All articles tagged: Neuroscience

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for treatment of chronic pain in the back and/or lower extremities is associated with greater improvements in pain compared with conventional medical management (CMM), according to a review published online Nov. 14 in JAMA Network Open.

A dramatic, threefold reduction in repeat operations in patients surgically treated for chronic subdural hematoma was achieved when the artery supplying the brain covering was blocked, according to results of a national clinical trial led by neurosurgeons at the University at Buffalo and Weill Cornell Medicine published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Recovery from an autoimmune inflammation of the brain may take three years or more, according to a study published in the November 20, 2024, online issue of Neurology.

A study from Tel Aviv University expands the understanding of the biological mechanism underlying genetically-based autism, specifically mutations in the SHANK3 gene, responsible for nearly one million cases of autism worldwide. Based on these discoveries, the research team applied a genetic treatment that improved the function of cells affected by the mutation, laying a foundation for future trea

Deep brain stimulation has revealed that a specific type of brain wave activity is associated with levels of anxiety in people living with Parkinson's disease, according to research led by scientists at City St George's and University of California San Francisco.

Binge drinking in early adults can lead to long-lasting and potentially permanent dysregulation in the brain, according to a new study in mice, led by researchers at Penn State. They found that neurons, cells that transmit information in the brain via electrical and chemical signals, showed changes following binge drinking were similar in many ways to those seen with cognitive decline.

Brain-imaging data collected from fetuses and infants has revealed a rapid surge in functional connectivity between brain regions on a global scale at birth, possibly reflecting neural processes that support the brain's ability to adapt to the external world, according to a study published November 19, in the open-access journal PLOS Biology led by Lanxin Ji and Moriah Thomason from the New York U

Whether due to a head injury or a disorder such as a brain tumor, a growing number of people find themselves immersed in altered states of consciousness, being barely able to communicate or completely unresponsive to outside stimuli.

A recently published study by researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences found that a tiny protein called PNA5 appears to have a protective effect on brain cells, which could lead to treatments for the cognitive symptoms of Parkinson's disease and related disorders.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be an effective and safe treatment for improving the facial-oral motor symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (TD) in chronically hospitalized patients with schizophrenia, according to a study published online in the October issue of Clinical Neurophysiology.

New research published by scientists at Kessler Foundation provides critical insights into the role of sleep in motor learning for individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study sheds light on how sleep, specifically a short nap, influences brain activity associated with motor skill improvement, with implications for optimizing rehabilitation strategies.

In cognitive science, there has recently been increasing attention to the relationship between sports expertise and working memory. However, to date, no meta-analysis has compared the working memory performance of athletes and non-athletes.

Care for stroke survivors urgently needs to focus on non-motor skill outcomes such as fatigue, anxiety and reduced social participation to improve survivors' quality of life and minimize care needs, according to a new study by researchers at UCL and UCLH.

Researchers from the Champalimaud Foundation have shed light on the puzzling relationship between dopamine and rest tremor in Parkinson's disease, finding that preserved dopamine in certain brain regions may actually contribute to tremor symptoms, challenging common beliefs.

A recent study has found fascinating similarities in how the human brain and artificial intelligence models process language. The research, published in Nature Communications, suggests that the brain, like AI systems such as GPT-2, may use a continuous, context-sensitive embedding space to derive meaning from language, a breakthrough that could reshape our understanding of neural language processi

Controlling a computer with your mind was once pure science fiction, but it's now plausible thanks to brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. Today's BCI systems have achieved extraordinary advancements to control complex machines through thought, yet there is still one major obstacle—identification of a novel signal that can be recorded through your scalp and skull.

Researchers led by the University of California, Irvine are the first to reveal how two neural circuits located in the brain's retrosplenial cortex are directly linked to spatial navigation and memory storage. This discovery could lead to more precise medical treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders by allowing them to target pathway-specific neural circuits.

The 2024 Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry were seen as a sweep for artificial intelligence (AI) tools which, at their conception, were inspired by neuroscience. By imitating the behavior of human brain cells, machine-learning algorithms are accelerating our understanding of basic biology, with technologies such as Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 3 making it possible to predict the structure of pr

Mitochondria play an essential role in maintaining cellular health. When damaged, they are removed through a recycling process called mitophagy, which is crucial for the function of long-lived cells, especially in the brain. Impaired mitophagy has been strongly associated with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, making it a critical focus for drug discovery and th

Tottori University researchers in Japan have linked maternal psychological distress during pregnancy to an increased risk of epilepsy in children.

University of Sheffield spinout company, Rinri Therapeutics, a company focused on developing new treatments for hearing loss using regenerative cell therapy, has announced an innovative surgical method to deliver treatments directly to the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain.

An international collaboration led by RIKEN researchers has discovered how unusual spherical structures form in the brains of people with a mutation that causes a form of inherited Alzheimer's disease. This discovery could help better understand the mechanics of the debilitating neurodegenerative disease.

A trio of risk factors not only increase your risk of stroke, but they also raise the odds that such a stroke will be debilitating, a new study warns.

The human brain is highly skilled at detecting patterns in the world and using this information to predict future events. This ability to anticipate events is also reflected in how we experience music, precisely in our ability to intuitively anticipate what will come next in a melody we are listening to.

