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MIT technique reveals how AI models predict protein functions

Within the past few years, models that can predict the structure or function of proteins have been widely used for a variety of biological applications, such as identifying drug targets and designing new therapeutic antibodies.

19 Aug 2025

Dual vector gene therapy for GM2 gangliosidosis shows encouraging results in clinical trial

Patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial conducted by UMass Chan Medical School of a dual vector gene therapy for GM2 gangliosidosis, which includes Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, exhibited a biochemical correction of the disease with minimal adverse reactions.

18 Aug 2025

Brain organoids reveal early changes in familial Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in older people, affecting up to 1 in 20 individuals aged 65 and above. In addition to environmental and lifestyle factors, genetic mutations can predispose an individual to AD and some rare forms of inherited "familial" AD (fAD) are caused by known genetic mutations, with these affected individuals developing AD with high probability and at relatively young age.

14 Aug 2025

Early use of risdiplam in newborns with SMA shows improvements in motor development

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness, which, when untreated, prevents infants with the most severe form from gaining motor development - never gaining the ability to sit - and typically leads to death before 2 years of age.

13 Aug 2025

Microbes found to play a key role in shaping early brain development

New research from Michigan State University finds that microbes play an important role in shaping early brain development, specifically in a key brain region that controls stress, social behavior, and vital body functions.

13 Aug 2025

New research sheds light on what makes the human brain unique

Research from scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shed new light on an age-old question: what makes the human brain unique?

13 Aug 2025

New discovery in spinal cord neurons offers hope for breathing recovery

Today about 300,000 people nationally living with a spinal cord injury and with respiratory complications being the most common cause of illness and death, according to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

13 Aug 2025

Lifestyle choices and irregular sleep patterns drive weekend spike in OSA severity

Late nights, alcohol, and smoking on weekends may be doing more than disrupting your Monday mornings, they could be triggering a newly identified sleep health concern known as 'social apnea', warn researchers from Flinders University.

13 Aug 2025

Brain’s energy control map offers blueprint for next-gen weight loss therapies

Scientists map how the brain integrates hormonal and neural signals from the body to control appetite, energy use, and reward pathways, revealing targets for next-generation anti-obesity drugs. This review highlights the interplay between neuroendocrine circuits, neuroplasticity, and pharmacotherapy for durable, non-aversive weight loss.

11 Aug 2025

Special von Economo neurons may hold key to super-sharp memory in 80+ superagers

Researchers at Northwestern University’s SuperAging Program reveal how some people over 80 retain memory performance like those decades younger, linking it to unique brain structures, reduced pathology, and lower inflammation. Their 25-year study highlights genetic, cellular, and social traits that may protect cognitive function.

10 Aug 2025

Lithium deficiency emerges as a hidden driver of Alzheimer’s

What is the earliest spark that ignites the memory-robbing march of Alzheimer’s disease? Why do some people with Alzheimer’s-like changes in the brain never go on to develop dementia? These questions have bedeviled neuroscientists for decades.

8 Aug 2025

New microscope system reveals molecular activity deep in the brain tissue

Both for research and medical purposes, researchers have spent decades pushing the limits of microscopy to produce ever deeper and sharper images of brain activity, not only in the cortex but also in regions underneath such as the hippocampus.

7 Aug 2025

Research offers hope for weight loss without gastrointestinal distress

Weight loss and diabetes drugs on the market often do not achieve long-term weight loss for patients. GLP-1 drugs target brain neurons that control appetite but frequently cause side effects.

5 Aug 2025

Ultrasound waves activate brain circuits in living animals for the first time

A new study provides the first visual evidence showing that brain circuits in living animals can be activated by ultrasound waves projected into specific patterns (holograms).

5 Aug 2025

Natural brain rhythms control stress hormone levels and alertness

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led research has found stress-controlling brain cells switch on and off in a steady rhythm about once every hour – even when nothing stressful is happening.

4 Aug 2025

Johns Hopkins uncovers protein's unexpected role in brain signaling

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they unexpectedly found new information about a protein's special role in getting brain cells to communicate at the right time and place in experiments with genetically engineered mice.

4 Aug 2025

Thalamic feedback pathway found to tune sensory perception

The cerebral cortex processes sensory information via a complex network of neural connections. How are these signals modulated to refine perception? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified a mechanism by which certain thalamic projections target neurons and modify their excitability.

30 Jul 2025

Brain’s blood vessels and immune cells play key role in Alzheimer’s and stroke

The brain's health depends on more than just its neurons. A complex network of blood vessels and immune cells acts as the brain's dedicated guardians-controlling what enters, cleaning up waste, and protecting it from threats by forming the blood-brain barrier.

28 Jul 2025

UCSF discovery points to new strategies for Alzheimer's treatment

UCSF scientists have discovered how microglia engulf and break down amyloid beta, a protein that builds up in Alzheimer's, with devastating consequences for the brain.

28 Jul 2025

High-resolution whole-cortex imaging reveals neurovascular dynamics in awake mice

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow in response to neural activity. Specifically, when neurons become active, nearby blood vessels dilate to increase blood supply, thereby meeting the heightened energy demands associated with neural activity.

24 Jul 2025