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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 discover how location affects immune cells' role in fighting disease

The human immune system is like an army of specialized soldiers (immune cells) each with a unique role to play in fighting disease.

22 Jan 2025

Brain signals involved in reward learning may hold key to personalized depression treatments

In a study in the Journal of Affective Disorders, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists Pearl Chiu and Brooks Casas investigate how brain signals involved in reward learning might help personalize depression treatment.

22 Jan 2025

Diagnostic guidelines released for limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy

New guidelines will help doctors identify patients with a common memory-loss syndrome that is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease in older adults.

22 Jan 2025

Study links parental divorce to increased stroke risk in adult children

A recent study by researchers from the University of Toronto, Tyndale University and the University of Texas at Arlington found that older adults are at greater risk of having a stroke if they experienced their parents divorcing during childhood.

22 Jan 2025

APOBEC proteins linked to DNA repeat expansion in Huntington's disease

People genetically susceptible to Huntington's disease often see their movement, mood, and cognition decline slowly over time.

22 Jan 2025

Mental health risks higher for pregnant people with MS

Pregnant people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher chance of experiencing mental illness both during their pregnancy and in the first years after they give birth than those without MS, according to a study published in the January 22, 2025 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 Jan 2025

Study uncovers blood signatures linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

New University of Virginia School of Medicine research revealing the fingerprints of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome within blood samples could open the door to simple tests to identify babies at risk.

22 Jan 2025

Childhood epilepsy linked to late-onset brain amyloid disorders

Researchers from the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Finland and the University of Wisconsin in the United States demonstrated that individuals who had childhood epilepsy have an increased accumulation of brain amyloid later in life, potentially predisposing them to late-onset brain amyloid disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.

22 Jan 2025

Study reveals how the brain differentiates hot and cold sensations

When we touch something hot or cold, the temperature is consciously sensed. Previous studies have shown that the cortex, the outermost layer of the brain, is responsible for thermal sensations.

22 Jan 2025

GLP1RA medications linked to behavioral side effects in type 2 diabetes and obesity

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA)-medications for type 2 diabetes and obesity that have recently been making headlines due to a rise in popularity as weight loss agents-have been linked with behavioral side effects.

22 Jan 2025

Long-covid patients are frustrated that federal research hasn’t found new treatments

Erica Hayes, 40, has not felt healthy since November 2020 when she first fell ill with covid.

22 Jan 2025

Higher dietary fatty acid intake linked to increased kidney stone risk

Research reveals links between dietary fatty acids and kidney stone risk, highlighting the need for targeted dietary strategies to mitigate this health issue.

22 Jan 2025

Innovative research links biometric data to mood prediction in shift workers

The CORONA virus pandemic also brought about a pandemic of mental illness. Approximately one billion people worldwide suffer from various psychiatric conditions. Korea is one of more serious cases, with approximately 1.8 million patients exhibiting depression and anxiety disorders, and the total number of patients with clinical mental diseases has increased by 37% in five years to approximately 4.65 million.

22 Jan 2025

How gut microbiota impacts childhood obesity

Gut microbiota plays a critical role in childhood obesity by influencing energy metabolism, inflammation, and appetite regulation, with emerging therapeutic strategies like probiotics, dietary interventions, and fecal microbiota transplantation showing promise.

21 Jan 2025

Climate change is fueling a neurological health crisis, experts warn

Research explores the profound impact of climate change on neurological health, focusing on how rising temperatures, extreme weather, and air pollution exacerbate conditions like epilepsy, stroke, and sleep disorders, while calling for urgent research and mitigation strategies to address these vulnerabilities.

21 Jan 2025

Breakthrough discovery sheds light on how brain cells activate learning genes

A breakthrough study published today in the Journal of Neuroscience sheds new light on how brain cells relay critical information from their extremities to their nucleus, leading to the activation of genes essential for learning and memory.

21 Jan 2025

Study reveals biotin’s potential to mitigate manganese-induced brain damage

While manganese is an essential mineral involved in many bodily functions, both deficiency and excessive exposure can cause health issues.

21 Jan 2025

Research reveals sex differences in microglia response to injury

A collision happens. Someone is hurt, a head injury, a concussion. Just as the first responders arrive to help the person, inside the brain, another "crew" of responders is busy clearing debris and repairing injured tissue.

21 Jan 2025

Smartwatch data unlocks new insights into psychiatric illnesses

Smartwatches that can collect physical and physiological data on users could be potentially interesting tools in biomedicine to gain a better understanding of brain diseases and behavioral disorders and possible driver mutations related to these pathologies.

21 Jan 2025

Antibiotics, antivirals, vaccines and anti-inflammatory drugs associated with reduced dementia risk

Antibiotics, antivirals, vaccinations and anti-inflammatory medication are associated with reduced risk of dementia, according to new research that looked at health data from over 130 million individuals.

21 Jan 2025