A team of researchers led by Rice University's Jacob Robinson and the University of Texas Medical Branch's Peter Kan has developed a technique for diagnosing, managing and treating neurological disorders with minimal surgical risks. The team's findings were published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

People with conditions or habits such as high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or smoking, not only have a higher risk of stroke, they may also have more severe strokes than people without these risk factors, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.

Johns Hopkins University-led researchers, working with the Biomarkers for Older Controls at Risk for Dementia (BIOCARD) cohort, have found that certain factors are linked to faster brain shrinkage and quicker progression from normal thinking abilities to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). People with type 2 diabetes and low levels of specific proteins in their cerebrospinal fluid showed more rapid b

We know there are links between young people overusing devices and a decline in cognitive abilities, as well as problems with attention, focus and memory.

Contrary to popular belief, children aren't better at learning new skills than adults. Indeed, young adults seem to learn faster than kids—but also tend to forget more quickly. Here, better sleep seems to advantage children. This is the conclusion of a new study from the University of Copenhagen.

A team of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has identified a potential biomarker of Parkinson's disease progression. According to the study, published in npj Parkinson's Disease, patients with a slow progression of the pathology may have a significant increase in the levels of a molecule called ecto-GPR37 in the cerebrospinal flu

There's no doubt that exercise does a body good. Regular activity not only strengthens muscles but can bolster our bones, blood vessels, and immune system.

Using deep brain stimulation techniques, neuroscientists at Mayo Clinic are looking for early signals in the brain to help stop seizures. In their biomarker discovery initiative, a team of researchers is assessing how different stimulation patterns affect different parts of the brain.

Prolonged mental fatigue can wear down brain areas crucial for an individual's ability to self-control, and can cause people to behave more aggressively.

To understand how different regions of the brain work together, researchers use a method called resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). The method measures brain activity by observing changes in blood flow to different parts of the brain; however, rsfMRI does not explain how these blood flow changes to different brain regions relate to what is happening with the brain's neuro

We crafted our first rodent car from a plastic cereal container. After trial and error, my colleagues and I found that rats could learn to drive forward by grasping a small wire that acted like a gas pedal. Before long, they were steering with surprising precision to reach a Froot Loop treat.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital and collaborating institutions discovered that the enzyme TYK2 transforms the normal protein tau into one that accumulates in the brain and contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease in animal models.

Epilepsy is a common but complex neurological disorder that impacts millions of people worldwide. It occurs when groups of neurons in the brain send abnormal signals, leading to seizures. These seizures, which come in various forms, can affect memory, learning and even cause damage to brain cells.

Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study, the first of its kind to connect asthma to memory deficits in children, was published on Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

An international study led by a University of Queensland researcher has found frailty increases a person's risk of dementia, but early intervention may be the key to prevention. The research paper has been published in JAMA Neurology.

The sooner a lay rescuer (bystander) starts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a person having a cardiac arrest at home or in public, up to 10 minutes after the arrest, the better the chances of saving the person's life and protecting their brain function, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium 2024 held Nov. 16–17,

Approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) each year. On average, they survive for only two to five years after being diagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New research on the effects of adversity in childhood ties together stress, sleep loss, and attention deficits later in life. It also uncovers some of the underlying brain biology and potential treatment approaches—while revealing a puzzling sex-specific effect.

A 25-year research program has unveiled key insights into how our brains age and what factors influence cognitive performance throughout life. The findings, published on 7 November 2024 in Genomic Psychiatry, draw from the Lothian Birth Cohorts (LBC) studies, which uniquely tracked participants' cognitive abilities from childhood through their eighth decade of life.

Mubarak Hussain Syed, an assistant professor of Biology at The University of New Mexico, along with a team of UNM students and collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania, is investigating how developmental and genetic factors affect sleep behavior. As in most of their projects, the Syed lab team uses Drosophila, commonly known as a fruit fly, for their research.

People who work the nightshift or odd hours and eat at irregular times are more prone to weight gain and diabetes, likely due to eating patterns not timed with natural daylight and when people typically eat. But is it possible to stave off the ill effects of eating at these "unusual" times despite it not being biologically preferable?

The visual perception of optical stimuli demands high performance from the brain. Every second, the eyes absorb more than 10 million pieces of information and transmit them to the brain via thousands of nerve fibers. This leads us to perceive the world as stable, even though we are constantly moving our eyes.

Poor sleep quality may be associated with incidental, but not prevalent, motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a predementia syndrome characterized by slow gait speed and cognitive complaints, according to a study published online Nov. 6 in Neurology.

Researchers at Cornell have unveiled an advanced imaging technology capable of unprecedented deep and wide-field visualization of brain activity at single-cell resolution. The innovative microscope, named DEEPscope, combines two-photon and three-photon microscopy techniques to capture large-scale neural activity and structural details that were previously inaccessible.

As primary care for Koos grade I vestibular schwannomas, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is superior to observation with regard to tumor control and preservation of neurologic function, according to the results of an international, multicenter retrospective study.

Astrocytes—named for their star-like shape—are a type of brain cell as abundant as neurons in the central nervous system, but little is known about their role in brain health and disease.

By scanning the brains of people while they watched movie clips, neuroscientists have created the most detailed functional map of the brain to date. The fMRI analysis, published November 6 in Neuron, shows how different brain networks light up when participants viewed short clips from a range of independent and Hollywood films, including Inception, The Social Network, and Home Alone.

