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.

A night without sleep alters neural connections in human brains

A night without sleep produced increased markers of connections between brain cells, showing that sleep in humans may be important for restoring cellular balance in the brain, according to a study published June 23rd in the open access journal PLOS Biology by David Elmenhorst from the Forschungszentrum Jülich Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and colleagues.

23 Jun 2026

Advanced chip-based sensor identifies traumatic brain injury markers

Researchers have developed a chip-based metasurface biosensor that can detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) biomarkers at extremely low levels.

23 Jun 2026

Zebrafish study shows how visual surroundings reshape the eye's retina

The environment experienced by young zebrafish influences both the shape and electrical activity of the neurons in the eye, which impacts subsequent behavior.

23 Jun 2026

New study identifies brain circuits behind spontaneous and voluntary laughter

Laughter is a universal social signal that connects us with others, but the brain regions underlying laughter are not well understood, in part because it's hard to elicit genuine laughter in the lab.

23 Jun 2026

Lifetime estrogen exposure linked to improved brain health in women

Researchers from the University of Kansas have shown a link between reproductive hormone exposure throughout life and brain health in 459 women aged 65 to 80.

23 Jun 2026

Researchers identify molecular cause of age-related cognitive decline

A research team from University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center has identified a critical molecular cause of age-related cognitive decline, potentially paving the way for new treatments to protect brain health as we age.

23 Jun 2026

Electroacupuncture at Lianquan point restores post-stroke swallowing function

Swallowing is a complex act requiring precise coordination of the mouth, throat, and voice box. After a stroke, damage to the brain's motor cortex can disrupt swallowing-related neural commands, leaving patients unable to clear food or liquid from their throat safely.

23 Jun 2026

UCI Health launches world's first embryonic stem cell trial for Huntington's disease

UCI Health, the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, has opened the world's first in-human embryonic stem cell-derived clinical trial for Huntington's disease.

23 Jun 2026

Cytoskeletal proteins in the cell nucleus influence brain development

The cytoskeleton gives cells their shape and helps them move. Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the Ludwig Maximilian University now show that, in neural stem cells, proteins of the cytoskeleton are also found in the cell nucleus, where they can influence developmental programs.

23 Jun 2026

New TRUECAM wrapper makes medical artificial intelligence more trustworthy

Medical artificial intelligence (AI) faces a fundamental challenge: uncertainty quantification. Artificial neural networks are largely unaware of the limits of their training data and can become overconfident when confronted with unfamiliar inputs. Suppose you train a neural network to distinguish among African mammals.

23 Jun 2026

Longer breastfeeding links to fewer ADHD symptoms in children

Longer durations of full breastfeeding are linked to fewer ADHD symptoms in children, suggesting early feeding patterns may influence neurodevelopment.

23 Jun 2026

Psychological traits may uncover why Alzheimer’s biology differs between patients

In 822 deceased older adults from ROS and MAP, researchers linked stable psychological traits to multi-omic molecular subtypes of Alzheimer’s dementia using postmortem brain tissue from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroticism and loneliness were associated with molecular progression, while purpose in life showed subtype-specific inverse associations, suggesting psychological traits may align with Alzheimer’s biology beyond conventional neuropathology.

22 Jun 2026

Brainstem neurons found to control attention by suppressing distractions

Neurons tucked away in an ancient part of the brain control the ability to pay attention by suppressing distractions and directing focus.

22 Jun 2026

Ultrasound therapy improves poststroke motor coordination in mouse model

Following stroke, patients have a hard time performing coordinated movements. Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is emerging as a treatment to improve poststroke coordination, but the mechanisms for this motor improvement remain unclear.

22 Jun 2026

Australian research uncovers how the brain manages unexpected sensory surprises

Australian researchers have uncovered what happens behind the scenes in our brain when we're faced with a predictable situation versus a surprise, giving vital clues in a long-standing mystery in neuroscience.

22 Jun 2026

New miniature microscope stably images brain cells during movement

Researchers at Peking University have developed DUET, a breakthrough dual-color miniature two-photon microscope that overcomes two persistent barriers in neuroscience imaging: motion-induced signal instability and fluorescence channel crosstalk.

22 Jun 2026

Early screen time may impact subsequent academic performance and working memory

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend no screen time before 18-24 months and less than one hour per day for children ages 2 to 5.

22 Jun 2026

Neuroscience research questions traditional markers for cerebellar movement disorders

A new finding by a Virginia Tech neuroscientist at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is challenging the way investigators study chronic neurological disorders such as dystonia, ataxia, and tremor.

22 Jun 2026

Study links genes and sleep habits to Alzheimer's risk

New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has discovered an important link between our genes and sleep habits, suggesting they work together to influence early brain and cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer's Disease, long before symptoms appear.

22 Jun 2026

Scientists discover protective antibodies with potential to treat West Nile virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted by mosquitoes and is increasingly relevant for Europe and worldwide. It can cause severe brain infection and death, yet there is no specific antiviral treatment or approved human vaccine.

22 Jun 2026