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.

Scientists uncover hidden brain energy dynamics during REM sleep

Our brain demands a lot of energy compared to our other organs. However, it can also make do when energy supplies are sparse, flexibly performing information processing using what is available.

27 Jul 2026

Blood tests improve Alzheimer's detection in Down syndrome patients

New blood tests that detect early changes associated with Alzheimer's disease are making diagnosis easier and accessible to more patients, since they are less invasive than the brain scans or spinal taps typically used for a definitive diagnosis.

27 Jul 2026

Bioresorbable sensor tracks deep-tissue lactate for over 10 days in animals

In animal models, the flexible implant captured local metabolic warning signs before selected systemic measurements and used them to guide earlier resuscitation.

27 Jul 2026

Three key brain regions interact during sleep to support memory formation

Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Medicine have discovered that memory consolidation during sleep depends on coordinated activity among three brain regions and disruptions to this activity can impair memory performance.

27 Jul 2026

St. Jude scientists uncover regulatory mechanism for crucial developmental pathway

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists uncovered a regulatory mechanism for signaling of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH), a pathway essential for embryonic development.

27 Jul 2026

NIH grant funds study on stroke-related urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence is a common but frequently overlooked consequence of stroke. Now, researchers from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the brain changes responsible for these symptoms and develop a more personalized approach to treatment.

27 Jul 2026

Signals traveling from the gut through the vagus nerve help form memories

When French writer Marcel Proust famously recalled his childhood from the taste of a Madeline cookie, his stomach may have done some of the work.

27 Jul 2026

Eye state alters brain signals for mind wandering

A type of brain activity linked to arousal and attention can track mind wandering. But research is conflicting on whether this activity promotes or hinders mind wandering.

27 Jul 2026

UC Davis researcher receives grant to study perceived cognitive aging

University of California, Davis Professor of Neurology Sarah Tomaszewski Farias has been awarded a $3.3 million five-year grant from The National Institute on Aging to study if cultural differences affect how people perceive cognitive changes as they age.

27 Jul 2026

Slow-maturing microglia may enable powerful human cognitive abilities

Microglia are the most common immune cells in the brain, where they defend against intruders and engulf damaged neurons.

27 Jul 2026

Duke University engineers use robots and AI to improve gut health

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for systematically developing novel, complex combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to more effectively maintain gut health and treat various gastrointestinal diseases.

27 Jul 2026

Amyloid beta misfolding predicts Alzheimer's years before symptoms appear

Widely used Alzheimer’s biomarker P-tau 217 reliably detects the disease only at the clinical stage. The protein misfolding of amyloid beta indicates an increased risk years earlier.

27 Jul 2026

Mouse study uncovers complex neural mechanisms behind habit formation

Habit formation describes the repeated performance of a behavior until it becomes routine: in other words, the shift from deliberate to automatic decision-making.

27 Jul 2026

New blood protein biomarkers estimate timing of ALS symptoms

Months to several years before amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) symptoms arise, levels of certain blood proteins may dramatically shift.

27 Jul 2026

Iowa State study identifies potential new target for leukemia treatment

In leukemia's most aggressive forms, the blood cell factories in our bone marrow falter. Instead of dividing and multiplying at their usual prolific pace, generating hundreds of billions of new cells daily, some precursor cells stall out at an immature stage.

24 Jul 2026