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered for the first time a neural mechanism for memory integration that stretches across both time and personal experience. These findings, reported in Nature, demonstrate how memories stored in neural ensembles in the brain are constantly being updated and reorganized with salient information, and represent an important step in deciphering how our memories stay c

A study published in Nature by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine changes the way we understand memory. Until now, memories have been explained by the activity of brain cells called neurons that respond to learning events and control memory recall.

Multiple sclerosis, a neuroinflammatory disease that affects nearly 3 million people worldwide, causes a loss of myelin, the fatty sheath that covers nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

In a new study, researchers have developed a comprehensive in silico model of the rat hippocampal CA1 region. This model is unique as it integrates a wide range of experimental data, from the synaptic level to the network level, providing a holistic view of the hippocampal function.

University of Queensland researchers have uncovered the hidden history of concussion in sport, finding the brain-trauma crisis has a long and complex past.

Age-related brain atrophy, the gradual loss of neurons and shrinkage of brain tissue, is a natural part of aging, which can lead to cognitive decline and other neurological issues. While so far aging cannot be prevented, recent research from an 18-month dietary intervention offers hope that lifestyle and dietary changes can slow brain aging. A new international study, led by Ben-Gurion University

For the first time, researchers at Phoenix's Barrow Neurological Institute have collected and displayed together the "manikins" published nearly 500 years ago by the 16th Century anatomist Andrea Vesalius—works that laid the foundation for modern surgical and neurosurgical training.

Researchers have discovered a promising approach for reducing brain injury risk in patients undergoing carotid artery stenting (CAS). CAS is a procedure commonly performed in elderly patients with blockages in the carotid arteries, which supply blood to the brain.

To test complex brain functions during neurosurgical procedures, surgeons must operate on awake, locally anesthetized patients. This allows surgeons to interact with them and test how their intervention affects brain function. However, opening the skull while the patient is awake is extremely stressful for them psychologically.

Relating brain activity to behavior is an ongoing aim of neuroimaging research as it would help scientists understand how the brain begets behavior—and perhaps open new opportunities for personalized treatment of mental health and neurological conditions.

Recent technological advances opened exciting possibilities for neuroscience, enabling the collection of increasingly detailed neural data. Making sense of the large number of neural recordings gathered by neuroscientists worldwide, however, has so far proved more challenging.

It's a scientific truth many in the field of early childhood development like to parrot: children's brains are like sponges. But getting to see a child's sponge-like learning in action, from the perspective of a scientist, requires state-of-the-art imaging and some human subjects—young and old.

Scientists at Northwestern and Case Western Reserve universities have developed the first polymer-based therapeutic for Huntington's disease, an incurable, debilitating illness that causes nerve cells to break down in the brain.

A team of researchers at Kumamoto University has uncovered a mechanism in the formation of harmful protein aggregates that lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.

Research led by the University of Michigan has provided compelling evidence that could solve a fundamental mystery in the makeup of fibrils that play a role in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Treatment with endovascular thrombectomy did not significantly improve outcomes after 90 days in patients with a large core stroke, as compared to patients who received standard stroke care alone, according to a recent clinical trial published in JAMA.

Wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers interact with parts of our bodies to measure and learn from internal processes, such as our heart rate or sleep stages.

A long-standing goal of neuroscience is to understand how molecules and cellular structures on a microscale give rise to communication between brain regions at the macroscale.

Chronic, low-level lead poisoning is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adults and cognitive deficits in children, even at levels previously thought to be safe, according to a paper by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Simon Fraser University in Canada, and Harvard Medical School, and Boston Children's Hospital.

Your brain not only processes what you see but continuously makes predictions based on your experiences. This process may be less finetuned in people with autism.

Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of dementia, affects over 55 million people worldwide. The disease is characterized by the buildup of amyloid-beta plaques and tau protein tangles in the brain, which disrupt cell communication and lead to the widespread death of nerve cells. The consequences of this massive cell loss are the heartbreaking cognitive decline and memory loss for which the condi

As we age, it becomes more difficult to remember where things are—whether it's recalling where we left the keys or where we parked the car. This spatial memory deteriorates further with the onset of dementia, a condition that someone in the world develops every three seconds, according to Alzheimer's Disease International.

The amount of money people pay out-of-pocket for branded drugs to treat neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease continues to rise, especially for MS drugs, according to a study published in the October 30, 2024, online issue of Neurology.

The brain constantly engages in dialogue with the body's immune system. Such communication appears aimed at ensuring a delicate balance between defending against injury and infection and guarding healthy tissue.

A heart attack can trigger a desire to get more sleep, allowing the heart to heal and reduce inflammation—and this happens because the heart sends special signals to the brain, according to a new Mount Sinai study.

Few autoimmune disorders are more challenging for patients than multiple sclerosis, a progressive condition that can affect vision, impair the ability to walk, cause extreme bouts of neuropathic pain, and tends to strike women at three times the rate of men.

Bioengineers and neuroscientists at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University have developed a highly sensitive tool for detecting brain cells' subtlest electrical signals.

Just one or two sessions of physical activity at the weekend—a pattern of exercise dubbed 'weekend warrior'—may be just as likely to lower the risk of cognitive decline, which can often precede dementia, as more frequent sessions, concludes research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

In a clinical practice guideline (CPG) issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense and published online Oct. 29 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, updated recommendations are presented for the management of migraine and tension-type headache (TTH).

