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.

New study advances understanding of dementia after age 90

It may seem natural to assume that people experience cognitive decline after age 90, but until recently, researchers had limited evidence about how advanced age affects the brain.

4 Aug 2026

Breast cancer co-opts the immune system to attract nerves that fuel tumor growth

New research from the University of Oklahoma demonstrates how an aggressive form of breast cancer co-opts the body's own immune system to attract nerves that fuel tumor growth.

4 Aug 2026

Exercise helps protect Hispanic adults from late life cognitive decline

Previous studies have examined the associations between adherence to LS7 and cognitive outcomes, with findings suggesting that higher LS7 scores are associated with better cognitive performance, reduced dementia risk and improved brain health.

4 Aug 2026

New 3D brain tissue model accelerates Alzheimer's drug development

How can Alzheimer's research be made faster, better, and more effective? After decades of intensive research worldwide and despite recent therapeutic advances, scientists have not managed to fully arrest the progress of the disease.

4 Aug 2026

Study connects late-life psychosis to abnormal tau protein buildup

Hallucinations and delusions that appear for the first time in midlife or later are often treated as psychiatric symptoms whose biological cause is unclear.

4 Aug 2026

Blood filtration method helps clear circulating lipids and toxic microplastics

The machine is not new. Some version of it has run in hospital treatment rooms for about four decades, drawing blood from one arm, separating out the plasma, passing it across a filter or an adsorber, and returning it to the other arm.

4 Aug 2026

New genomic approach links rare immune cells to autoimmune disease risk

Much of how genetic risk leads to disease has remained hidden. In many cases, genetic variants linked to disease do not act on nearby genes along the chromosome.

4 Aug 2026

Food may taste different on GLP-1 drugs, but taste may not be the reason

The review suggests that patient-reported “taste changes” during GLP-1RA treatment may reflect reduced food enjoyment and motivation rather than consistent impairment of basic taste. The authors propose a sensory-liking-wanting framework while emphasizing that current human evidence remains heterogeneous and largely indirect.

4 Aug 2026

Study links lower vitamin D to mood and cognitive health in adults over 85 with diabetes

Researchers studying 188 adults aged 85 years or older with type 2 diabetes found the lowest serum 25(OH)D concentrations among those with both depressive symptoms and mild cognitive impairment. Lower levels remained associated with having both conditions after adjustment for selected factors, but the cross-sectional study cannot establish causation or a benefit from supplementation.

3 Aug 2026

Cell village approach reveals genetic differences in cell fitness

How readily a cell divides and how well it survives is fundamental to life, shaping everything from organ size to the body's ability to withstand disease.

3 Aug 2026

Broader autism definition may lead to confusion and possible misdiagnosis

The definition of autism may have become so wide that it risks confusion and even misdiagnosis, according to a new editorial by UCL Professor Dame Uta Frith, whose pioneering research in the 1960s and 70s lay the foundations for how we understand autism.

3 Aug 2026

New AI model generates detailed maps of aging in brain regions

USC researchers have developed an approach that uses artificial intelligence to generate detailed maps that highlight differences in how distinct parts of the brain age.

3 Aug 2026

Sensitive parenting buffers against child ADHD risks from pregnancy

Research from Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Mental Health Innovation provides new evidence that the way caregivers interact with children when they're very young can protect against the negative effects of inflammation during pregnancy, including increased attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, symptoms in children.

3 Aug 2026

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

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