Physiology News and Research

RSS

Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. The principal level of focus of physiology is at the level of organs and systems. Most aspects of human physiology are closely homologous to corresponding aspects of animal physiology, and animal experimentation has provided much of the foundation of physiological knowledge. Anatomy and physiology are closely related fields of study: anatomy, the study of form, and physiology, the study of function, are intrinsically tied and are studied in tandem as part of a medical curriculum.

Scientists show gut bacteria can reach the brain in mice and reveal a potential vagus nerve pathway

Researchers found that very small numbers of gut bacteria can translocate to the brain in mice, particularly when gut barrier permeability increases due to a Paigen diet. Evidence suggests the vagus nerve may serve as a partial route for this gut-to-brain microbial movement.

15 Mar 2026

FDA-approved drug fedratinib enhances communication between cellular organelles

Cells behave like cities and organelles carry out infrastructural roles: Mitochondria are powerhouses, the endoplasmic reticulum serves as a transport hub and lysosomes help with waste disposal.

13 Mar 2026

Low testosterone and high fructose intake can worsen fatty liver disease

Low testosterone in itself can cause a variety of health problems, but the addition of a poor diet can exacerbate certain conditions. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is one example that approximately 40% of adult men worldwide currently suffer from and has become a global problem.

11 Mar 2026

Acute cannabis intoxication appears to broadly disrupt most of the memory systems

Smoking cannabis can do more than blur memories. It can reshape them.

10 Mar 2026

Pregnancy complications increase heart health risks for women with high stress

Women who experience pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia, pre-term birth, stillbirth or having a baby that is small for gestational age, may face an increased risk for cardiovascular disease later in life.

9 Mar 2026

Understanding PIEZO2 mutations and sensory disorders

Every time we feel a gentle tap on the skin, specialized nerve cells convert that physical force into an electrical signal that the brain can interpret as touch. While scientists have long known that a protein called PIEZO2 acts as a key sensor for touch, it remained unclear why PIEZO2 is specialized for the localized mechanical forces experienced by sensory neurons, whereas its close relative PIEZO1 responds to broader mechanical stresses such as those generated when cells stretch, as occurs in blood vessels.

9 Mar 2026

PET imaging reveals molecular mechanism behind ketamine's antidepressant effects

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and approximately 30% of patients develop treatment-resistant depression (TRD), a condition that does not respond adequately to conventional antidepressant therapies.

6 Mar 2026

Melbourne’s lab-grown "skin" revolutionizes tick research

The world's first lab-based tick feeding system for bush ticks, developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne, has transformed the study of ticks and how they transmit disease. The novel, host-free technology reduces the need for animal experiments in tick studies, facilitating more ethical, reproducible research.

5 Mar 2026

Repurposed kidney drug finerenone shows promise in treating premature ovarian insufficiency

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a clinically significant cause of infertility that affects between 1 to 3% of women of childbearing age.

5 Mar 2026

MSU scientists map the neural circuitry of drug compulsion

When a cocaine addict relapses, it isn't a matter of personal failure - it's the biological result of their brain's rewiring, new research finds.

5 Mar 2026

A hidden movement map discovered in the brain’s insula

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a hidden "movement map" deep within the brain - a discovery that could help surgeons reduce side effects from epilepsy procedures and guide future treatments for speech and movement disorders.

4 Mar 2026

Enhancing myelination may help sustain therapeutic effects of psychedelic-assisted PTSD treatment

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not only characterized by strongly encoded traumatic memories, but also by disrupted coordination across brain networks.

4 Mar 2026

New study examines blood clot risks for female astronauts in microgravity

Just a few days in simulated microgravity can subtly change the way women's blood clots, sparking bigger questions about health monitoring protocols for astronauts who can spend six months or more in orbit, say Simon Fraser University researchers.

4 Mar 2026

Periodontal bacteria trigger bone density reduction via the gut

Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the gums, affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is increasingly linked to systemic disorders beyond the oral cavity.

4 Mar 2026

Childhood cavities and gum disease raise adult heart disease risk

The link between childhood oral health and adult heart disease underscores the need for preventive dental care to enhance lifelong cardiovascular health.

4 Mar 2026

Hormone fluctuations influence perceived effort during intense workouts

Female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone fluctuate monthly across the menstrual cycle, affecting moods and energy levels.

2 Mar 2026

Weight-loss drugs may reduce heart damage after heart attack

Weight-loss (GLP-1 mimicking) drugs may help prevent further tissue damage following a heart attack, significantly reducing the risk of further life-threatening complications that affect up to half of all patients, according to a new study led by the University of Bristol and University College London.

2 Mar 2026

High-dose curcumin fails to produce lasting gut-microbiome changes in IBD patients

In an open-label study of 29 men, including patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease in remission, 6 g per day of curcumin for eight weeks led to modest, transient shifts in gut microbiota composition without sustained restructuring. Despite achieving high fecal concentrations and minimal systemic bioavailability, curcumin did not produce durable microbiome changes, and disease activity scores remained stable.

2 Mar 2026

COVID-19 ARDS survivors face lasting disability and high late mortality, researchers report

In this single-center ambispective cohort of 283 Polish patients with COVID-19–related ARDS requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, cumulative mortality reached 44.5% at four years after ICU admission. Among survivors, substantial proportions reported persistent functional limitations, insomnia, fatigue, and reduced quality-adjusted life years.

2 Mar 2026

Optical fiber probe detects nanoliter-scale biological fluid conductivity

Some of the most revealing signals about human health are carried in fluids that are almost impossible to measure.

2 Mar 2026

Physiology News and Research

Scientists show gut bacteria can reach the brain in mice and reveal a potential vagus nerve pathway

FDA-approved drug fedratinib enhances communication between cellular organelles

Low testosterone and high fructose intake can worsen fatty liver disease

Acute cannabis intoxication appears to broadly disrupt most of the memory systems

Pregnancy complications increase heart health risks for women with high stress

Understanding PIEZO2 mutations and sensory disorders

PET imaging reveals molecular mechanism behind ketamine's antidepressant effects

Melbourne’s lab-grown "skin" revolutionizes tick research

Repurposed kidney drug finerenone shows promise in treating premature ovarian insufficiency

MSU scientists map the neural circuitry of drug compulsion

A hidden movement map discovered in the brain’s insula

Enhancing myelination may help sustain therapeutic effects of psychedelic-assisted PTSD treatment

New study examines blood clot risks for female astronauts in microgravity

Periodontal bacteria trigger bone density reduction via the gut

Childhood cavities and gum disease raise adult heart disease risk

Hormone fluctuations influence perceived effort during intense workouts

Weight-loss drugs may reduce heart damage after heart attack

High-dose curcumin fails to produce lasting gut-microbiome changes in IBD patients

COVID-19 ARDS survivors face lasting disability and high late mortality, researchers report

Optical fiber probe detects nanoliter-scale biological fluid conductivity

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Latest News