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.

c-Fos exhibits a dual role in memory formation and Alzheimer's disease

Immediate-early genes (IEGs), including c-Fos, are integral to the brain's response to stimuli. Initially identified as a proto-oncogene, c-Fos is essential for neural activity, synaptic plasticity, and stress responses.

14 Jun 2025

Rethinking brain imaging with light that travels through the head

For decades, scientists have used near-infrared light to study the brain in a noninvasive way. This optical technique, known as "fNIRS" (short for "functional near-infrared spectroscopy"), measures how light is absorbed by blood in the brain, to infer activity.

14 Jun 2025

Understanding the role of astrocytes in depression and neuroinflammation

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental health condition that negatively affects the mood of a person and causes a loss of interest in activities that were previously associated with happiness.

13 Jun 2025

Out-of-body experiences may help the brain cope with trauma

Out-of-body experiences – where people feel like spirits disconnected from their physical form – may be a coping mechanism triggered by trauma or other overwhelming stress, new University of Virginia School of Medicine research suggests.

13 Jun 2025

UK study finds small proportion of early Alzheimer’s patients suitable for latest treatments

Few people in the UK with early stage Alzheimer's disease are likely to be suitable for the latest drugs which aim to halt progress of the condition, yet many are nevertheless likely to be referred for these treatments, finds research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

13 Jun 2025

Mapping genetic activity offers new clues for personalized cancer treatment

City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. with its National Medical Center named top 5 in the nation for cancer by U.S. News & World Report, co-led the first study to demonstrate that characterizing genetic material near chromosomes forecasts how mutated, cancer-causing genes reengineer DNA and alter the tumor microenvironment.

13 Jun 2025

WHO warns of ORVO as outbreaks surge and health risks rise

Oropouche virus poses a growing public health risk, with recent outbreaks in Brazil and Cuba. The WHO report calls for urgent global preparedness measures.

13 Jun 2025

Yellow pigment linked to protection against severe malaria

New research suggests that a pigment that causes yellowing of the skin, or jaundice, may help protect people from the most severe consequences of malaria.

13 Jun 2025

Breathing patterns reveal clues about mental and physical well-being

Your breath is one of a kind. A study published June 12 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology demonstrated that scientists can identify individuals based solely on their breathing patterns with 96.8% accuracy.

13 Jun 2025

Artificial neural networks learn better when trained with biological data

The ability to precisely predict movements is essential not only for humans and animals, but also for many AI applications - from autonomous driving to robotics.

12 Jun 2025

Engineered lymph node model advances human immune system research

Scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have created an engineered model of the supportive tissue found within a lymph node to study human health.

12 Jun 2025

Chronic hyponatremia causes anxiety-like behaviors by disrupting brain chemistry

Hyponatremia, or low blood sodium concentration, is typically viewed as a symptomless condition-until recently.

12 Jun 2025

Unpredictable caregiving rewires the brain’s threat response

Research shows unpredictable caregiving alters brain responses to threats, highlighting the need for stable environments in childhood for healthy development.

12 Jun 2025

Maternal diet during pregnancy shapes decision-making in preteens

The study highlights the impact of maternal diet on child neurodevelopment, linking nut consumption to better decision-making and fish to impulsivity.

12 Jun 2025

Exercise targets specific brain cells to protect against Alzheimer’s

Using advanced single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and a widely used preclinical model for Alzheimer's disease, researchers from Mass General Brigham and collaborators at SUNY Upstate Medical University have identified specific brain cell types that responded most to exercise.

12 Jun 2025

New large-scale study maps early triggers of Alzheimer’s protein aggregation

A new large-scale study has mapped the first molecular events that drive the formation of harmful amyloid protein aggregates found in Alzheimer's disease, pointing towards a new potential therapeutic target.

12 Jun 2025

MIT study reveals flexible thinking behind everyday decisions

The human brain is very good at solving complicated problems. One reason for that is that humans can break problems apart into manageable subtasks that are easy to solve one at a time.

12 Jun 2025

Healthier lifestyle choices could mitigate telomere length-associated brain disease risks

Scientists from Mass General Brigham explored the associations between telomere length-which decreases as a person ages or is exposed to unhealthy environments-and the risk for age-related brain diseases.

12 Jun 2025

Long term use of desogestrel linked to small increase in brain tumor risk

Taking the progestogen-only contraceptive pill desogestrel continuously for more than five years is associated with a small increased risk of developing a type of brain tumor called an intracranial meningioma, finds a study from France published by The BMJ today.

12 Jun 2025

Personalized model offers better blood pressure estimates from ankle measurements

A new method improving the accuracy of interpreting blood pressure measurements taken at the ankle could be crucial for people who cannot have their arm blood pressure measured.

12 Jun 2025