Related topics: brain , stem cells , brain cells , stroke , nerve cells
Human brain
hideThe 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
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News tagged with brain tissue
Epilepsy Patients Are Given New Hope With Brain Implant
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A startup company, Neuropace in Mountain View Ca., has developed a device that offers new hope for epilepsy patients. The device is designed to neutralize the abnormal electrical activity ...
Neuroscientists uncover possible basis of short-term memory
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
2 hours ago |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
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Ben W. Strowbridge, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience and physiology/biophysics, and Phillip Larimer, PhD, a MD/PhD student in the neurosciences graduate program at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, ...
Research sheds new light on epilepsy
Nov 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Pioneering research using human brain tissue removed from people suffering from epilepsy has opened the door to new treatments for the disease.
Protein link may be key to new treatment for aggressive brain tumor
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.
Search results for brain tissue
We now know that the brain controls the formation of bone
Dec 22, 2009 |
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The brain acts as a profound regulatory centre, controlling myriad processes throughout the body in ways we are only just beginning to understand. In new findings, Australian scientists have shown surprising connections between ...
Metastasis formation revealed in detail and real time
Dec 20, 2009 |
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Up to 25% of cancer patients develop metastases in the brain - often long after successful treatment of the primary tumor. In almost all such cases, the prognosis is poor. The mechanisms responsible for the appearance of ...
Time for a new view of late-life dementia
Dec 15, 2009 |
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Two new studies published in the December 16, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association point to the need for a broader scientific perspective on late-life dementia, according to an editorial in the sa ...
Targeting brain cancer cell metabolism may provide new treatment
Dec 15, 2009 |
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Inhibiting fatty acid synthesis in brain cancer cells may offer a new option to treat about 50 percent of deadly glioblastomas that are driven by amplified signaling of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), according ...
Study explores 'garbage disposal' role of VCP and implications for degenerative disease
Dec 14, 2009 |
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It's important to finish what you start, say Jeong-Sun Ju and researchers from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. In the December 14, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology, Ju et al. ...
Finding the Achilles' heel of cancer
Dec 10, 2009 |
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A never-approved drug developed to prevent the death of nerve cells after a stroke can efficiently kill cancer cells while keeping normal cells healthy and intact, an international team led by a Tel Aviv University ...
Scientists discover first evidence of brain rewiring in children
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (8) |
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Carnegie Mellon University scientists Timothy Keller and Marcel Just have uncovered the first evidence that intensive instruction to improve reading skills in young children causes the brain to physically ...
Family's inherited condition links prion diseases, Alzheimer's
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 09, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A laboratory connection between Alzheimer's disease and brain-wasting diseases such as the human form of mad cow disease has moved into the clinic for what is believed to be the first time, manifesting itself ...
Children who survive cancer more likely to suffer from heart disease
Dec 09, 2009 |
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Children and adolescents who survive cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease as young adults, according to the largest study on this issue published on bmj.com today.
Delivering medicine directly into a tumor
Dec 07, 2009 |
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Researchers at Burnham Institute for Medical Research at University of California, Santa Barbara have identified a peptide (a chain of amino acids) that specifically recognizes and penetrates cancerous tumors but not normal ...
List of search results for brain tissue