Our brains possess a cognitive mechanism that allows us to quickly recognize faces even with limited visual information. Focusing on this phenomenon, Toyohashi University of Technology investigated how the brain processes ambiguous visual stimuli resembling faces under unconscious conditions.

Getting older brings certain expectations, from gray hair and wrinkles to more bouts of forgetfulness. While these beliefs may seem harmless, whether a person views these changes in a positive or negative light may influence how they perceive their cognitive abilities, according to a new study from researchers in the Penn State College of Nursing.

Early exposure to harsh parenting during preschool years can have widespread effects on the organization of the entire brain's communication. Later exposures affect specific brain areas.

Lead exposure is a risk to any human, but children are most vulnerable to the element's neurotoxicity, which can lead to developmental delays, learning difficulties and mood changes among other symptoms. There has been some progress in reducing exposure and preventing neurotoxicity, but hundreds of thousands of American children are still affected.

Ultrasound, once used almost exclusively to take images of the body, is quickly developing into a targeted therapy that can have a potentially life-changing impact on our brains, according to the authors of a new article.

Recent technological advances are allowing neuroscientists to map the human brain with increasing precision, highlighting connections between different regions and their function in greater depth. While the role of many brain regions has been broadly identified, the unique contribution of the brainstem to their function remains less understood.

In a new interview published in Brain Medicine, Dr. Raül Andero Galí reveals how his early passion for classical piano shaped his unique approach to neuroscience research. As an ICREA Research Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Dr. Andero Galí leads groundbreaking studies that connect mouse and human fear responses, potentially revolutionizing treatments for PTSD and anxiety diso

It's been more than three decades, but still there are only two treatments for a stroke: either rapid use of a clot-busting medication called tPA or surgical removal of a clot from the brain with mechanical thrombectomy. However, only 5% to 13% percent of stroke cases are actually eligible for these interventions.

Humans aren't the only ones who grow forgetful as they age—fruit flies do, too. But because fruit flies have a lifespan of only about two months, they can be a useful model for understanding the cognitive decline that comes with aging.

In a new study, UCLA Health researchers have found that people who experienced discrimination had pro-inflammatory bacteria and gene activity in their gut microbiome that was different from those who did not experience discrimination. The researchers could also predict with 91% accuracy which study participants faced discrimination by only analyzing their gut microbiome using stool samples.

Kessler Foundation researchers published new findings on neuromodulation in individuals with high-level spinal cord injury (SCI) using spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS). This promising approach to enhance cardiovascular regulation addresses the challenges of unstable blood pressure and the accompanying hypotensive and hypertensive events following SCI.

Professor Jai-ick Yoh's research team from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Hyung-Jin Choi's team from Seoul National University's College of Medicine, has developed a non-invasive micro-shockwave therapy for the safe treatment of brain disorders without requiring surgical incisions.

Superior motor learning ability in athletes is not an innate talent but a skill that can be developed throughout life. Over the past decade, motor control scientists have observed significant variations in motor learning speeds, yet the mechanisms behind these differences has remained unclear.

The treatment of dementia disorders such as Alzheimer's is still one of the greatest challenges facing modern medicine. In the course of neurodegenerative diseases, certain proteins such as the amyloid β protein accumulate in the brain. They are suspected of being linked to the development of the disease, which is why they are considered a promising target for therapeutic approaches.

Researchers from the University of Oxford have identified a key biochemical mechanism relevant to the development of Huntington's disease. This discovery opens up the possibility of studying the disease before its clinical onset and eventually stopping its progression.

A team of researchers, including psycholinguist Jutta Mueller from the University of Vienna, has discovered that newborns are capable of learning complex sound sequences that follow language-like rules. This study provides long-sought evidence that the ability to perceive dependencies between non-adjacent acoustic signals is innate.

Neuroscientists have learned a lot—like which neurons and circuits are associated with different behaviors—by recording the activity of small sets of neurons.

Patients with learning disabilities experience significant barriers to accessing health care in England, according to a new study.

A new study from UT Arlington reveals that setting reminders can eliminate some age-related declines in memory. The findings offer a significant breakthrough in addressing the cognitive challenges faced by older adults, particularly in the context of prospective memory, which is the ability to remember to perform an intended action at the right moment, like taking medication or attending appointme

Lucid dreaming apps are gaining in popularity as interest grows in optimizing sleep for self-improvement and better health. If you ever experience a dream while knowing that you are dreaming—that's what's called a lucid dream.

In healthy rodent brains, newborn neurons are constantly generated in the stem cell niche, known as the subventricular zone (SVZ). These cells might help to repair a brain that has been damaged by disorders of the central nervous system.

After only one to three days of a whiplash injury, scientists can predict which patients will develop chronic pain based on the extent of cross "talk" between two regions of the brain, and the person's anxiety level after the injury, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Sleep deprivation in adults has long been proven to cause long-term mental and physical health issues, including, but not limited to, weakened immune systems, weight gain, depression, and increased risk of dementia.

Using stem cells generated from patients with a rare and severe form of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, Scripps Research scientists have grown personalized "mini-brains" (or organoids) to study the disorder in new detail.

