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.

Researchers recreate imagined melodies from brain activity

In a study led by Jii Kwon and Chun Kee Chung, from Seoul National University, researchers explored whether they could recreate melodies from the brain activity of people imagining how songs continue after listening to a few bars.

3 Aug 2026

New blood marker could help track MS progression and monitor treatment response

Modern therapies have transformed care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Yet the disease continues to progress in a substantial proportion of patients, even in the absence of relapses.

3 Aug 2026

Digital twin of the gut-brain axis aims to advance neurostimulation therapies

The gut and brain are in constant conversation, exchanging signals that regulate hunger and digestion, as well as the body's response to stress.

3 Aug 2026

Study uncovers brain mechanism that drives sustained motivation

What enables us to sustain effort toward goals, even when the task becomes increasingly difficult? A recent study by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan revealed the underlying brain mechanism, showing that orexin neurons play a crucial role in driving and regulating motivated behavior.

3 Aug 2026

Gut microbiome shifts may begin before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear

A narrative review links reduced SCFA-producing gut bacteria and altered microbial metabolism with Alzheimer’s disease, while early evidence suggests similar changes may appear before cognitive symptoms. Mediterranean, DASH, MIND, and prudent diets are associated with beneficial microbial profiles, but direct evidence connecting diet, the microbiome, and amyloid pathology remains limited.

3 Aug 2026

RNA-based therapeutic strategy targets brain pathway behind cancer-associated cachexia

A new path has opened toward stopping cancer-associated cachexia, a devastating complication that gradually wastes patients away.

2 Aug 2026

Immune cell changes provide new insights into long COVID

Extreme fatigue, a racing pulse, shortness of breath, brain fog, aching joints-the symptoms of long COVID can vary widely, change unpredictably, and be difficult to even recognize as signs of the condition.

2 Aug 2026

Daytime cortisol patterns track cognitive decline but not Alzheimer’s disease risk

In 3,895 older adults, moderate daytime cortisol variability was associated with better cognition and slower decline, while the highest daily cortisol exposure was linked to poorer cognition and faster decline. Cortisol patterns differed between Black and White participants, but their relationships with cognition were similar, and none predicted incident Alzheimer’s disease.

2 Aug 2026

Persistent financial hardship tracks with poorer memory and processing speed by midlife

Researchers linked persistent low income and financial hardship across early and mid-adulthood to poorer processing speed and verbal memory at age 53 in a British birth cohort. Neuroimaging suggested greater vulnerability to later brain atrophy among men, people from disadvantaged childhood backgrounds, and APOE-ε4 carriers, although these subgroup findings require replication.

2 Aug 2026

Review outlines effective approaches to reduce recurrent hepatic encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neurologic complication of advanced liver disease, causing impaired functioning, reduced quality of life (QOL), and increased hospitalisation and mortality.

31 Jul 2026

Researchers uncover hierarchical sensory processing system in the zebrafish brain

How does the brain make sense of what we see, hear, and feel—and transform these separate signals into a coherent perception of the world?

31 Jul 2026

Ketamine boosts neuroplasticity through microglia in female brains

Doctors use ketamine on patients as general anesthesia before surgery. They also prescribe it in low doses for pain management, and more recently, it's been used for treatment-resistant depression where other drugs have failed.

31 Jul 2026

Brain immune cells drive recovery from ketamine anesthesia in females

During ketamine anesthesia, the brain's nerve cells fall silent-as consciousness returns, they begin to reconnect.

31 Jul 2026

URI professor wins $1.5M grant to study cerebral amyloid angiopathy

A $1.5M grant has been awarded to William Van Nostrand, co-executive director of the University of Rhode Island's George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience and professor of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences in the URI College of Pharmacy, to study cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), a disease prevalent in the elderly population and commonly found in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

31 Jul 2026

Soy lysolecithin reduces salt-induced hypertension and cognitive decline

High salt (HS) intake is a major global health concern, closely linked to hypertension and growing evidence of cognitive and emotional decline.

31 Jul 2026

Linguistic style in children predicts future mental health problems

Linguistic models that analyzed the words children used when talking about stressful events proved better at predicting future mental health problems than a panel of human experts.

31 Jul 2026

Research identifies common neuroimmune signatures in rapid-acting antidepressants

In a new study, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered insights that may help explain how rapid-acting antidepressants, such as ketamine and psychedelics, can reduce symptoms in difficult-to-treat depression.

30 Jul 2026