News Archive for 2013
2013 2012 2011
May 2013
Independent committee to investigate animal research allegations |
|
17 May 2013 - The independent chair appointed to investigate animal research allegations has announced his committee's scope and its membership. Professor Steve Brown, the independent chair appointed to investigate allegations regarding the use of animals in medical research at Imperial College London, has announced his committee’s scope and its membership. Read More |
Electrical brain boost can make you better at maths |
|
17 May 2013 - Stimulating the brain with rapid pulses of electricity can improve your ability to perform mental arithmetic for up to six months, a new study has shown. Read More |
Human stem cells created by cloning |
|
16 May 2013 - Breakthrough sets up showdown with induced adult lines. Read More |
Neuroscientists brainstorm goals for US brain-mapping initiative |
|
15 May 2013 - More than 150 neuroscientists descended on Arlington, Virginia this week to begin planning the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative—an ambitious but still hazy proposal to understand how the brain works by recording activity from an unprecedented numbers of neurons at once. Read More |
Dementia diagnosis rates: 'Shockingly low' |
|
15 May 2013 - The NHS in England has been told to push for a rapid rise in dementia diagnosis rates, so that by 2015, two out of three cases are identified. Read More |
Psychiatrists under fire in mental health battle |
|
14 May 2013 - British Psychological Society to launch attack on rival profession, casting doubt on biomedical model of mental illness Read More |
Russell Foster discusses circadian rhythms and mental health |
|
13 May 2013 - BNA President, Professor Russell Foster, will be presenting The Physiological Society Annual Public Lecture at The ICC, Birmingham on Monday 22 July from 19:30 - 20:30. Read More |
Brain implants: Restoring memory with a microchip |
|
13 May 2013 - William Gibson's popular science fiction tale "Johnny Mnemonic" foresaw sensitive information being carried by microchips in the brain by 2021. A team of American neuroscientists could be making this fantasy world a reality. Read More |
Panorama journalist and former UK drugs adviser blocked from holding lecture in Cardiff |
|
10 May 2013 - It was hoped John Sweeney, known for investigation into Scientology, and controversial drugs adviser Professor David Nutt would speak at Cardiff Central Library event........ Read More |
Champagne could help improve memory, study finds |
|
09 May 2013 - Not only is it every partygoer's favourite drink but Champagne could even be good for you, a new study claims, after scientists discovered it can help prevent memory loss as the brain gets old. Read More |
Voice of Pro-Test |
|
09 May 2013 - Confidence is rising among scientists defending animal research. It should be encouraged. Read More |
Science Communication Bursaries for UWE |
|
08 May 2013 - Read More |
Scanning the Psychedelic Brain |
|
08 May 2013 - Brain scans reveal the surprising secret of magic mushrooms’ hallucinogenic effect. Read More |
Dame Nancy Rothwell on BBC Radio 4, the Life Scientific |
|
08 May 2013 - Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell is not only one of the UK's leading brain scientists and physiologists; for the last three years Nancy Rothwell has also run the country's largest university - as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester. Read More |
The Welfare of Lab Animals Should Be Considered Every Day, Not Just Once a Year |
|
03 May 2013 - Read More |
Mental health: On the spectrum |
|
01 May 2013 - Research suggests that mental illnesses lie along a spectrum — but the field's latest diagnostic manual still splits them apart. Read More |
EUR 150 million for brain research launches EU 'Month of the Brain' |
|
01 May 2013 - Read More |
Will we rise to the challenge of an ageing society? |
|
01 May 2013 - We all need to do more, across the whole system, to help people with long term conditions. Originally given at Church House, Westminster. This is a transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered. Read More |
April 2013
Wellcome Trust new Big Picture app |
|
30 Apr 2013 - Big Picture debates the brain...... Read More |
Charles Fernyhough: Is memory just a leaky reconstruction? |
|
29 Apr 2013 - Fiction provides a perfect medium for exploring the questions of neuroscience Read More |
Public Service Review: Europe - Issue 25 |
|
26 Apr 2013 - The British Neuroscience Association's Elaine Snell and Dimitri Kullmann emphasise the need to capitalise on the progress made in brain research… Read More |
Professor Jeremy Farrar named new Director of the Wellcome Trust |
|
25 Apr 2013 - The Board of Governors of the Wellcome Trust is pleased to announce the appointment today of Professor Jeremy Farrar as the Trust’s new Director. Read More |
More Government support for research and innovation needed to drive UK growth and prosperity |
|
25 Apr 2013 - The Presidents of the four UK National Academies have called on Government to guarantee a stable investment framework for research and innovation over the next ten years. It is vital to increase investment in research to ensure that other countries do not overtake the UK in innovation. Read More |