A series of three papers from neuroscientist David J. Anderson's laboratory, two in the journal Nature and one in the journal Cell, reveal new insights into the neural signals underlying internal emotional states, including aggression and sexual arousal. The studies show that the state of aggression in male mice and the state of arousal in female mice are both encoded by a common type of signal in

People in early middle age who have poor sleep quality, including having difficulty falling or staying asleep, have more signs of poor brain health in late middle age, according to a study published in the October 23, 2024, online issue of Neurology. The study does not prove that poor sleep accelerates brain aging. It only shows an association between poor sleep quality and signs of brain aging.

Speaking, singing, coughing, laughing, yelling, yawning, chewing—we use our jaws for many purposes. Each action requires a complex coordination of muscles whose activity is managed by neurons in the brain. But it turns out that the neural circuit behind the jaw movement most essential to survival—eating—is surprisingly simple, as researchers from Rockefeller University recently described in a new

A Rutgers Health study has found that people who took multiple courses of penicillin antibiotics had a modestly lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a surprising finding that researchers say highlights the complex relationship between bacteria in the digestive tract and brain health.

Within the human brain, movement is coordinated by a brain region called the striatum, which sends instructions to motor neurons in the brain. Those instructions are conveyed by two pathways, one that initiates movement ("go") and one that suppresses it ("no-go").

Soon we will once again switch to winter time, that is, we set the clocks back an hour. Switching to winter time is considered the easier of the two annual clock transitions, as we gain an hour of sleep. Some people may find the one-hour change challenging, as our sleep patterns can be momentarily disturbed.

Cannabis use may lead to thinning of the cerebral cortex in adolescents, according to a recent study led by Graciela Pineyro and Tomas Paus, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and professors at the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine. The work is published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Concussion researchers have recognized a new concussion sign that could identify up to 33% of undiagnosed concussions. After a hit to the head, individuals sometimes quickly shake their head back and forth. Although it has been depicted in movies, television, and even cartoons for decades, this motion has never been studied, named, and does not appear on any medical or sports organization's list o

Bilingualism has long been known to have cognitive benefits for older adults. Research shows it helps delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease by up to five years compared to monolingual adults. This is one of several lifestyle factors that may contribute to brain resilience as we age.

A study suggests that menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) might have moderate effects on brain health, but this depends on past surgical history, the duration of treatment, and a woman's age at last use.

Mental fatigue may make rewards more desirable, according to a study in rats and humans. Exerting cognitive effort has been linked with making unhealthy choices. In the past, the link has been explained via a weakening of inhibitory control or will power.

Whether we're staring at our phones, the page of a book, or the person across the table, the objects of our focus never stand in isolation; there are always other objects or people in our field of vision. How that visual "clutter" affects visual processing in the brain, however, is not well understood.

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that senescent cells—non-dividing "zombie" cells—accumulate in the skin as people age and may influence aging in other parts of the body.

Within Tibetan medicine, the medicinal herb Terminalia chebula (T. chebula) is well-known for its extensive therapeutic properties. Its usefulness against bacteria, viruses, oxidation, inflammation, glycemia, and tumors has been elucidated in classic texts as well as in modern research, and it is prescribed for numerous physical conditions.

Past neuroscience research has pinpointed many of the neural processes through which the human brain forms, stores and retrieves important information, such as domain-specific knowledge and memories. One dimension of human memory is the ability to link various aspects of experience to specific life events.

Researchers from 15 countries, led by Amsterdam UMC, have developed a way to predict which patients are at risk of epilepsy after a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT).

When Northeastern professor Yingzi Lin visited her father after his hip replacement, doctors asked him to measure his level of pain on the standard score of zero to 10.

A research team at the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UBneuro) has led a study describing a new molecular mechanism that affects RNA processing and alters the process of protein synthesis in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

Scientists have gained a deeper understanding of a molecule that regulates lipid levels in the brain. This breakthrough could eventually lead to treatments for diseases like frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The findings are published in the journal Cell.

On 17 October 2024, Martina Lamberti publicly defended her Ph.D. thesis, "Know the Past to See the Future: Memory and Prediction in In-Vitro Cortical Neurons," at the University of Twente. Her research sheds light on how the brain predicts future events and forms memories. These findings could open new doors in understanding neurological conditions like dementia.

In people with epilepsy, progression of retinal neuroaxonal loss is detectable at short-term follow-up, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in Epilepsia.

For patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), tenecteplase (TNK) has improved functional outcome and reduced disability and similar safety to alteplase (tissue plasminogen activator [TPA]), according to a study published online Oct. 16 in Neurology.

The question of what causes complex neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's or multiple sclerosis continues to confound scientists and doctors, with the unknowns standing in the way of early diagnoses and effective treatments.

The human brain is a complex organ with over 80 billion neurons. But it can still trip up when it comes to multitasking. Trying to send an email at the same time as talking to someone can almost be enough to short-circuit our synapses, leaving us distracted and prone to making mistakes.

A collaborative effort between engineers and biologists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has uncovered a neuroprotective mechanism in spinal cord injury (SCI), shedding new light on therapeutic approaches to potentially benefit millions of patients worldwide.

An international team of neuroscientists, led by Duke-NUS Medical School, have uncovered a mechanism that controls the reactivation of neural stem cells, which are crucial for repairing and regenerating brain cells.

