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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Early vasopressin use does not improve septic shock survival

A new study from researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City found that starting an advanced medication earlier for critically ill patients with life-threatening septic shock does not improve their survival, shorten hospital stays, or improve their recovery compared with waiting until their condition potentially worsens.

14 Oct 2026

New research links postmenopausal ovarian tissue remodeling to elevated cancer vulnerability

In a new, paradigm-shifting study in ovaries from 28 women, scientists at Northwestern University and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging found in the decades well past menopause, the ovary remains biologically active and continues to remodel with age, showing increased inflammation and changes in tissue structure. The study also found a molecular link between ovarian aging and cancer.

14 Oct 2026

People who walk more each day tend to score better on several brain tests

Researchers analyzed 14 years of physical activity and blood pressure records from 3,093 US adults and found that higher daily step counts were associated with better performance on tests of attention, cognitive control, and reward-related decision-making. Higher systolic blood pressure was associated with poorer delay-discounting performance, but accounted for only 4.8% of its association with physical activity, while the single cognitive assessment prevented conclusions about causation or cognitive decline.

14 Oct 2026

Your diet may have more to do with your sense of smell than you think

Researchers analyzed dietary patterns and odor identification in 6,690 adults in Italy, finding that healthier plant-rich diets, particularly those emphasizing fruits and vegetables, were associated with better olfactory function and lower odds of hyposmia. Diets emphasizing less healthy plant foods showed the opposite association, although the cross-sectional study could not establish whether diet influences smell or impaired smell affects food choices.

14 Oct 2026

$5.8 million study explores gut-brain inflammation in people with HIV

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have secured a $5.8 million, five-year federal award to investigate whether damage to the gastrointestinal tract contributes to neuroinflammation in people living with HIV - raising the potential for new treatments to preserve brain function in people with HIV and older adults.

13 Oct 2026

Pregnancy reshapes the maternal brain through remarkable neurological changes

For generations, women have been told that the forgetfulness, emotional shifts, sensory changes, and altered sense of self that accompany pregnancy and new motherhood are simply "mommy brain."

13 Oct 2026

CHOP researchers link MAP2K4 variants to a neurodevelopmental disorder

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have discovered the mechanisms of previously unknown changes in a gene that result in symptoms associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder.

13 Oct 2026

Charity funds Aston University research into childhood cancer MRI

Aston University's Dr Jan Novak has accepted funding of £45,000 from cancer charity Help Harry Help Others (HHHO) to support a PhD student to research new ways of using MRI scans of children with cancer to better inform their doctors and improve treatment.

13 Oct 2026

Hybrid AI architecture improves seizure prediction using EEG signals

Epilepsy affects about 50 million people worldwide and can seriously affect patients' quality of life. Electroencephalography (EEG), which records the brain's electrical activity in real time, plays an important role in epilepsy diagnosis and monitoring.

13 Oct 2026

FDA approves new Parkinson’s drug pioneered by UVA scientists

The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved a new Parkinson's disease drug that was based on research by UVA Health scientists.

13 Oct 2026

Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome more likely to have Alzheimer's and dementia

Alzheimer's disease and dementia may be more common in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a review of existing evidence published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

13 Oct 2026

Gene therapy and special goggles help some blind adults detect objects again

In a phase 1 study of 10 adults with advanced retinitis pigmentosa, researchers found that optogenetic gene therapy combined with light-stimulating goggles was generally well tolerated, although one participant experienced a severe but transient ocular adverse event. Seven participants showed improved light sensitivity, while four of eight who completed behavioral testing demonstrated modest gains in visual function, providing preliminary evidence of partial vision restoration that requires confirmation in larger controlled trials.

12 Oct 2026

Scientists pinpoint key hotspot driving tau propagation in dementia

Diseases such as Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia are considered neurodegenerative tauopathies, in which tau proteins in the brain misfold and lead to cognitive decline.

12 Oct 2026

Women with autoimmune diseases more likely to receive psychiatric misdiagnoses

Females with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than males to have their autoimmune disease misdiagnosed as a psychiatric or psychosomatic condition, according to a study of more than 6,600 patients.

12 Oct 2026

Year-long trial finds NAD-boosting supplement fails to improve early Parkinson's symptoms

In a phase 3 randomized clinical trial involving 410 people with early Parkinson disease, 52 weeks of nicotinamide riboside supplementation increased blood NAD levels but failed to improve clinical outcomes compared with placebo. Participants receiving the supplement had modestly worse overall disease scores, although the difference was below the threshold generally considered clinically meaningful.

12 Oct 2026

Your favorite song might make a needle prick hurt less

A study of 204 patients undergoing intravenous cannulation before MRI found that those listening to their favorite music reported significantly lower pain scores than patients hearing no music at 30 seconds and two minutes after puncture. Mozart was also associated with lower pain scores among patients with pre-existing pain, while relaxation music showed no significant benefit, although the non-randomized findings require confirmation.

12 Oct 2026

Lifelong blindness enhances brain processing for better pitch discrimination

Are people who have been blind for most of their lives better at hearing than sighted individuals? New in JNeurosci, Woon Ju Park, from Georgia Institute of Technology, and colleagues, broached this question by comparing tone detection and pitch discrimination in people with and without sight.

12 Oct 2026

Targeting mitochondrial vulnerabilities could help treat triple-negative breast cancer

A deeper understanding of mitochondrial function could create new opportunities for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer.

12 Oct 2026

Oregon's licensed psilocybin centers prioritize safety but remain highly expensive

A new study has found that Oregon's licensed psilocybin centers largely follow recommended safety guidelines, offering reassurance about how the first regulated psilocybin programs in the U.S. function in practice - though the cost of treatment may keep it out of reach for many.

12 Oct 2026

Vascular anatomy influences experimental stroke treatment effectiveness

A preclinical study from Duke University researchers suggests that the effectiveness of an experimental approach to limiting stroke-related brain injury may depend not only on the drug itself, but also on the brain's collateral circulation: the network of small "backup" blood vessels that can help sustain tissue when a major artery is blocked.

12 Oct 2026