Science maps out the antisocial brain |
|
22 Apr 2013 - THE criminal mind may really exist. Neuro-imaging of the brains of habitual offenders, murderers and psychopaths has revealed that many share abnormalities that could help explain their inability to live within the law. Read More |
Maureen Lipman: If Memory Serves Me Right |
|
22 Apr 2013 - Documentary following actor and writer Maureen Lipman on a personal journey as she explores through her own recollections how memory works. With the help of family, friends and experts, Maureen traces the development of memory, from cradle to grave. Read More |
The Science of Jet Lag, TED talk by Professor Russell Foster FRS, University of Oxford |
|
18 Apr 2013 - An excellent TED talk by BNA President, Professor Russell Foster and how he explains jet lag in ophthalmology using neuroscience, single cell clocks and, of course, the eye. The effects on us from morning and afternoon light and how to adapt to a new time zone. As nearly always with TED talks it is well worth watching. Read More |
Society of Biology Science Policy News |
|
17 Apr 2013 - Read More |
See-through brains: check out this amazing video by Nature |
|
17 Apr 2013 - Scientists have come up with a way to make whole brains transparent, so they can be labelled with molecular markers and imaged using a light microscope. The technique, called CLARITY, enabled its creators to produce the detailed 3D visualisations you see in this video. It works in mouse brains and human brains; here the team use it to look into the brain of a 7-year-old boy who had autism. Read More |
BNA2013: Festival of Neuroscience hit the headlines! |
|
15 Apr 2013 - Here is a brief round-up of some of the media coverage from last weeks' Festival of Neuroscience.... Read More |
David Nutt: Give me ’shrooms and I’ll be good |
|
15 Apr 2013 - The former drug tsar claims the law is preventing him from curing depression — with magic mushrooms Read More |
Hallucinogenic Mushrooms May Help Treat Depression, If Britain's Regulators Get Out Of The Way |
|
09 Apr 2013 - Though researchers have received funding and approval from an ethics board, legal requirements of pharmaceutical companies have stalled the project, said David Nutt, president of the British Neuroscience Association, who is a professor at Imperial College London. Read More |
Scientists 'read dreams' using brain scans |
|
05 Apr 2013 - Scientists have found a way to "read" dreams, a study suggests. Read More |
Obama Announces Human Brain Mapping Project |
|
03 Apr 2013 - The president says it could lead to cures for neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and autism. Read More |
March 2013
Brain Scans Predict Which Criminals Are Most Likely to Reoffend |
|
27 Mar 2013 - Brain scans of convicted felons can predict which ones are most likely to get arrested after they get out of prison, scientists have found in a study of 96 male offenders. Read More |
Brain Scans Predict Which Criminals Are Most Likely to Reoffend |
|
27 Mar 2013 - Brain scans of convicted felons can predict which ones are most likely to get arrested after they get out of prison, scientists have found in a study of 96 male offenders. Read More |
Restructuring plans announced by AstraZeneca |
|
21 Mar 2013 - Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca today announced its intention to establish a new global R&D centre and corporate headquarters in Cambridge in the UK by 2016. Read More |
David Nutt on BBC today programme |
|
19 Mar 2013 - Pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca is to cut 700 jobs in the UK over the next three years and relocate up to 300 other posts abroad - BNA President Professor David Nutt discusses his perspective... Read More |
An activity map of the whole zebrafish brain |
|
19 Mar 2013 - A new technique enables researchers to visualize the activity of nearly every cell in the larval zebrafish brain Read More |
Bristol neuroscientists help raise awareness of brain research |
|
18 Mar 2013 - Over fifty neuroscientists from Bristol Neuroscience, comprising researchers from the Universities of Bristol, the West of England and local NHS Hospitals, are taking part in hands-on demonstrations and brain-related activities as part of ‘Brilliant Brain Week’. The event, which runs until Monday 18 March, is part of a world-wide campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. Read More |
The Great Brain Experiment |
|
14 Mar 2013 - As part of Brain Awareness Week 2013, a team of researchers from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging are launching an experimental app. Rick Adams tells us more. Read More |
The Brain Prize 2013 |
|
13 Mar 2013 - Jointly awarded to Ernst Bamberg, Edward Boyden, Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, Gero Miesenböck and Georg Nagel. Read More |
The Government must increase funding for science and engineering in order to boost growth |
|
11 Mar 2013 - 53 scientists call on the Government to increase research and development spending Read More |
Our brains, and how they're not as simple as we think |
|