Researchers at the German Primate Center—Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have developed a novel training protocol for brain-computer interfaces in a study with rhesus monkeys. The method enables precise control of prosthetic hands using signals from the brain alone.

In a study of commonly used treatments for people with multiple sclerosis, both medical and behavioral interventions, and a combination of the two, resulted in meaningful improvements in fatigue, a University of Michigan-led study finds.

There is an imbalance in the gut flora of patients with epilepsy compared with healthy controls, according to a study published online Sept. 28 in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition.

For nearly a decade, Brown University researcher Diane Hoffman-Kim and her laboratory team have made cortical spheroids, which are basically functional miniature brains. The three-dimensional cell cultures are versatile models that allow for the study of everything from brain injuries to stroke to glioblastoma. Most recently, Hoffman-Kim's team found a way to use the mini-brains to study the effec

has shown that this type of MRI signal was increased in regions of the midbrain in young adults ages 20 to 24 who had an extensive alcohol and drug use history.

The chemical messenger dopamine is an essential catalyst that fuels activities and behaviors ranging from movement to cognition and learning. However, neuroscientists have long debated whether these functions rely on rapid bursts of dopamine or on the neurochemical's slower action.

3D clusters of brain cells are emerging as essential tools for understanding neural networks and studying neurological diseases in the lab. EPFL's e-Flower, a flower-shaped 3D microelectrode array (MEA), allows researchers to monitor the electrical activity of these spheroids in a way that was previously impossible.

At some point, many of us have experienced the post-lunch sleepy hour, struggling to stay alert mid-afternoon, and reaching for the water bottle to rehydrate a tired body.

Each year, about 2.5 million people suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), which often increases their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.

People with aphantasia—individuals who report experiencing no visual imagery at all—also showed reduced activation of the brain's visual cortex in response to sounds, according to a new study.

It's well known that Parkinson's disease can impair a person's ability to perform movements like grabbing a coffee cup, with one side of the body often more affected. But a recent study published in Brain and Cognition by University of Alberta researchers shows that the disease also affects how people perform movements mentally, something called motor imagery.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition marked by seizures. Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is a leading cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. Surgical removal of FCD lesions is the most effective treatment, which is heavily dependent on their precise localization and delineation.

Just like a time machine, episodic memory enables us to travel to the past in our minds and relive personal experiences with full clarity, as if we were going through them all over again. These can range from remembering where we left the car keys last night to the last time we saw a relative that we haven't seen in years. This ability to record daily experiences starts to deteriorate early in peo

A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity reports the findings of a study by researchers based in Brazil, the United States and South Korea who set out to understand how viral infections cause pain and to contribute to the search for novel ways of relieving it.

Music is woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. Whether it's lifting our spirits, pushing us to run faster or soothing us to sleep, we can all recognize its power. So it's no wonder it is increasingly being used in medical treatment.

A team of researchers from the Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology (BCT Institute) at Reichman University (Herzliya, Israel) has identified a significant deficit in auditory spatial perception among hearing aid users and cochlear implant recipients and introduced an innovative multisensory solution that leads to notable improvements in this ability.

Decades of exercise research data support the common view that steady workouts over the long haul produce not only physical benefits but also improved brain function. But what about single bursts of exercise? A team of scientists at UC Santa Barbara has taken a closer look.

University of Helsinki researchers measured the brain activity of people watching a live dance performance in a real-world setting. They invited spectators with extensive experience of either dance or music as well as novices with no particular background in either of these areas.

Researchers from University of Tsukuba have elucidated the neural circuit that induces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a stage during which we actively dream. They also discovered that abnormalities in the neurons constituting this circuit lead to REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition in which the body moves based on dreams during REM sleep.

Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, UW Medicine, and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute have created the most detailed picture yet of how Alzheimer's disease (AD) progresses at the cellular level.

Ever had an itchy nose or, worse, an unreachable spot on your back that drives you mad? Now imagine an itch that refuses to go away, no matter how hard or long you scratch. That persistent itch, or pruritus, may actually be one of the skin's first lines of defense against harmful invaders, according to neuroimmunologist Juan Inclan-Rico of the University of Pennsylvania.

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba investigated the neural mechanisms underlying the behavioral transition from the sexually receptive estrus stage to the non-receptive phase, as part of the hormone-dependent behavioral changes during the estrous cycle in female mice. Their study uncovered a neural circuit that causes a rapid decline in sexually receptive behavior at the end of the estrus pe

New research published in Molecular Psychiatry looks at the differences in social interaction and communication observed in autistic and non-autistic adults, using positron emission tomography (PET), a type of brain imaging. In the study, PET was used to directly measure the connections between brain cells (synapses).

A toxic version of a certain protein may affect brain, spinal cord and skeletal muscle tissues differently, leading to the complex development and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study by a team of researchers from Penn State College of Medicine.

Do you remember the name of your second-grade teacher or what you ate for lunch today? Those memories may be separated by decades, but both are considered long-term memories.

When we inhale, airborne chemicals enter our nose, creating the "odor" we detect. These chemicals are then expelled when we exhale. Each breath lasts 3–5 seconds, which seems to limit how quickly we can perceive odors. Chemical changes that occur within a single breath appear to be combined into one odor. Because of this, our sense of smell, or olfaction, is often considered a slow sense.

