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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.

Dietary exposure to toxic metals causes over one million annual deaths

Children aged less than five years face almost three times the risk of illness from unsafe food than older children and adults, according to new estimates released today by the World Health Organization (WHO).

4 Jun 2026

Brain remodeling bypasses the prefrontal bottleneck to automate complex skills

New research by Georgetown scientists shows how the brain rewires itself to automate learned tasks. The findings challenge a long-held understanding of how humans master complex skills, suggesting that true multitasking is really possible.

4 Jun 2026

Histamine boost helps the brain remember, decide, and learn from loss

Pitolisant, a histamine H3 receptor inverse agonist, improved recognition memory, working memory performance, and reinforcement learning in healthy adults. The findings suggest that histamine helps shape how the brain stabilizes new memories, accumulates evidence for decisions, and avoids overreacting to negative outcomes.

3 Jun 2026

Study links rural living to worse epilepsy health outcomes

For people with epilepsy, living in counties that are more rural was associated with poorer health outcomes than for people living in more urban counties, according to a study published June 3, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jun 2026

Higher genetic pulse pressure risk associated with dementia-related mortality

When looking at genetic variants in a person's DNA that predispose them to disease, a new study has found having a higher number of genetic variants for increased pulse pressure is associated with a small, increased risk of dementia as a contributing cause of death.

3 Jun 2026

Constipation may be tied to more than discomfort

Constipation was associated with approximately twofold higher odds of depression in a meta-analysis of 18 observational studies involving 730,263 participants. The findings support integrated gastrointestinal and mental health assessment, especially for adolescents and young adults, while emphasizing that causality cannot yet be established.

3 Jun 2026

Long-term exposure to air pollution associated with lower semantic memory

A new study by researchers at UC Davis Health and Kaiser Permanente found that higher exposure to very small air pollution particles (PM2.5) over a 17-year span was associated with lower semantic memory.

3 Jun 2026

Scientists launch project to improve early autism diagnosis in preemies

An international team of researchers from Europe and Australia will contribute to MICRO-NEST, a €6 million Horizon Europe project applying innovative approaches to identify markers of autism in children born before 37 weeks of gestation.

3 Jun 2026

Brain tumor removal may improve blood sugar in diabetes patients

A new study published today in JAMA Network Open found that removing olfactory groove meningioma - a type of brain tumor located near the base of the brain - may improve blood sugar control in patients with diabetes.

3 Jun 2026

American Heart Association launches national heart transplant research network

Nearly 60 years after the first successful heart transplant, the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, is launching a bold new initiative to fundamentally transform how heart transplant care is delivered across the United States - addressing long-standing gaps in innovation, equity and patient outcomes.

3 Jun 2026

Study discovers memory switchboard that protects past knowledge

The brain may reuse some cells to store many different memories without mixing them up with or erasing older memories, a new study in mice suggests.

3 Jun 2026

Acupuncture improves muscle function recovery in stroke patients

Paralysis on one side of the body is common after stroke. A new study in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics demonstrates that acupuncture can significantly improve muscle function recovery in patients who experienced a stroke, with this recovery correlating to increases in grey matter volume in certain regions of the brain related to cognitive-motor integration.

3 Jun 2026

The best foods for brain health may change as you age

Investigating brain foods, this review highlights dietary influences on cognition and neurodevelopment, while addressing significant gaps in current research.

3 Jun 2026

Generative AI toys risk exposing minors to propaganda and misinformation

JMIR Publications today released a News and Perspectives article investigating the potential implications of AI–enabled toys for children's well-being and development.

3 Jun 2026

Brain-body interactions during hunger make imagined food especially tempting

We are often told not to go to the supermarket on an empty stomach.

3 Jun 2026

Brain stroke injuries trigger lipid increases that cause bilateral limb pain

A stroke is a devastating condition that disrupts proper brain function.

3 Jun 2026

Scientists introduce a precise framework to study screen-saturated childhoods

Children are growing up inside screens. A new peer-reviewed Thought Leaders Invited Review in Brain Health argues that neuroscience has been missing the word for what those screens are touching.

3 Jun 2026

New PET imaging approach quantifies synaptic pathology in multiple sclerosis

A new PET imaging approach that measures synaptic density in the spinal cord provides a quantitative way to assess the brain's functional wiring in patients with multiple sclerosis.

2 Jun 2026

GLP-1 therapy linked to slower biological aging processes

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications have gained widespread attention for effectively treating obesity, lowering blood sugar and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

2 Jun 2026

Five-minute session of proximal intercessory prayer eases primary care pain and anxiety

A randomized controlled trial conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that a five-minute session of proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) - in-person prayer offered by a trained volunteer - significantly reduced pain and anxiety in primary care patients compared to a music control group.

2 Jun 2026