Brain Research: More strokes with intracranial stents ♦ Alzheimer's biomarkers may predict dementia ♦ Water to understand the brain

People over 65 with traumatic brain injuries hospitalized four times as often as younger people A disproportionate number of people hospitalized in Canada with traumatic brain injuries are 65 years or older, a new study has found. While that age group represents only 14 per cent of the Canadian population, it accounted for 38 per cent of hospitalizations for TBI between 2006-07 and 2010-11

More strokes with intracranial stents A new study confirms that if, after a stroke, patients also have stents inserted into blood vessels of the brain, new strokes occur considerably more often.

Midlife changes in Alzheimer's biomarkers may predict dementia Studying brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid of healthy adults, scientists have shown that changes in key biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease during midlife may help identify those who will develop dementia years later.

Water to understand the brain To observe the brain in action, scientists and physicians use imaging techniques, among which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the best known. These techniques are not based on direct observations of electric impulses from activated neurons, but on one of their consequences. Indeed, this stimulation triggers physiological modifications in the activated cerebral region, changes that become visible by imaging. Until now, it was believed that these differences were only due to modifications of the blood influx towards the cells. By using intrinsic optical signals (IOS) imaging, researchers have now demonstrated that the activated neurons swell due to the massive entry of water.