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New atlas maps how the vascular network of mouse's brain grows after birth

Scientists have made a major advance in developmental neuroscience, creating the very first detailed atlas of how the vascular network of a mouse's brain grows after birth. Their study is published in Cell.

17 Apr 2026

Researchers use light-activated drugs to map the brain's internal painkillers

Placebo effects, in which patients experience relief without therapeutic treatment, increasingly have been considered as potentially powerful clinical treatments for ailments such as depression and pain. Yet the neurological mechanisms underlying such processes are not fully understood. Now, a multi-institutional team led by the University of California San Diego's Matthew Banghart, an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, has pinpointed the brain circuitry responsible for placebo pain relief.

17 Apr 2026

How the immune system may influence Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and related diseases

This review argues that neurodegeneration is shaped not only by toxic protein buildup but also by immune signaling, with microglia and T cells able to either protect the brain or worsen damage depending on context. It also highlights aging, head injury, and viral infection as major forces that reshape CNS immunity and may influence disease progression and future treatment strategies.

16 Apr 2026

Scientists discover how the immune system signals the brain to avoid germs

Researchers from the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn uncover vital mechanism for survival

16 Apr 2026

Researchers discover a molecular signature to flag dysfunctional aging cells

UCLA researchers have identified a rogue population of immune cells that quietly accumulates in aging tissues and in the livers of people with fatty liver disease. Clearing these cells, they found, dramatically reduced inflammation and reversed liver damage in mice - even while the animals remained on an unhealthy diet.

16 Apr 2026

Superficial skin exposures pose a higher rabies risk than previously thought

While it was previously thought that keratinocytes (skin cells) were only passive conductors that allow the rabies virus to pass through, novel research reveals that these cells play a much more active role. The findings of a new study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID), published by Elsevier, provide direct evidence that keratinocytes can support viral replication and transmit the rabies virus to neurons. The investigators offer a mechanistic explanation for how superficial skin exposures from scratches or minor bites by dogs and bats can lead to neuroinvasion, contributing to the risk of infection.

16 Apr 2026

Aston University bioscientist receives £125,000 to investigate genetic reasons for neurodegeneration

Aston University bioscientist Dr John Reynolds has won a £125,000 Springboard grant from the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) for research into neurodegeneration caused by a rare genetic disease.

15 Apr 2026

New grant funds AI search for genetic targets to treat Alzheimer's

With a new $6.2 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging, researchers at Case Western Reserve University will use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to identify possible genetic targets to treat Alzheimer's disease.

15 Apr 2026

Brain organoids reveal mutation-specific insights for Rett syndrome

Though many studies approach the developmental disorder Rett syndrome as a single condition arising from general loss of function in the gene MECP2, a new study by neuroscientists in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows that two different mutations of the gene caused many distinct abnormalities in lab cultures.

15 Apr 2026

Northwestern engineers create artificial neurons that communicate with living cells

Northwestern University engineers printed artificial neurons that don't just imitate the brain - they talk to it.

15 Apr 2026

Study reveals interhemispheric brain circuit crucial for spatial memory

A team led by the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), has identified a brain circuit essential for spatial memory.

14 Apr 2026

Categorization is fundamental and predictive across all brain processing

Challenging the classic view, two cognitive scientists argue in a new review that categorization is not a late, specialized stage of sensory processing.

13 Apr 2026

Metformin protects neurons after brain injury by restoring mitochondrial health

TBI remains a major cause of death and long-term neurological disability worldwide, yet effective treatments for secondary injury are still lacking.

13 Apr 2026

Stanford researchers create noninvasive way to deliver light deep inside the body

Light has an increasing number of applications in biology and medicine – it can be used to stimulate cell growth, manipulate neural signals, and treat some cancers – but it doesn't easily pass through tissue.

13 Apr 2026

Damon Runyon supports young scientists driving cancer research innovation

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named 13 new Damon Runyon Fellows, exceptional postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators.

11 Apr 2026

Brain pathways combine memory and reward to guide behavior

New research from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) reveals how two different parts of the brain's memory center team up in a key reward region to help mice-and likely humans-combine memories of places and contexts with the drive to pursue rewards.

10 Apr 2026