Brain Research: Micro-map of hippocampus lends big hand to brain research ♦ Brain receptors for hunger hormone control food intake ♦ Mental health courts significantly reduce repeat offenses,

Micro-map of hippocampus lends big hand to brain research A new detailed map of the hippocampal region of the brain is helping the scientific community accelerate research and develop better treatments for patients suffering from epilepsy and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Brain receptors for hunger hormone control food intake Activating receptors in the brain for the body's hunger hormone increases food-related behaviors, such as gathering, storing and consuming food, a finding that has implications for the treatment of obesity.

Mental health courts significantly reduce repeat offenses, jail time Mental health courts are effective at reducing repeat offending, and limiting related jail time, for people with mental health problems – especially those who also have substance use problems.

Can slow walking speed in elderly signal Alzheimer's disease hallmarks? How fast elderly people walk may be related to the amount of amyloid they have built up in their brains, even if they don't yet have symptoms of Alzheimer's disease..

Brain Research: Righting a wrong? Right side of brain can compensate for post-stroke loss of speech ♦ Formation of new blood vessels may explain intractable symptoms of Parkinson's disease

Swedish diagnostic method for Alzheimer's becomes international standard Researchers have developed a reference method for standardized measurements that diagnose Alzheimer's disease decades before symptoms appear. The method has now formally been classified as the international reference method, which means that it will be used as the standard in Alzheimer's diagnostics worldwide.

Brain's hippocampus is essential structure for all aspects of recognition memory. The hippocampus, a brain structure known to play a role in memory and spatial navigation, is essential to one’s ability to recognize previously encountered events, objects, or people – a phenomenon known as recognition memory.

Righting a wrong? Right side of brain can compensate for post-stroke loss of speech After a debate that has lasted more than 130 years, researchers have found that loss of speech from a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain can be recovered on the back, right side of the brain. This contradicts recent notions that the right hemisphere interferes with recovery.

Formation of new blood vessels may explain intractable symptoms of Parkinson's disease Unwanted formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis) in the brain is likely to be the cause of intractable walking and balance difficulties for people who suffer from Parkinson's disease.

Brain Research: Calcium channel essential for deep sleep ♦ High blood pressure linked to reduced Alzheimer's risk ♦ Small RNAs found to play important roles in memory formation

High blood pressure linked to reduced Alzheimer's risk, meds may be reason People with a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure have a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease. However, authors conclude the connection may have more to do with anti-hypertension medication than high blood pressure itself.

Calcium channel essential for deep sleep identified A specific calcium channel plays a crucial role in deep, slow-wave sleep, scientists have discovered. This is a key step toward understanding both normal and abnormal waking brain functions.

Two techniques of temporal migraine surgery are 'equally effective' Two migraine surgery techniques targeting a specific "trigger site" are both highly effective in reducing the frequency and severity of migraine headaches, according to a randomized trial.

Patients with recurrent depression have smaller hippocampus The brains of people with recurrent depression have a significantly smaller hippocampus -- the part of the brain most associated with forming new memories.

Small RNAs found to play important roles in memory formation A type of genetic material called “microRNA” plays surprisingly different roles in the formation of memory in animal models, researchers have found. In some cases, these RNAs increase memory, while others decrease it.

Brain Research: Evidence of schizophrenia's causes ♦ Hippo-campus: In search of memory storage ♦ Long-term memory formation

MRI technology reveals deep brain pathways in unprecedented detail A 3-D map of the human brain stem has been produced at an unprecedented level of detail using MRI technology. In a new study, the researchers unveil an ultra high-resolution brain stem model that could better guide brain surgeons treating conditions such as tremors and Parkinson's disease with deep brain stimulation

Scientists produce strongest evidence yet of schizophrenia's causes The strongest evidence yet of what causes schizophrenia has been provided by an international group of scientists. The work strongly suggests that disruption of a delicate chemical balance in the brain is heavily implicated in the disorder.

Hippocampus: In search of memory storage The hippocampus plays a crucial role in memory formation. However, it is not yet fully understood in what way that brain structure's individual regions are involved in the formation of memories. Neuroscientists have recreated this process with the aid of computer simulations. Their findings challenge the model of memory forming in the hippocampus

Autologous stem cell therapy helpful in traumatic brain injury The use of cell therapy after traumatic brain injury in children can reduce the amount of therapeutic interventions needed to treat the patient, as well as the amount of time the child spends in neurointensive care, according to research.

Long-term memory formation Neuroscientists has determined how a pair of growth factor molecules contributes to long-term memory formation The researchers examined GFs in Aplysia californica, the California sea slug. Aplysia is a model organism that is quite powerful for this type of research because its neurons are 10 to 50 times larger than those of higher organisms, such as vertebrates, and it possesses a relatively small network of neurons -- characteristics that readily allow for the examination of molecular signaling during memory formation.