Recent neuroscience studies have been investigating how the stimulation of some nerves, particularly the vagus nerve, using electrical pulses affects neural activity in the mammalian brain. The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the human body, is known to play a key role in the regulation of heart rate, digestion, stress and other physiological processes.

A team of researchers at Kobe Gakuin University in Japan have genetically engineered insulin-fused proteins capable of targeting hippocampal neurons. The innovative technique capitalizes on insulin's natural tendency to accumulate in the hippocampal neuronal tissue. This new approach could unlock existing treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease by allowing existing d

Birmingham scientists have shown light therapy delivered transcranially (through the skull) can aid tissue repair after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

A research team has published a randomized clinical trial demonstrating for the first time that a multidisciplinary approach integrating specific physiotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in improving the symptoms and physical aspects of the quality of life of patients with functional movement disorders.

The activity of neurons in the mammalian brain is known to contribute to the development of the brain at the early stages of development. While past neuroscientific studies have gathered evidence supporting this notion, the extent to which early neuronal activity regulates the maturation of neural circuits has not yet been fully determined.

Deep brain stimulation may provide immediate improvement in arm and hand strength and function weakened by traumatic brain injury or stroke, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report today in Nature Communications.

University of Queensland researchers have made a significant step towards enabling women with epilepsy safer access to a common and highly effective anti-seizure medication.

Scientists at the Salk Institute are unveiling a new brain-mapping neurotechnology called Single Transcriptome Assisted Rabies Tracing (START). The cutting-edge tool combines two advanced technologies—monosynaptic rabies virus tracing and single-cell transcriptomics—to map the brain's intricate neuronal connections with unparalleled precision.

Lower attention ability in adolescence can predict cigarette and cannabis use in young adulthood, according to new research from Trinity College Dublin.

In an interview published in Brain Medicine, Dr. Alysson Muotri—Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute's Sanford Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research Center—reveals the fascinating journey that led him to become a pioneer in human brain organoid research.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. This impairs the transmission of signals between the brain and body and can lead to deficits in vision, motor control, sensation, and cognitive impairment. The causes of MS are still incompletely understood.

A research team has uncovered a new mechanism involving astrocytes for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) and proposed a novel therapeutic target.

A new study shows how individual brain cells in the hippocampus respond to pronouns. "This may help us unravel how we remember what we read," say the authors. Their research is published in the journal Science.

Ontario's Minister of Sport, 71-year-old Neil Lumsden, recently announced his decision to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada to support research on brain injuries.

Sleep deprivation typically results in longer and deeper sleep, thereby maintaining overall sleep quantity and quality through homeostatic regulation. However, the specific mechanisms by which the brain monitors and controls sleep homeostasis remain unclear.

Stroke related to large vessel occlusion (LVO) is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. Endovascular therapy (minimally invasive procedures like catheterization done inside the blood vessels) has transformed the management of these patients.

Innovative research has provided compelling evidence that perceived stress can directly trigger the relapse of psoriatic skin lesions. The study, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2024, is the first to scientifically validate this connection in vivo.

For patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), the time to confirmed disability progression (CDP) does not differ for those who are anti-CD20-treated and untreated, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in Neurology.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have uncovered a surprising role of the hippocampus—linking this part of the brain to the control of skilled actions such as handwriting, typing, and playing music.

Deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment for motor symptoms in patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. While ultimately regarded as safe, DBS can yield noticeable declines in verbal fluency, which affects how fast words can be retrieved and generated.

How did the bodies of animals, including ours, become such fine-tuned movement machines? How vertebrates coordinate the eternal tug-o-war between involuntary reflexes and seamless voluntary movements is a mystery that Francisco Valero-Cuevas' Lab in USC Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, set out to understand.

The effects of sustained drug abuse can manifest in many ways. Loss of memory and reduced cognitive functions are some of the effects that can persist for years. Neurobiologists at the University of California San Diego have now identified a mechanism in the brain that generates drug-induced cognitive impairments.

Exposure to certain pollutants, like fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), during pregnancy and childhood is associated with differences in the microstructure of the brain's white matter, and some of these effects persist throughout adolescence.

Is the brain of animals and humans naturally wired to recognize faces? Is there an innate biological mechanism that explains this ability? Questions like these have been fueling a debate that involves, on the opposite side, those who believe that face recognition is a skill that can be learned through experience and exposure to faces and those who believe that it is innately predisposed in the bra

A study led by UCLA Health has begun to unravel one of the fundamental mysteries in neuroscience—how the human brain encodes and makes sense of the flow of time and experiences.

In a clinical review conducted by an international committee of multiple sclerosis (MS) experts in pediatric and adult MS and published online Sept. 16 in JAMA Neurology, consensus guidance is provided for diagnosing pediatric and late-onset MS.

Using the head to pass, shoot or clear a ball is routine in soccer and does not typically lead to concussions. However, a new study from the University of British Columbia reveals that even mild heading has some measurable effects on the brain.

New findings argue against a direct causal role for dopamine during the experience of a treatment effect in the establishment of positive treatment expectations and placebo analgesia in healthy volunteers, according to a study published September 24 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Ulrike Bingel from University Hospital Essen, Germany, and colleagues.

