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Ketogenic diets may lower migraine frequency and medication use

This narrative review argues that the migraine brain is hypometabolic, with converging evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired glucose handling, neuroinflammation, microbiome shifts, and obesity-related pathways. It proposes ketogenic diets as a plausible preventive strategy that may reduce monthly migraine days and medication use, while emphasizing the need for larger, rigorous randomized trials and careful clinical oversight.

14 Sep 2025

Stress in early life alters brain cell structure and behavior in mice

Canadian researchers show that stress modifies the morphology of brain cells in mice, directly influencing the rodents' level of physical activity.

4 Sep 2025

Love hormone oxytocin found to be critical for the formation of friendships

A new UC Berkeley study shows that the so-called love hormone, oxytocin, is also critical for the formation of friendships.

12 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

Gut bacteria send direct signals to the brain to stop you from overeating

Researchers have discovered a novel gut-brain sensory circuit in mice where specialized colonic cells sense bacterial flagellin and rapidly suppress feeding via the vagus nerve. This "neurobiotic sense" operates independently of immune pathways, revealing a direct neural mechanism for microbiota-host communication.

24 Jul 2025

Scientists discover pathway linking physical pain to emotional suffering

Pain isn't just a physical sensation-it also carries emotional weight. That distress, anguish, and anxiety can turn a fleeting injury into long-term suffering.

10 Jul 2025

Men lose more weight than women on the keto diet, new study reveals why

Men lose more weight than women on a ketogenic diet, according to a comprehensive review in Frontiers in Nutrition. Sex differences in hormones, metabolism, and fat distribution influence the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet for obesity.

22 Jun 2025

Estrogen-responsive cells found to heighten gut pain in females

Researchers uncovered how estrogen heightens gut sensitivity in females by activating PYY-secreting L-cells, which stimulate serotonin release from EC cells. This paracrine circuit intensifies pain signaling and may explain the sex bias in conditions like IBS.

16 Jun 2025

A revolutionary drug for extreme hunger offers clues to obesity’s complexity

Ali Foley Shenk still remembers the panic when her 10-year-old son, Dean, finished a 20-ounce box of raisins in the seconds the cupboard was left unlocked. They rushed to the emergency room, fearing a dangerous bowel impaction.

16 Jun 2025

Researchers unlock new paths toward treating stress-related psychiatric disorders

In a comprehensive Genomic Psychiatry review article published today, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center have synthesized decades of research on stress hormone systems in primate brains, potentially unlocking new paths toward treating stress-related psychiatric disorders.

13 May 2025

Study shows brain estrogen directly regulates appetite in mice

Researchers in Japan found that estrogen produced within the brain, called neuroestrogen, suppresses appetite and reduces body weight in mice by enhancing MC4R expression. The study also showed that neuroestrogen boosts leptin sensitivity, suggesting new targets for obesity treatment.

2 May 2025

High fructose diets impair brain function and appetite control, study shows

Review highlights how excessive fructose intake disrupts brain energy balance, appetite regulation, and cognitive function. Processed sources, such as sugary drinks, may overwhelm metabolic pathways and induce neuroinflammation, particularly during adolescence.

30 Apr 2025

Study uncovers conserved development and evolutionary innovations in the human hypothalamus

In a new study published in Developmental Cell on April 8, a research team led by Prof. WU Qingfeng at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has demonstrated the conserved cellular development and evolutionary innovations in the developing human hypothalamus.

9 Apr 2025

Hedonic eating fades with obesity—but neurotensin helps bring it back

Chronic high-fat diets blunt the brain’s pleasure response to rich foods by impairing NAcLat→VTA signaling in mice. Neurotensin dysfunction underlies this effect, but restoring its signaling revives hedonic feeding and reduces obesity symptoms.

30 Mar 2025

How HIIT and intermittent fasting alter metabolism in postmenopausal women

How the combination of HIIT with intermittent fasting or a low-calorie diet improves metabolic health among postmenopausal women.

28 Mar 2025

Study examines the mechanisms behind long-term consequences of childhood stress

Early-life adversity affects more than half of the world's children and is a significant risk factor for cognitive and mental health problems later in life.

17 Mar 2025

Neuropeptide Y identified as key driver of pancreatic cancer spread

Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have uncovered how pancreatic cancer hijacks a crucial metabolism 'switch' to help it spread, revealing a potential new treatment strategy for this highly aggressive disease.

17 Mar 2025

GLP-1 drugs may cut risk of leukemia and lymphoma in type 2 diabetes patients

Researchers found that GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) significantly reduce the risk of several blood cancers in type 2 diabetes patients, especially compared to insulin. The study also highlights GLP-1RAs’ potential as a cancer-protective treatment, independent of glucose control.

9 Mar 2025

Mice demonstrate first responder-like behavior toward injured companions

Humans may not be the only ones who aid their friends when they're hurt. Mice may do it, too, as shown by a new research study led by scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC published recently in Science.

8 Mar 2025

Non-invasive 40Hz gamma stimulation could help fight Alzheimer’s

A decade after scientists in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT first began testing whether sensory stimulation of the brain's 40Hz "gamma" frequency rhythms could treat Alzheimer's disease in mice, a growing evidence base supporting the idea that it can improve brain health-in humans as well as animals-has emerged from the work of labs all over the world.

3 Mar 2025