04 Mar 2013 - Neuroscience has entered the public consciousness, and changed the way we talk about ourselves. But much of what passes as knowledge is inaccurate Read More |
Desert Island Discs - Uta Frith |
|
01 Mar 2013 - Uta Frith's groundbreaking work on autism has revolutionized our understanding of the condition; overturning the traditional, long-held belief that the root of the problems are social & emotional; discovering instead that autism is the result of physical differences in the brain. Read More |
February 2013
Neurons in the brain switch identity and re-route fibres |
|
27 Feb 2013 - New findings could one day lead to gene therapies for stroke and spinal cord injuries Read More |
Ability of Brain to Protect Itself from Damage Revealed |
|
25 Feb 2013 - The origin of an innate ability the brain has to protect itself from damage that occurs in stroke has been explained for the first time. Read More |
Computer designed by scientists to compose music which makes the brain feel happy |
|
25 Feb 2013 - Listen (below) to an original orchestral score composed to stimulate positive brain activity Read More |
London neuroscience centre to map 'connectome' of foetal brain |
|
22 Feb 2013 - A state-of-the-art imaging facility at St Thomas' Hospital in London has been awarded a 15m euro grant to map the development of nerve connections in the brain before and just after birth. Read More |
Lords Science Committee to publish open access report |
|
21 Feb 2013 - The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will publish its report on the implementation of the Government’s open access policy on Friday 22 February. Read More |
Anti-anxiety drug found in rivers makes fish more aggressive |
|
20 Feb 2013 - Behaviour changes result from benzodiazepine levels similar to those in the environment. Read More |
Society Fellows in top 20 of the Women’s Hour Power List |
|
20 Feb 2013 - The Society of Biology’s President Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell (BNA past president) has been recognised in the top 20 of the Women’s Hour 2013 Power List along with Fellow Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Advisor to the European Commission. Read More |
Scans reveal intricate brain wiring |
|
19 Feb 2013 - Scientists are set to release the first batch of data from a project designed to create the first map of the human brain. Read More |
Keeping children with a lazy eye in the dark for ten days could help them see better |
|
15 Feb 2013 - A study on kittens showed that their eyesight would improve after extended periods in the dark. Lazy eye, or amblyopia, affects one in 25 children It can lead to problems seeing details and judging distances. Read More |
Babies Scanned in Womb Unlock Secrets of the Brain |
|
11 Feb 2013 - At 30 weeks old, the foetus is developing the cerebral cortex, our 'thinking area' Read More |
Westminster Hall debate ‘Government policy on animal experiments’ available online |
|
07 Feb 2013 - Introduced by MP Henry Smith: The debate is now online available on Parliament TV Read More |
Epilepsy drug linked to tenfold increase in autism: researchers |
|
04 Feb 2013 - Children born to mothers who took an epilepsy drug while pregnant are up to ten times more likely to suffer autism or similar conditions, a study has found. Read More |
Scientists capture video of a thought being formed in a brain |
|
04 Feb 2013 - For the first time, Japanese scientists captured video of a thought being formed, and it looks pretty much like miniature lightning tracing its way through a meshed structure of neurons: Read More |
Financing medical research: Disease or cure? |
|
01 Feb 2013 - How securitisation may help your health Read More |
Universities and colleges to comply with research integrity concordat |
|
01 Feb 2013 - HEFCE launched a consultation that proposes to require each university and college to comply with a set of principles on research integrity if they are to remain eligible for funding to carry out research. Read More |
January 2013
UK docs aim to `rewire` brains of stroke patients |
|
29 Jan 2013 - London: Researchers at the University of Glasgow are hoping to help victims of stroke to overcome physical disabilities by helping their brains to `rewire` themselves. Read More |
Prestigious prize for neuroscientists |
|
28 Jan 2013 - Richard Morris, University of Edinburgh and Dr Tim Bliss, MRC National Institute for Medical Research have been named as the co-recipients of this year’s Fondation Ipsen Prize for Neuronal Plasticity. Read More |
A fish in the matrix - by Nature Video |
|
26 Jan 2013 - A growing number of neuroscientists are using baby zebrafish (Danio rerio) to probe the workings of brain circuits. Here researchers send the fish into an 'aquatic matrix' to find out how their 300,000 neurons encode swimming behaviours. Read More |
FENS Forum 2014 - Call for Symposia and Technical Workshop Proposals |
|
25 Jan 2013 - The online form for submission of proposals for symposia and technical workshops will be open from February 1 to March 2, 2013. Read More |
BBC Radio 4: Animal-free research, Smog and Exploding stars |
|
