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.

Study shows how autism-linked picky eating causes serious vitamin deficiencies

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face a high risk of multiple micronutrient deficiencies, especially vitamins A, D, B12, and calcium, due to extreme food selectivity. These deficiencies can lead to severe health issues like rickets, vision loss, and immune dysfunction, even in children with normal body weight.

13 Mar 2025

Already approved drug avapritinib shows promise in treating high-grade gliomas

High-grade glioma, an aggressive form of pediatric and adult brain cancer, is challenging to treat given the tumor location, incidence of recurrence and difficulty for drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier.

13 Mar 2025

Portable system detects mild cognitive impairment in older adults

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease or dementia, so identifying those with cognitive issues early could lead to interventions and better outcomes.

13 Mar 2025

MIT engineers develop efficient method to convert skin cells into neurons

Converting one type of cell to another - for example, a skin cell to a neuron - can be done through a process that requires the skin cell to be induced into a "pluripotent" stem cell, then differentiated into a neuron.

13 Mar 2025

Study uncovers new insights into pain pathways linked with temporomandibular joint disorders

A groundbreaking study has uncovered new insights into the pain pathways associated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.

13 Mar 2025

Promising drug enhances motor recovery after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI)-a condition that leads to partial or complete paralysis-has a profound impact on millions of individuals globally.

13 Mar 2025

Diterpenes show promise in regenerating neurons after brain injury

Researchers from the University of Seville and the University of Cadiz, coordinated by the professors of Physiology Pedro Núñez-Abades and Carmen Castro, have demonstrated that the use of diterpenes facilitates repopulation with new neurons in brain regions damaged by traumatic injuries.

13 Mar 2025

Nature exposure found to alleviate pain through brain changes

A new neuroimaging study has revealed that viewing nature can help ease how people experience pain, by reducing the brain activity linked to pain perception.

13 Mar 2025

Study reveals how the brain tracks complex social interactions

Our brains use basic 'building blocks' of information to keep track of how people interact, enabling us to navigate complex social interactions, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

12 Mar 2025

Study reveals dopamine's role in reducing the value of reward memories

New research out of Michigan State University expands on current understanding of the brain chemical dopamine, finding that it plays a role in reducing the value of memories associated with rewards.

12 Mar 2025

Concussions in college athletes lead to brain changes lasting a year

For college athletes with concussion, brain changes may remain visible in brain scans up to a year after they are cleared to return to play, according to a study published on March 12, 2025, online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Mar 2025

New technique effectively identifies aggressive medulloblastoma

Canadian researchers have developed an effective new technique for identifying aggressive medulloblastoma-the most common type of malignant brain tumour in children-and potentially sparing young patients from unnecessary treatments and their harmful long-term side effects.

12 Mar 2025

Children who eat fish are more prosocial, but does it impact intelligence?

Children who eat less seafood are significantly more likely to have lower prosocial behavior scores, but no link was found between seafood intake and IQ.

12 Mar 2025

Dementia risk higher among adults with HIV in Malawi

Adults living with HIV in Malawi are more than twice as likely to also have dementia compared to those without HIV, according to a new study by a team of US and Malawian researchers.

12 Mar 2025

Limiting TV time may reduce heart disease risk for people with genetic risk for diabetes

Watching no more than one hour of TV a day may lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and other blood vessel diseases among people with varying levels of genetic risk for Type 2 diabetes, including high genetic risk, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

12 Mar 2025

An Arm and a Leg: Medical-debt watchdog gets sidelined by the new administration

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken major steps to help people with medical debt in its nearly 14-year history.

12 Mar 2025

How your gut microbiome shapes anxiety

Researchers examine the role of the gut microbiome in the development of anxiety disorders.

12 Mar 2025

Groundbreaking vaccine study offers hope for ending meningitis in Africa

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers helped conduct an important new global health study that found a vaccine that protects against five strains of meningitis prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa is safe and effective for use in young children beginning at 9 months of age.

11 Mar 2025

New mobile app aids in rehabilitating hemiparesis following stroke

Brazilian researchers have developed a cell phone application that helps rehabilitate people who have suffered a stroke.

11 Mar 2025

Study explores how brain networks for reward processing and executive functioning evolve with age

Many psychiatric disorders are linked to altered functioning of brain networks that drive reward processing and executive functions like making decisions, taking risks, planning, and memory.

11 Mar 2025