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.

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

Discovering the brain’s internal compass through virtual reality

Zhengang Lu and Russell Epstein, from the University of Pennsylvania, led a study to explore how people maintain their sense of direction while navigating naturalistic, virtual reality cities.

18 Aug 2025

Electromechanical reshaping could be a gentler alternative to LASIK

Millions of Americans have altered vision, ranging from blurriness to blindness. But not everyone wants to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses.

18 Aug 2025

Mediterranean diet success looks different for women and men, study of 4,000 adults reveals

A Mediterranean lifestyle survey of over 4,000 adults across seven countries found that while men and women scored similarly on overall adherence, they achieved this through different patterns of diet, exercise, and well-being. Tailored strategies may be needed to support gender-specific improvements in health behaviors.

18 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

Prenatal exposure to common insecticide linked to brain changes and poor motor skills in children

A new study reports evidence of a link between prenatal exposure to the widely used insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and structural abnormalities in the brain and poorer motor function in New York City children and adolescents.

18 Aug 2025

Polβ enzyme found to protect developing brain from harmful DNA mutations

A research group led by The University of Osaka has discovered that the DNA repair enzyme Polβ plays a crucial role in protecting the developing brain from harmful mutations.

18 Aug 2025

New nanoparticle system uses ultrasound to precisely deliver drugs

The trouble with many drugs is that they go where they shouldn't, producing unwanted side effects. Psychiatric drugs might cause dissociation, painkillers can induce nausea and chemotherapy often damages healthy cells.

18 Aug 2025

Advancing cancer treatment with targeted microrobotic swarms

Cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases to treat, as conventional therapies like chemotherapy and radiotherapy are often hindered by poor specificity, systemic toxicity, and damage to healthy tissues.

18 Aug 2025

Missing messenger RNA fragments unlock new immunotherapy targets in pediatric brain tumors

A new study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), identified tiny pieces of messenger RNA that are missing in pediatric high-grade glioma tumors but not in normal brain tissues.

18 Aug 2025

Off-label ketamine use for chronic pain lacks scientific basis

The off-label use of ketamine to treat chronic pain is not supported by scientific evidence, a new Cochrane review has found.

18 Aug 2025

Electrophysiology-based strategies enhance cancer immunotherapy

Tumor electrophysiological abnormalities, characterized by membrane potential dysregulation, ion channel network remodeling, and microenvironmental signaling interactions, are critical drivers of malignancy.

17 Aug 2025

Gut neurons drive immune responses through adrenomedullin 2

Neurons in the gut produce a molecule that plays a pivotal role in shaping the gut's immune response during and after inflammation, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

17 Aug 2025

New insights into how multisensory integration happens in the brain

It has long been understood that experiencing two senses simultaneously, like seeing and hearing, can lead to improved responses relative to those seen when only one sensory input is experienced by itself.

17 Aug 2025

Patients recall inadequate disclosure of electroconvulsive therapy risks

The medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are being exaggerated while the risks are being downplayed, suggest the findings of a survey on the type of information patients and their relatives/friends recall having been given before the procedure, and published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

17 Aug 2025

GIPR signaling opens brain’s gate for GLP-1 weight-loss therapy

A Cell Metabolism study reveals that GIPR signaling in oligodendrocytes enhances brain access and weight-loss efficacy of GLP-1R agonists by increasing vascular permeability and targeting appetite-regulating neurons. This mechanism may explain why GIPR/GLP-1R co-agonists outperform single-agent therapies.

14 Aug 2025

Leg movement variability provides reliable marker of dystonia in pediatric cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy affects around one in 345 children in the U.S., and more than half of them experience a problem called dystonia - involuntary and often painful muscle contractions, most commonly in the legs, that lead to abnormal movement and postures and make regular activities such as walking difficult.

14 Aug 2025

New model links striosomal activity to impaired decision making in psychiatric disorders

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, working in collaboration with a team from the University of Texas at El Paso, have developed a novel computational framework for understanding how a region of the brain known as the striatum is involved in the everyday decisions we make and, importantly, how it might factor into impaired decision-making by individuals with psychiatric disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder.

14 Aug 2025

Scientists decode inner speech from brain activity with high accuracy

Scientists have pinpointed brain activity related to inner speech-the silent monologue in people's heads-and successfully decoded it on command with up to 74% accuracy.

14 Aug 2025

New 2025 guidelines focus on early intervention and lifestyle to manage high blood pressure

Preventing and managing high blood pressure with healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as following a heart-healthy diet including reducing salt intake, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and managing stress—combined with early treatment with medication to lower blood pressure if necessary—are recommended to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, cognitive decline and dementia, according to a new clinical guideline published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed journals Circulation and Hypertension, and in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

14 Aug 2025