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Disruption of sterol biosynthesis by prescription drugs: A hidden threat to brain development

A powerful editorial published today in Brain Medicine raises alarm about a previously overlooked threat to brain development and public health: the disruption of sterol biosynthesis by common prescription medications.

22 Apr 2025

New approach to treating chronic pain without opioids

Chronic pain, a common and debilitating condition, often leads practitioners to prescribe opioids in escalating doses.

22 Apr 2025

Engineered brain cells offer new hope for treating Alzheimer's

A new way to deliver disease-fighting proteins throughout the brain may improve the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders, according to University of California, Irvine scientists.

21 Apr 2025

Existing drug shows potential to revive immune cells in sepsis patients

When the immune system does not function properly, individuals become more susceptible to infections caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi.

18 Apr 2025

Discovery sheds light on protein's role in myelin formation and schizophrenia

Research published in the Journal of Neurochemistry has detailed the role of a protein, hnRNP A1, in the formation and stability of myelin, suggesting an important impact on neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders such as multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.

17 Apr 2025

FOXR2 activation found in multiple pediatric brain tumor types

Physicians classify brain tumors and determine treatment options, in part, by the genes they express. According to World Health Organization standards, the abnormal activation of oncogene FOXR2 only occurs in central nervous system (CNS) neuroblastoma, but that may not be true.

16 Apr 2025

Can gut microbes help prevent Alzheimer’s?

A comprehensive review explores how gut microbiota diversity and fitness influence Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk through neuroinflammation, amyloid and tau pathology, and blood-brain barrier dysfunction. It highlights the therapeutic potential of probiotics, dietary interventions, and omics technologies in restoring microbial balance and preventing neurodegeneration.

13 Apr 2025

Probiotics improve emotional state in healthy adults, study finds

A randomized controlled trial in 88 healthy adults found that probiotics reduced negative mood when assessed using daily self-reports, though traditional questionnaires failed to detect significant changes. These findings suggest that daily mood tracking may offer a more sensitive way to capture subtle emotional effects of probiotics in non-clinical populations.

10 Apr 2025

Tim-3 identified as promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease

Tim-3 is an immune checkpoint molecule involved in immunity and inflammation recently linked to late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its role in the brain was unknown until now.

9 Apr 2025

Dynamic BH3 profiling offers personalized lung cancer therapies

Eighty-five percent of diagnosed cases of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this group, 5% of patients show molecular alterations in the ALK gene involved in cell multiplication.

9 Apr 2025

Tolebrutinib shows promise for treating non-relapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

A Cleveland Clinic-led clinical trial of tolebrutinib, an investigational oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, a group of drugs originally developed to treat lymphomas and related blood disorders, demonstrated a 31% delay in the onset of six-month confirmed disability progression (CDP) in patients with non-relapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).

8 Apr 2025

Study reveals how female hormones trigger opioid production for pain suppression

Scientists have discovered a new mechanism that acts via an immune cell and points toward a different way of treating chronic pain.

3 Apr 2025

New study explores link between gut microbiome and autism spectrum disorder

Researchers evaluate the relationship between the gut microbiome and autism spectrum disorder.

2 Apr 2025

Researchers identify key gene linked to heroin addiction

Opioid use disorder is associated with more than 350,000 deaths annually worldwide. Guided by the need for an increased understanding of critical neurobiological features of addiction, researchers have now found a unique molecular signature and genes in the orbitofrontal cortex associated with heroin-seeking behavior.

26 Mar 2025

Marathon running temporarily reduces brain myelin levels

Marathon running causes a temporary decline in brain myelin content, but levels return to normal within two months. This reversible change may reflect the brain tapping into myelin lipids as an emergency energy source during extreme exertion.

25 Mar 2025

Research identifies pressure-sensing protein behind gut motility

After every meal, the intestines perform an action called peristalsis - moving food through their hollow interiors with coordinated contractions and relaxations of the smooth muscle.

25 Mar 2025

New brain circuit involved in motion sickness could help improve metabolic health

Motion sickness is a very common condition that affects about 1 in 3 people, but the brain circuits involved are largely unknown. In the current study published in Nature Metabolism, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital describe a new brain circuit involved in motion sickness that also contributes to regulating body temperature and metabolic balance.

24 Mar 2025

Case study: Bartonella, Babesia pathogens can be a cofactor in complex neurological illnesses

In a new case study, researchers from North Carolina State University found Bartonella henselae, Babesia odocoilei and Babesia divergens-like MO-1 DNA in brain tissue samples from a young child with seizures and suspected Rasmussen's encephalitis.

22 Mar 2025

Advanced software improves cerebellum analysis for disease diagnosis

A team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) has developed the world's most advanced software to study the human cerebellum using high-resolution NMR images.

20 Mar 2025

Probiotic drink kefir shows promise in preventing Alzheimer’s

Kefir, a probiotic-rich fermented milk, shows potential in reducing neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and beta-amyloid buildup, suggesting a role in Alzheimer’s prevention and management. However, more clinical trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness in human patients.

17 Mar 2025