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Brain's opiate pathway triggers dessert cravings even after fullness

Who hasn't been there? The big meal is over, you're full, but the craving for sweets remains. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne have now discovered that what we call the "dessert stomach" is rooted in the brain.

14 Feb 2025

Harvard researchers map 70,000 synaptic connections in rat brain

Harvard researchers have mapped and catalogued more than 70,000 synaptic connections from about 2,000 rat neurons, using a silicon chip capable of recording small yet telltale synaptic signals from a large number of neurons.

14 Feb 2025

How immune cells and neurons secretly shape brain health, behavior, and disease

Scientists explore how the immune and nervous systems constantly communicate, influencing brain diseases, behavior, and repair while shaping responses to environmental factors like sleep, diet, and pollution.

13 Feb 2025

Breakthrough discovery reveals key role of ovoid cells in object recognition memory

Take a look around your home and you'll find yourself surrounded by familiar comforts-photos of family and friends on the wall, well-worn sneakers by the door, a shelf adorned with travel mementos.

13 Feb 2025

Study identifies novel enhancers linked to neuropsychiatric disorders

Neuropsychiatric disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. Given their complex and multifactorial pathogenesis, there is an urgent need for effective and targeted therapies that can improve patients' quality of life.

13 Feb 2025

Brain aging linked to neuronal hyperactivation, not decline, study finds

A study of nematodes by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan has found that aging-related decline in brain function is caused by the excessive activation of certain neurons over time, rather than a decline in neuronal activity.

13 Feb 2025

New research advances understanding of Parkinson's disease stages

From a study that analyzed brain images of more than 2,500 people with Parkinson's disease in 20 different countries, scientists were able to identify patterns of neurodegeneration and create metrics for each of the five clinical stages of the disease.

12 Feb 2025

New insights could help prevent peripheral neuropathy or slow disease onset

An increase in high-fat, high-fructose foods in people's diets has contributed to a dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes.

12 Feb 2025

Electrical activity drives aggression in small cell lung cancer

Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute have found that some particularly aggressive lung cancer cells can develop their own electric network, like that seen in the body's nervous system.

12 Feb 2025

UCLA study reveals key role of mismatch repair genes in Huntington’s disease

A new UCLA Health study has discovered in mouse models that genes associated with repairing mismatched DNA are critical in eliciting damages to neurons that are most vulnerable in Huntington's disease and triggering downstream pathologies and motor impairment, shedding light on disease mechanisms and potential new ways to develop therapies.

11 Feb 2025

Study shows a clear causal relationship between gut microbiota and vagal nerve activity

A new study in an animal model provides direct evidence for the role of the vagus nerve in gut microbiome-brain communication, addressing a critical gap in the field.

11 Feb 2025

Air pollution harms cognition just hours after exposure, study finds

New research shows that inhaling polluted air for just an hour can impair cognitive abilities like attention and emotional recognition within four hours, highlighting the urgent need for cleaner air policies.

11 Feb 2025

Alzheimer’s escape: How one man defied his genetic fate for nearly two decades

A groundbreaking study reveals how a rare combination of genetics, proteomics, and environmental factors may hold the key to delaying or preventing Alzheimer's, challenging long-held assumptions about the disease.

11 Feb 2025

Innovative brain tumor model offers hope for personalized cancer treatments

Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and ShanghaiTech University have developed an innovative method for growing brain tumors of individual patients in the laboratory that mimic the original structure and the molecular property of the parental tumor as closely as possible.

11 Feb 2025