on brain health," said study author Krystal Iacopetta, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Adelaide, in Australia."Past studies had found that patients with a neurodegenerative disease tended to

Brains May Be as Unique as Fingerprints By Robert PreidtHealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, July 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that no two brains are alike, as genetics and experience make their mark on your mind."With our study, we were able to confirm that the structure of people's brains is very individual," said study author Lutz Jancke. He is a professor of neuropsychology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland."Just 30 years ago, we thought that the human brain had few or no individual characteristics," Jancke said. "Personal identification through brain anatomical characteristics was unimaginable."But this

Are Concussions Tougher on Athletes With ADHD? By Amy Norton                  HealthDay Reporter         THURSDAY, July 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Young athletes with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might be at higher risk of developing depression and anxiety symptoms after a concussion, a preliminary study suggests.        The study, of nearly 1,000 college athletes, found those with both ADHD and a history of concussion scored higher on measures of depression and anxiety. That was in comparison to athletes without ADHD and those with the disorder but

Feel Younger Than Your Years? Your Brain Shows It By Alan MozesHealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, July 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- For seniors who feel years younger than they really are, a new study suggests it might not be their imagination."We found that people who feel younger have the structural characteristics of a younger brain," explained lead author Jeanyung Chey. She is a professor in the department of psychology & program for brain sciences at Seoul National University in South Korea.Chey and her colleagues focused on a group of Korean adults drawn from an aging study. The researchers

One theory is that contagious yawning is related to empathy, and that people with higher levels of empathy yawn more often when someone else yawns, compared to people with lower levels of empathy or those with a mental disorder.

The findings, published online May 25 in JAMA Network Open,  are based on a sample of 831 patients who went to a top-level trauma center with a concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Specialists estimate the condition affects about five of every 100,000 people worldwide each year, often because of a head injury, but it is often misdiagnosed.

Checking her IPG, the woman noticed the "Power On Reset" warning had appeared, so she took the device to a clinic and found that the lightning had turned it off. Luckily, the device was otherwise undamaged.

The researchers noted that previous studies have shown that dehydration reduces exercise performance and brain function in young people, but less is known about its impact on seniors.

Pediatric brain disease patients the latest to gather data for clinical trials from the comfort of their own home.

Essential tremor affects upwards of 7 million Americans, according to the American Academy of Neurology. Its cause is unknown, and there is no cure.

Contrary to popular thought, older adults' brains can churn out just as many new cells as younger brains do, a new study suggests.

In the study, the Chinese team used an MRI technology known as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This technique provides important information on the conditions of the brain's "white matter," the researchers explained.

Prior research has shown that kids with severe head injuries are more likely to have attention problems following their injury. In fact, ADHD is the most common psychiatric disorder among children with a history of serious brain injury.

Stephen Hawking, a visionary physicist who overcame a debilitating disease, died Wednesday at the age of 76.

It had been thought that the hippocampus -- which plays a major role in learning and memory -- generates new neurons throughout adulthood, CNN reported.

Jobs with a lot of diesel exhaust exposure include truck drivers, police officers, shipyard hands, construction workers, farm laborers and tool operators, as well as many people who work in an industrial setting.

But the exact nature of what harmed more than 20 U.S. government personnel stationed in Havana, Cuba, last year remains mysterious, reports a team led by Dr. Douglas Smith of the University of Pennsylvania.

Known as the Banyan Brain Trauma Indicator, it could help reduce the need for CT scans and thus decrease radiation exposure to patients, according to the FDA.