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.

Higher pollen levels linked to lower exam scores

New research links pollen exposure to lower exam scores in Finnish students, highlighting its potential impact on academic performance and future opportunities.

6 Mar 2026

COVID-19 lockdown timing tied to changes in executive function

The COVID-19 pandemic affected executive function in young children, with preschoolers showing different cognitive growth patterns linked to maternal education.

6 Mar 2026

How the brain’s "parental machinery" fuels social support in mice

Humans and animals share a remarkable capacity to sense when others are in distress and respond with comforting behavior. But the motivation for doing so, and why it sometimes breaks down, has been poorly understood.

6 Mar 2026

MIMETAS publishes breakthrough study on 3D blood-brain barrier model with unidirectional flow

Scientists at MIMETAS have published a new study describing a scalable, self-assembling human blood-brain barrier (BBB) model that combines physiological relevance with high-throughput capability.

5 Mar 2026

Improving biological age gap may help protect long-term brain health

Improving the gap between your biological age and your chronological age is associated with a lower risk of stroke and improvements in signs of damage in the brain, according to a preliminary study released March 5, 2026, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 78th Annual Meeting taking place April 18-22, 2026, in Chicago and online.

5 Mar 2026

Machine learning detects early brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have used a form of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze anatomical changes in the brain and predict Alzheimer's disease with nearly 93% accuracy.

5 Mar 2026

Researchers propose that Parkinson’s disease may start in the gut, not the brain

A perspective in The Journal of Clinical Investigation argues that environmental exposures may interact with the gut microbiome and intestinal barrier to trigger biological processes linked to Parkinson’s disease. The authors propose that cumulative environmental stressors can erode host resilience, promoting α-synuclein pathology, immune activation, and neurodegeneration.

5 Mar 2026

New microscope captures 3D blood flow and oxygenation at single-cell resolution

The brain relies on real-time delivery of oxygen and nutrients through its microvasculature, which threads through neural tissue like electrical wires.

5 Mar 2026

Study reveals a disease-relevant role for tanycytes in neurodegeneration

Accumulation of the protein tau in the brain is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. In a paper publishing March 5 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue, researchers report a previously unknown mechanism that appears to enable the build-up of tau.

5 Mar 2026

Scientists call for integration of physical activity into psychiatric care

People with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder die on average ten to 20 years earlier than the general population.

5 Mar 2026

No evidence probiotic skincare can improve mood

Current findings reveal no support for emotional benefits from probiotic cosmetics, highlighting the need for further investigation into neurocosmetics.

5 Mar 2026

Detecting major neurological disorders via saliva

A team of Korean researchers has, for the first time in the world, developed a technology capable of enabling early diagnosis of major neurological disorders, including epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia, using only a small amount of saliva.

5 Mar 2026

Youth football accounts for nearly one in five sports-related brain injuries

Youth football accounts for the largest share of sports‑related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children and young adults, nearly one in every five TBIs, according to a preliminary study released March 4, 2026, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 78th Annual Meeting taking place April 18-22, 2026, in Chicago and online.

5 Mar 2026

Researchers find novel path to treat Rett syndrome

A team of researchers at Texas Children's Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) and Baylor College of Medicine report in Science Translational Medicine a potential new approach to treat Rett syndrome – offering early promise for a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that currently has no cure.

5 Mar 2026

Trump’s cuts to Medicaid threaten services that help disabled people live at home

Leisa and Kent Walker recently received a disturbing notice: The private company managing their son's Medicaid coverage intends to cut nearly 40% of what it spends for caregivers who help him live at home instead of in a nursing home.

5 Mar 2026

MSU scientists map the neural circuitry of drug compulsion

When a cocaine addict relapses, it isn't a matter of personal failure - it's the biological result of their brain's rewiring, new research finds.

5 Mar 2026

Berries, apples, and citrus linked to greater happiness and optimism

A study links flavonoid-rich diets to sustained happiness and optimism, highlighting the bidirectional relationship between diet and psychological well-being.

5 Mar 2026

Wearable sensors as a tool for MS monitoring

Wearable sensors may help identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are more likely to have worsening disability and loss of brain volume, according to a study published on March 4th, 2026, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Mar 2026

Mapping the year-one weight trajectory after stopping GLP-1s

A year after stopping taking weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, people regain, on average, 60% of their lost weight – but beyond this, their weight regain plateaus, with individuals managing to keep off 25% of the weight lost to treatment, say researchers at the University of Cambridge.

4 Mar 2026

Low-intensity preconditioning boosts neurological outcomes

The team led by Prof. Lin Zhu from Guangzhou Sport University have demonstrated that 4-week low-intensity treadmill exercise before the onset of an ischemic stroke can significantly reduce brain injury and improve neurological outcomes.

4 Mar 2026