Parkinson's disease (PD), also known simply as Parkinson's, is a disorder of the nervous system that affects millions of people worldwide. The nerve cell damage associated with Parkinson's can cause tremors, slowed movements, problems with balance, and many other symptoms which worsen gradually over time.

For the over 1 million Americans who survive severe traumatic brain injuries each year, the road to recovery is often long and challenging. Disruption of the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions like heart rate, is a common yet poorly understood consequence of TBI.

Giving women at risk of premature birth a simple magnesium sulfate infusion (or 'drip') can prevent their babies from developing cerebral palsy, a recent review has confirmed. The drug itself costs approximately £5 (~$6.50) per dose in England, and requires hospital admission with experienced staff to administer the drug safely to the mother.

A new study led by Prof. Omry Koren and graduate student Atara Uzan-Yuzari from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University has unveiled significant evidence connecting the gut microbiome to aggressive behavior in mice.

The degree to which a surgical patient's subconscious processing of pain, or "nociception," is properly managed by their anesthesiologist will directly affect the degree of post-operative drug side effects they'll experience and the need for further pain management they'll require. But pain is a subjective feeling to measure, even when patients are awake, much less when they are unconscious.

A new study of nearly 2,000 former NFL players shows that about one-third believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neuropathological condition linked to repeated head trauma that can only be diagnosed through a post-mortem exam of the brain.

A study has uncovered new insights into how the brain processes and integrates pain information. The research goes beyond identifying brain areas that respond to pain, revealing the mechanisms behind the brain's integration of pain-related information. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they formalized how the brain combines pain expectations with the actual intensity of painful s

There is no correlation between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and a patient's risk for developing movement disorders while taking an antipsychotic, according to a study published in the April-June issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience.

In a constantly changing world, animals, including humans, need to quickly adapt to their environment and learn to make decisions that lead to the best possible outcomes. In most cases, this type of learning happens through direct experience; when faced with a choice between two particular items or events, animals resort to previous experience involving the same options.

In recent years, eye tracking technology has advanced rapidly, suggesting that our eyes deserve greater attention within the evolving brain-machine interface (BMI) landscape. One particularly intriguing area is the connection between eye movements and internal brain states—a link that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

In a football game, an athlete takes a bad hit to the head. He doesn't feel dazed or confused: he seems to have escaped a concussion. However, despite the lack of concussive symptoms, the impact has disrupted the chemical balance in his brain, and this imbalance has consequences.

Walking is an activity that is often taken for granted. Most people usually think they can multitask by "walking and chewing gum" simultaneously with hardly any taxation of their mental effort. Indeed, each leg can move rhythmically independently of the other, controlled by its side of the spinal cord.

Exercise, whether moderate- or high-intensity, can help ease Parkinson's symptoms, including fatigue, new research shows.

A team of researchers has developed a soft cortical device that could revolutionize the treatment of epilepsy and other neurological disorders.

From movies to TV and parental anecdotes, teenagers are often characterized as risk-taking and impulsive with poor decision-making skills.

The superior colliculus is a midbrain region that is traditionally thought to help animals orient themselves toward important locations in space, like directing their eyes and head toward a bright flash of light. New research from the University of Chicago shows that this part of the brain also plays a role in complex cognitive tasks like visual categorization and decision making.

The first meta-analysis of its kind has shown a conclusive link between older adults experiencing spells of dizziness and a dramatically elevated risk of falling.

Although stroke is highly preventable and treatable, there has been a rapid rise in the global stroke burden between 1990 and 2021, due to both population growth and the rise of aging populations worldwide, as well as a substantial increase in people's exposure to environmental and behavioral risk factors.

The prevalence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in people with epilepsy increased from 2008 to 2017, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in Frontiers in Neurology.

Low serum sodium concentrations in the blood are called hyponatremia, a prevalent clinical electrolyte disorder. In contrast to acute hyponatremia, chronic hyponatremia has been previously considered asymptomatic because the brain can successfully adapt to hyponatremia. If not treated, chronic hyponatremia can lead to complications such as fractures, falls, memory impairment, and other mental issu

Mutations in SHANK3, a gene encoding a synaptic scaffolding protein, have been repeatedly identified in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Monthly use of erenumab injections (140 mg) is safe and effective in achieving medication overuse headache (MOH) remission in patients with nonopioid chronic migraine (CM) and MOH, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in JAMA Neurology.

Between and around the billions of neurons in the human brain is an equally vital scaffold, the extracellular matrix (ECM). An interlinked net of proteins and sugars that surrounds brain cells, the ECM is more than simple structural support; changes in the ECM can regulate complex brain functions including memory, learning, and behavior. But studies of the brain's ECM have been limited by the lack

For years, many people with Alzheimer's disease have been diagnosed clinically and confirmed at autopsy. Now Alzheimer's disease pathology can be identified with relatively high accuracy via a blood test that has the potential for widespread use in practice.

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine experts analyzed visible signs of concussion in individuals participating in professional slap fighting competitions and reported the results in a paper published in JAMA Surgery.

Perceptual recognition of numerical characters, like Arabic numerals, is indispensable for our daily activities in modern society. Studying the perceptual and neural mechanisms that endow us with the ability to understand those characters is an important scientific topic.

Amyloid-beta and tau proteins have long been associated with Alzheimer's disease. The pathological buildup of these proteins leads to cognitive decline in people with the disease. How it does that, though, remains poorly understood.