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Chronic neuron overactivation may drive Parkinson's disease progression

Certain brain cells are responsible for coordinating smooth, controlled movements of the body. But when those cells are constantly overactivated for weeks on end, they degenerate and ultimately die.

28 Aug 2025

Specialized neurons in mice influence social attention and empathy

A special set of neurons directs mice's attention to or away from their peers, depending on the situation. The Kobe University discovery has implications for finding causes for neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia.

26 Aug 2025

Why a common pesticide may alter brain growth in school-age children

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25 Aug 2025

Hemoglobin emerges as a natural antioxidant defense in the brain

Did you know the same protein that gives blood its red color and carries oxygen throughout the body is also present inside brain cells? Hemoglobin, long celebrated for ferrying oxygen in red blood cells, has now been revealed to play an overlooked - and potentially game-changing - antioxidant role in the brain.

22 Aug 2025

High-salt diet linked to brain inflammation that raises blood pressure

A new study finds that a high-salt diet triggers brain inflammation that drives up blood pressure.

21 Aug 2025

Blocking brain damage may slow aggressive glioblastoma growth

Blocking brain damage triggered by a glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, may slow the growth of the cancer and allow the brain to keep working better for longer, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

20 Aug 2025

SNAP25 identified as key to sour taste perception and cell survival

The tongue contains numerous taste buds-tiny sensory organs responsible for detecting taste. Taste buds consist of specialized cells that translate chemical stimuli into neural signals.

19 Aug 2025

PathoPlex technology maps protein patterns across human organs

Each organ in the human body contains different types of cells arranged in specific ways.

19 Aug 2025

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