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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.

Cognitive speed training shows potential to delay dementia for two decades

Adults age 65 and older who completed five to six weeks of cognitive speed training - in this case, speed of processing training, which helps people quickly find visual information on a computer screen and handle increasingly complex tasks in a shorter time period - and who had follow-up sessions about one to three years later were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, up to two decades later, according to new findings published today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.

9 Feb 2026

Chronic alcohol use profoundly alters gene expression in the brain's reward system

Chronic alcohol consumption profoundly alters gene expression in key brain regions involved in reward, impulse control, and decision-making, according to a study led by researchers at the Institute for Neurosciences, a joint center of Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

9 Feb 2026

Late sleepers have higher heart risk, and it's mostly preventable

Researchers explore the association between an individual’s chronotype and cardiovascular risk.

9 Feb 2026

Novel neuroprotective drug improves recovery after acute ischemic stroke

Stroke patients treated intravenously with loberamisal, a novel neuroprotective medication, daily for 10 days and starting within 48 hours of stroke symptoms, had better recovery than patients who received a placebo, according to a preliminary late-breaking science presentation at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026.

7 Feb 2026

High-dose motor therapy improves outcomes after perinatal stroke

In infants and toddlers who had a stroke before birth or as a newborn (28 days or younger), a treatment that combined restricting the use of the stronger arm with intensive task-oriented physical therapy led to improved function and skill gained on the weak side compared to standard care, according to preliminary late-breaking science presented today at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026.

7 Feb 2026

Gut bacteria use formic acid as an electron taxi

Among the many trillions of microorganisms in the human gut is Blautia luti. Like many gut bacteria, it metabolizes indigestible dietary components, such as fiber in the form of carbohydrates.

7 Feb 2026

Electroacupuncture relieves pain-induced anxiety through prefrontal neural circuits

Neuropathic pain, caused by injury or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, is a major clinical challenge and often evolves into a chronic condition.

7 Feb 2026

AI system reads brain MRIs with high diagnostic accuracy

An AI-powered model developed at University of Michigan can read a brain MRI and diagnose a person in seconds, a study suggests.

6 Feb 2026

Bioadhesive patches target remaining glioblastoma cells after surgery

Glioblastoma is the most prevalent and aggressive brain tumor. It proliferates very rapidly, is highly invasive, and there is currently no treatment capable of halting its progression or curing it, which means life expectancy after diagnosis is very short.

6 Feb 2026

New analysis reveals hidden complexity in the vaginal microbiome

For decades, gynecological tests have relied on a simplified view of the vaginal microbiome, categorizing bacteria as either "good" or "bad."

6 Feb 2026

Needle-thin brain implant enables recording and targeted drug delivery

A new type of brain implant may have implications for both brain research and future treatments of neurological diseases such as epilepsy.

6 Feb 2026

Investigational anti-clotting drug reduces risk of second ischemic stroke without bleeding concerns

An investigational anti-clotting medication, asundexian, demonstrated a reduction in the risk of a second ischemic (clot-caused) stroke without raising bleeding concerns, according to a preliminary late-breaking science presentation at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026.

6 Feb 2026

Brain connectivity fingerprints differ in major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating condition that affects more than 246 million people worldwide, yet scientists have struggled to identify consistent brain markers that could improve diagnosis and treatment.

5 Feb 2026

Dyslexia linked to broader brain network vulnerabilities

A University of Houston psychology professor is challenging the notion that dyslexia, or specific reading disorder, stems from a single faulty gene in the brain, suggesting instead that it is caused by an overall brain network vulnerability.

5 Feb 2026

Does motherhood influence brain aging? New research suggests a positive cognitive association

Longitudinal data from postmenopausal women suggest that cumulative pregnancy duration and breastfeeding history are associated with modestly better cognitive performance later in life. These associations reflect higher cognitive trajectory levels rather than proven slowing of decline, and causality remains uncertain.

5 Feb 2026

Stem cell implants aim to restore dopamine in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than one million people in the United States, with approximately 90,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

5 Feb 2026

Inhibiting PTP1B protein improves memory in Alzheimer’s disease models

Alzheimer's disease is often measured in statistics: millions affected worldwide, cases rising sharply, costs climbing into the trillions.

5 Feb 2026

New report highlights a rare case of 5-fluorouracil-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy

A new case report was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on December 23, 2025, titled "Silent toxicity: A rare case of 5-fluorouracil-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy."

5 Feb 2026

AI foundation model advances comprehensive brain MRI analysis

Mass General Brigham investigators have developed a robust new artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model that is capable of analyzing brain MRI datasets to perform numerous medical tasks, including identifying brain age, predicting dementia risk, detecting brain tumor mutations and predicting brain cancer survival.

5 Feb 2026

EBV-linked killer T cells implicated in multiple sclerosis

Researchers at UC San Francisco have uncovered a new clue to how Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) could contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects nearly one million Americans.

5 Feb 2026