Brain News and Research

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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.

Commonly prescribed antibiotic linked to lower risk of schizophrenia

A commonly prescribed antibiotic could help reduce the risk of some young people developing schizophrenia, new research suggests.

5 Nov 2025

AI helps detect early signs of alcoholism in firefighters with 80% accuracy

A deep learning model using brain scans and tests predicts alcohol use disorder risk in firefighters, enhancing mental health strategies in high-stress jobs.

5 Nov 2025

Super recognizers excel by looking smarter not harder

What is it that makes a super recognizer – someone with extraordinary face recognition abilities – better at remembering faces than the rest of us?

4 Nov 2025

Japanese study finds widespread reluctance to donate cells for brain organoid research

Research on human brain organoids (HBOs) is directly challenging how biobanks and biomedical institutes recruit volunteers.

4 Nov 2025

Researchers reveal common synaptic pathway behind Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases

Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases are the two most common neurodegenerative disorders, affecting millions of people worldwide.

4 Nov 2025

Loud noise exposure worsens motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease model

In the development of Parkinson's disease, it may not be a good idea to turn the amp to 11. High-volume noise exposure produced motor deficits in a mouse model of early-stage Parkinson's disease, and established a link between the auditory processing and movement areas of the brain, according to a study published November 4th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Pei Zhang from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and colleagues.

4 Nov 2025

Living near cannabis stores linked to more frequent use and less heavy drinking

A statewide study of more than 60,000 adult Oregonians shows that living near cannabis retail stores is associated with a greater tendency toward frequent cannabis use but a lower likelihood of heavy alcohol consumption.

4 Nov 2025

PRIME fiber-optic device can manipulate neural activity deep in the brain

Fiber-optic technology revolutionized the telecommunications industry and may soon do the same for brain research.

4 Nov 2025

USC researchers map genetic architecture of the human corpus callosum

For the first time, a research team led by the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has mapped the genetic architecture of a crucial part of the human brain known as the corpus callosum-the thick band of nerve fibers that connects the brain's left and right hemispheres.

4 Nov 2025

Do GLP-1 drugs cause cancer? New review says no, may even protect

A comprehensive review in The Journal of Clinical Investigation finds no overall link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and increased cancer risk, countering early safety concerns. Instead, evidence suggests possible protective effects for certain cancers, supported by metabolic and immune-modulating mechanisms.

4 Nov 2025

GLP-1 drugs calm inflammation beyond diabetes and weight loss

This Journal of Clinical Investigation review describes how glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)–based medicines reduce systemic and tissue inflammation through both weight-dependent and weight-independent mechanisms. It details preclinical and clinical evidence linking GLP-1 receptor activation to cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, neural, and joint anti-inflammatory effects while outlining uncertainties and future research needs.

4 Nov 2025

Free radicals generated at a specific site in astrocytes may promote dementia

Researchers have discovered that free radicals generated at a specific site in non-neuronal brain cells called astrocytes, may promote dementia, according to a Weill Cornell Medicine study.

4 Nov 2025

Understanding how the human brain responds to persuasive messages

An analysis of brain scans from 572 people reveals that activity in brain regions linked to reward and social processing can predict how effective messages will be.

4 Nov 2025

Body temperature and offspring size influence brain size in vertebrates

Vertebrates have extremely different brain sizes: even with the same body size, brain size can vary a hundredfold.

4 Nov 2025

New review illuminates the intricate connections between gut microbiota and sleep regulation

A comprehensive review published today in Brain Medicine illuminates the intricate connections between gut microbiota and sleep regulation, establishing the microbiota-gut-brain axis as a critical pathway in understanding and potentially treating sleep disorders.

4 Nov 2025

Stress hormones may silence crucial neuronal genes through specific RNA molecules

What if the brain's response to stress could be read not in fleeting neurotransmitter bursts, but in the quieting of genes deep inside chromatin? Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have now shown that stress hormones may silence crucial neuronal genes through an unexpected class of RNA molecules that operate not by encoding proteins, but by reshaping the genome's architecture.

4 Nov 2025