Brain News and Research

RSS

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.

Brain aging may be slower and more layered than previously thought

The human brain ages less than thought and in layers – at least in the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for the sense of touch.

11 Aug 2025

New biomarker may be the first specific and quantifiable indicator for confirming long COVID

Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have identified a potential biomarker for long COVID.

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

WHO validation marks Kenya’s success in eliminating sleeping sickness

The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Kenya as having eliminated human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness as a public health problem, making it the tenth country to reach this important milestone.

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

Alzheimer’s research reaches a critical tipping point

One-third of people older than 85 in the United States are estimated to live with Alzheimer's disease today, according to the National Institute on Aging.

8 Aug 2025

Parents’ workplace chemical exposure may be linked to behavioral challenges in children with autism

A new study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health finds parents' workplace chemical exposure may be linked to a range of behavioral challenges and developmental delays in their children with autism.

8 Aug 2025

Understanding the biomarkers and mechanisms associated with anti-NMDAR encephalitis

Encephalitis is a potentially life-threatening condition that involves inflammation of the brain. While some cases of encephalitis are caused by a bacterial or viral infection, other cases of 'autoimmune' encephalitis result when the body's own immune system attacks the brain.

8 Aug 2025

Aging brains lose key proteins despite intact genetic blueprints

An international research team involving the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, the Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, and Stanford University has discovered that in the aging brain, certain proteins are lost even though their mRNA blueprints remain intact.

8 Aug 2025

Uncovering the secrets of ‘SuperAgers’ and cognitive longevity

For 25 years, scientists at Northwestern Medicine have been studying individuals aged 80 and older - dubbed "SuperAgers" - to better understand what makes them tick.

8 Aug 2025

Talking therapy shows lower effectiveness for young adults

Talking therapy offered by the NHS for people with depression or anxiety appears to be less effective for people aged 16-24 than those aged 25-65, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

8 Aug 2025

Understanding the complex relationship between ultraprocessed foods and health

Ultraprocessed foods or UPFs are a growing concern due to their widespread consumption and impact on potential health risks.

8 Aug 2025

Gut bacteria may connect pregnancy diet to childhood autism

Unhealthy maternal diets may alter gut microbes, impacting brain development and increasing autism risk in offspring. Study the microbiome's influence.

8 Aug 2025

RNA sequencing reveals molecular drivers for better regenerative therapies

Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, have documented their use of a new RNA sequencing technology to uncover molecular drivers of cellular differentiation that could lead to better regenerative therapies.

8 Aug 2025

Understanding sex-based differences in immune system function

Many diseases affect men and women differently. Asthma tends to strike men earlier in life, yet more women develop asthma as they get older.

7 Aug 2025

Study sheds light on how early brain wiring lays the foundation for attention skills

A new study by researchers at Simon Fraser University is shedding light on how the brain's wiring in early childhood lays the foundation for attention skills- a key step toward characterizing healthy developmental patterns that could help identify young children at risk for attention-related challenges like ADHD.

7 Aug 2025

Scientists link brain lithium loss to early Alzheimer’s changes

Researchers have discovered that naturally occurring lithium in the brain is depleted early in Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the prefrontal cortex, and that restoring physiological levels with lithium orotate in mice can prevent brain damage and memory loss. The findings suggest lithium deficiency may be a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

7 Aug 2025

New antibody delivery system boosts Alzheimer's treatment in mice

A newly engineered antibody transport vehicle targeting the transferrin receptor enables enhanced delivery of anti-amyloid antibodies to the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, researchers report.

7 Aug 2025

Uncovering the science behind musical anhedonia

Ten years ago, researchers discovered a small group of people who derive no pleasure from music despite having normal hearing and the ability to enjoy other experiences or stimuli.

7 Aug 2025

Copper oxide scaffolds show promise in treating traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Recent research has developed a novel electrospun scaffold loaded with copper oxide (CuO@PG), which aims to restore copper homeostasis and modulate inflammation in TBI.

7 Aug 2025