25 Jan 2013 - Are the alternatives to researching on animals currently realistic? A new post is being created at Queen Mary, University of London to try and find other options to animal testing. Dr. Alpesh Patel, from the Dr. Hadwen Trust and Professor Dominic Wells from the Royal Veterinary College are in the studio. Read More |
Hearing loss in 'brain decline link' |
|
23 Jan 2013 - The brains of elderly patients with hearing loss appear to decline more rapidly than those with full hearing, a US study shows. Read More |
Alzheimer’s Society publishes data on dementia diagnosis rates |
|
18 Jan 2013 - The Alzheimer’s Society has released new data on the rates of dementia diagnosis in the UK. It shows wide variation between areas with, for example, 31.6% of people with dementia being diagnosed in the East Riding of Yorkshire and 75.4% in Islington. Read More |
Lords science committee launch open access inquiry with evidence session with Dame Janet Finch |
|
18 Jan 2013 - The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will next week hold its first evidence session in a new short inquiry into the Government’s open access policy and its implementation by the Research Councils UK (RCUK) (the partnership of the UK’s seven research councils). Read More |
Department mourns the loss of Professor Alan Cowey |
|
16 Jan 2013 - Professor Alan Cowey FRS, died after a short but difficult illness. He was one of the most distinguished scientists who have worked in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Read More |
Dyscalculia: Number games |
|
15 Jan 2013 - Brian Butterworth is on a crusade to understand the number deficit called dyscalculia — and to help those who have it. Read More |
Premature birth stunts brain growth |
|
15 Jan 2013 - New research suggests that preterm birth suppresses the production of brain cells, but offers a possible treatment Read More |
Introducing the Festival of Neuroscience: Q & A with Ian Varndell |
|
11 Jan 2013 - Neuroscience research in the UK is highly fragmented – with over 150 different organisations funding, supporting or advocating this essential branch of life science. The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) has worked for many years to unite molecular and cellular neuroscience with its computational, systems, behavioural and cognitive branches, building bridges between disciplines and promoting a translational approach at many of its meetings. There has been progress, but the ambition to hold a meeting involving many disparate leading societies had never been realised in the UK. Not, that is, until now. Read More |
The Medical Research Council at 100 |
|
10 Jan 2013 - 2013 is the MRC Centenary year and they will be taking the opportunity to celebrate past discoveries and look to the future of medical research. To kick things off, Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts reflects on 100 years of publicly funded medical research, and why we must play the ‘long game’. Read More |
Neuroscience & Art: Margaret Livingstone Explains How Artists Take Advantage Of Human Visual Processing |
|
09 Jan 2013 - Read More |
Growing brain disorders lead to call for more research |
|
07 Jan 2013 - With nearly two in every five Europeans affected by disorders of the brain and the number increasing, pan-European organisations have called for more research into the human brain. Read More |
Molly Crockett: Beware neuro-bunk |
|
07 Jan 2013 - Neuroscientist Molly Crockett studies altruism, morality and value-based decision-making in humans. Read More |
How to 'take over' a brain |
|
07 Jan 2013 - The hottest field in science this past decade has been neuroscience. That explosion in research, and our understanding of the human brain, was largely fueled by a new technology called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that became widely available in the 1990s. Well look out! Another technology-based neuroscience revolution is in the making, this one perhaps even bigger. The term to watch for in 2013 is "optogenetics." It's not a sexy term, but it is a very sexy technology. Read More |
The Evolution of Risk-Taking |
|
04 Jan 2013 - A new article in Cerebrum's 2013 web edition is now available..... Read More |
2013 Smart Guide: More people than ever 'mentally ill' |
|
04 Jan 2013 - Mental illness could strike more of us in 2013 than ever before. But don't blame the strain of modern living: changes to diagnostic guidelines mean unprecedented numbers of people could be taking psychoactive drugs. Read More |
Call for new drug policy research body |
|
03 Jan 2013 - A new body is needed to assess existing and alternative drugs policies, and could be partly funded by assets seized from dealers, campaigners have said. Read More |
A stopwatch on the brain's perception of time |
|
02 Jan 2013 - Research by neuro-physiologists shows that our emotions affect our awareness of the passing of time Read More |
Italian Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini dies |
|
02 Jan 2013 - The Italian Nobel prize-winning neurologist Rita Levi-Montalcini has died at the age of 103. Read More |
The New Year Honours List 2013 |
|
02 Jan 2013 - The New Year’s Honours List 2013 is published in recognition of the achievements and service of extraordinary people right across the United Kingdom. Read More |