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.

Nature-inspired vesicles offer new path for precision medicine therapies

A quiet revolution is underway in modern medicine: Drug development is aiming to move from managing disease to correcting it through RNA and gene-editing therapies.

17 Apr 2026

Personalized bioelectrodes improve brain signal monitoring and compatibility

Soft electrodes designed to perfectly match a person's brain surface may help advance neural interfaces for neurodegenerative disease monitoring and treatment, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.

17 Apr 2026

High-resolution study maps molecular differences across six human cortical regions

A new analysis of individual brain cells across several human brain regions reveals subtle but widespread differences in gene activity between male and female brains. This may help explain why some psychiatric and neurological disorders appear to affect the biological sexes differently, researchers report.

17 Apr 2026

Researchers use light-activated drugs to map the brain's internal painkillers

Placebo effects, in which patients experience relief without therapeutic treatment, increasingly have been considered as potentially powerful clinical treatments for ailments such as depression and pain. Yet the neurological mechanisms underlying such processes are not fully understood. Now, a multi-institutional team led by the University of California San Diego's Matthew Banghart, an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, has pinpointed the brain circuitry responsible for placebo pain relief.

17 Apr 2026

Scientists discover BRCA links to head and neck cancer risks

An international group led by researchers from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered associations between pathogenic variants of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes and four types of cancer. Published in ESMO Open, the findings expand the potential for personalized medicine to several cancer types that currently have limited treatment options and poor prognoses.

17 Apr 2026

How the immune system may influence Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and related diseases

This review argues that neurodegeneration is shaped not only by toxic protein buildup but also by immune signaling, with microglia and T cells able to either protect the brain or worsen damage depending on context. It also highlights aging, head injury, and viral infection as major forces that reshape CNS immunity and may influence disease progression and future treatment strategies.

16 Apr 2026

Scientists discover how the immune system signals the brain to avoid germs

Researchers from the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn uncover vital mechanism for survival

16 Apr 2026

Researchers prove magnetic seizures are comparable to ECT in clinical response

A landmark international clinical trial led by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and University of California San Diego School of Medicine, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, has found that magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is as effective as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)-the current gold-standard treatment for severe, treatment-resistant depression-with significantly fewer cognitive side effects. The study is the first large-scale, randomized clinical trial to directly compare MST with ECT, marking an important step toward a new treatment option for patients.

16 Apr 2026

Study reveals why endometriosis pain persists after lesions are removed

Repeated menstrual cycles may do more than trigger endometriosis. They may rewire the brain.

16 Apr 2026

Researchers discover a molecular signature to flag dysfunctional aging cells

UCLA researchers have identified a rogue population of immune cells that quietly accumulates in aging tissues and in the livers of people with fatty liver disease. Clearing these cells, they found, dramatically reduced inflammation and reversed liver damage in mice - even while the animals remained on an unhealthy diet.

16 Apr 2026

Clearing amyloid beta shows no significant impact on dementia severity

Drugs that target amyloid beta proteins in the brain likely have no clinically meaningful positive effects, while increasing the risk of bleeding and swelling in the brain, a new Cochrane review has found.

16 Apr 2026

Epigenetic changes allow cancer cells to shift identity and survive drugs

Cancer drugs are designed to shut tumors down. But sometimes, in the very act of attacking a tumor, treatment can also help a small fraction of cancer cells become harder to kill. A new study from researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) shows that cancer cells may begin escaping therapy much earlier - as the therapy itself triggers a stress response that drives some cancer cells into a temporary drug-tolerant state.

16 Apr 2026

New lab-grown organoids accurately mimic pediatric brain tumor biology

Efforts to identify and evaluate next-generation therapeutics for pediatric brain tumors are easily stymied by the quality and availability of laboratory models for research. To address this issue, scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital developed patient-derived tumor organoids and tumor organoid xenografts that accurately reflect the biologic underpinnings of embryonal brain tumors.

16 Apr 2026

Older adults show high willingness for Alzheimer’s blood tests

Northwestern University psychologist Andrea Russell sees older adults with early cognitive impairment riddled with anxiety. Some worry a missed word or forgotten appointment could signal Alzheimer's disease.

15 Apr 2026

Aston University bioscientist receives £125,000 to investigate genetic reasons for neurodegeneration

Aston University bioscientist Dr John Reynolds has won a £125,000 Springboard grant from the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) for research into neurodegeneration caused by a rare genetic disease.

15 Apr 2026

Semaglutide improves liver function independently of weight loss

Researchers at Toronto's Sinai Health have found that semaglutide – the active ingredient in popular weight loss drugs that mimic the gut hormone GLP-1 – acts directly on a subset of liver cells to improve organ function and does so independently of weight loss.

15 Apr 2026

New grant funds AI search for genetic targets to treat Alzheimer's

With a new $6.2 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging, researchers at Case Western Reserve University will use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to identify possible genetic targets to treat Alzheimer's disease.

15 Apr 2026

Electric bike and scooter use causes surge in brain injuries

The growing use of electric bikes and scooters has caused a surge in brain and spine injuries among urban riders and pedestrians, a new study shows.

15 Apr 2026

AP-1 proteins help cancer cells rewire genes to survive treatment

A long-standing mystery in cancer treatment is how tumor cells so often become resistant to drugs, even ones they have never encountered before.

15 Apr 2026

Brain organoids reveal mutation-specific insights for Rett syndrome

Though many studies approach the developmental disorder Rett syndrome as a single condition arising from general loss of function in the gene MECP2, a new study by neuroscientists in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows that two different mutations of the gene caused many distinct abnormalities in lab cultures.

15 Apr 2026