ISU biomedical scientists are examining how exposure to the metals manganese and vanadium may contribute to Parkinson’s disease. The research was supported recently by a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity. Read more about Biomedical scientist receives Department of Defense grant to study how metal exposure affects Parkinson’s symptoms
The Big Data Brain Initiative Seed Funding RFA is open. Seed grants and competitive proposal development up to $20,000 will be considered. Please review this document and follow the solicitation directions carefully. Proposals are due to bdbi@iastate.edu by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Read more about Proposals for Big Data Brain Initiative seed funding due Dec. 4
AMES, Iowa – A new Iowa State University study may have identified the link that explains years of conflicting research over a mitochondrial gene and the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Read more about Family history of Alzheimer’s may alter metabolic gene that increases risk for disease
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (May 8, 2017) — The GRAMMY Museum Grant Program announced today that more than $200,000 in grants will be awarded to 14 recipients in the United States to help facilitate a range of research on a variety of subjects, as well as support a number of archiving and preservation programs. Read more about New GRAMMY Museum grant will boost Iowa State’s Parkinson’s disease research
Members of the ISU Brain Initiative held an outreach workshop on magnetic stimulation of the Brain on April 12 for about 70 middle schoolers from Boone, Iowa. The event featured virtual reality demonstrations, presentations, and 3D animations on how magnetic fields are used to treat neurological diseases. The event was sponsored by the American Physical Society. See more in the Ames Tribune's coverage of the event. Read more about Youth Outreach Sparks Interest in Neuroscience
There is a neural orchestra inside your head.
The music comes from tiny electrical signals produced by millions of neurons in the brain, always playing and often changing, depending on what the brain is processing.
Listen to the orchestra, and you'll gain insights into fundamental neural activity and how it differs across individuals. Researcher Jose "Pepe" Luis Contreras Vidal is listening and he's doing so from outside the confines of his University of Houston lab. Read more about At the Intersection of Neuroscience and Art
The FDA has approved the MagVita TMS Therapy system for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to receive satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication in the current episode.
More information Read more about FDA clearance for TMS depression treatment system
An Iowa State University study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology, found a strong association between insulin resistance and memory function decline, increasing the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Auriel Willette, a research scientist in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, says insulin resistance is common in people who are obese, pre-diabetic or have Type 2 diabetes.
http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2015/07/27/insulinmemory
Read more about Insulin Resistance Increases Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
Iowa State engineering faculty have developed an electromagnetic deep brain stimulation technology that has many uses in brain therapy, from helping veterans recover from traumatic brain injuries to providing hope for stroke victims. Read more here. Read more about Deep Brain Stimulation at Iowa State University
With a DIY bundle of electronics or a ready-made device it is possible to stimulate the brain. But does it work and is it safe? Read the article here.
Read more about The Economist: Hacking Your Brain
Kevin Tracey, head of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, has written in the April Scientific American about the prospects of using the nervous system to stimulate certain biochemical pathways to induce production of molecules that have the same anti-inflammatory effects as a highly targeted drug. Implantation of vagus nerve stimulators or other devices could potentially usher in an era of bioelectronic medicine, as Tracey calls it. Read more about Scientific American: An Electrical Off-Switch for Disease
