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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.

Common overactive bladder drugs may not increase dementia risk

New research, published November 6th in JAMA Network Open, finds anticholinergic medications, commonly prescribe for overactive bladder (OAB), may not increase dementia risk after all compared to beta-3 agonists, the newer drug class that has been presumed to be safer for the brain.

6 Nov 2026

Early diagnosis and treatment help teenager overcome rare epilepsy

Christopher Sepúlveda was just 2 years old when his parents noticed something was wrong. Christopher began experiencing involuntary movements of his mouth and eyes, and episodes when he would freeze and not move for nearly two minutes- something their pediatrician at the time said could be a tic disorder.

6 Nov 2026

Philanthropists donate $6 million to establish the UVA Biotech Innovation Fund

The University of Virginia Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology received gifts totaling $6 million from philanthropists to establish the UVA Biotech Innovation Fund.

6 Nov 2026

Obesity drugs may help protect memory and cognitive abilities

Drugs used to treat obesity may also help protect the brain. In a review published in Science, researchers outline how a better understanding of these drugs' effects could lead to new treatments that protect memory and other important cognitive abilities.

6 Nov 2026

Women with Parkinson's have higher rates of Alzheimer's pathology

A new study is shedding light on how changes associated with different neurodegenerative diseases can overlap in the brain - and how that overlap may differ between women and men.

6 Nov 2026

Metal fumes, drinking habits and dementia: What a new study found

This study examines how workplace chemicals and lifestyle habits may influence Lewy body dementia risk, revealing potential sex differences in exposure effects.

6 Nov 2026

Developing brains may have a way to remove genetically abnormal neurons

A significant reduction in genetic abnormalities in cortical neurons occurs after birth, suggesting a selective elimination mechanism in brain development.

6 Nov 2026

New study examines heatwave impacts on older adults' well-being

A climate chamber, virtual environments and technology that monitors the body and brain. Using these resources, researchers at Umeå University will identify ways to protect older adults' mental well-being during heatwaves at home in northern Sweden.

5 Nov 2026

New AI e-nose device brings digitized smell to wearable technology

Our sense of smell shapes how we navigate our environment, but it's a sensation that's notoriously difficult to recreate in the digital world.

5 Nov 2026

Study shows opposite synaptic mechanisms cause identical cognitive deficits

A research team led by Dr. SHENG Nengyin of the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has reframed ZC4H2-associated rare disorder (ZARD)-a disorder marked by intellectual disability, developmental delays, muscle weakness, and other neurological or physical abnormalities-as a "disease spectrum" rather than a condition driven by a single mechanism.

5 Nov 2026

Innovative framework advances EEG-based emotion recognition

Emotion recognition plays an important role in understanding human cognition and behavior, and has potential applications in brain-computer interfaces and mental health monitoring.

5 Nov 2026

Implantable AI signal processing optimizes adaptive deep brain stimulation therapy

A research team led by Professor Ji-Woong Choi of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee), in collaboration with research teams led by Professor Han-Joon Kim of Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Professor Kyong Hwan Jin of Korea University, and Dr. Jong-Cheol Rah of the Korea Brain Research Institute, has developed "NONOS," a deep-learning-based analysis technology that precisely separates "rhythms" from the underlying "background signals" in brain signals with high temporal resolution.

5 Nov 2026

Graded physical activity prescriptions improve functional outcomes in psychiatry

Most of us have heard the advice so often that it has worn smooth, like a stone in a river: get some exercise. A new peer-reviewed Viewpoint in Brain Health, drawing on randomized trials, meta-analyses, and cohort studies, argues that this familiar sentence has been doing the wrong job.

5 Nov 2026

Temporary ultrasonic sensor provides continuous feedback during spinal cord healing

Following a $13.48 million dollar award from the defense department, a team of engineers and surgeons from Johns Hopkins Medicine have published their first proof-of-concept study that shows temporarily implanting a tiny ultrasonic device into the location of a spinal cord injury can be feasible, safe and potentially useful.

5 Nov 2026

Modified zinc finger scaffold suppresses microglial activation in mouse brain

A KAIST-led research team has found that a protein involved in gene regulation can suppress the harmful aggregation of amyloid-beta, a peptide associated with Alzheimer's disease. The approach also reduced the toxicity of protein aggregates that had already formed.

5 Nov 2026

Tau spreads more rapidly in early-onset Alzheimer's disease

Patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, whose symptoms start before age 65, have more extensive deposits of tau, a hallmark protein of the condition, compared with patients whose symptoms start at 65-plus, a new study found.

5 Nov 2026

Brain scans reveal clues to Alzheimer's risk years before memory loss begins

Inside the brains of some cognitively normal adults, firing patterns were able to foretell Alzheimer's disease years before the onset of memory loss or the accumulation of plaques and tangles, according to new Stanford Medicine-led research.

5 Nov 2026

Targeting brain protein may help treat MEF2C-related neurological disorders

A particular signaling protein in the brain could be a therapeutic target for neurological disorders arising from the deletion of the autism-linked gene MEF2C, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers found in a new mouse study.

4 Nov 2026

Workplace exposure to petroleum-based lubricants linked to higher MS risk

Exposure to petroleum-derived lubricants at work, including engine oil, hydraulic oil and cutting fluids used to cool or lubricate metal during metalworking, is associated with higher odds of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published November 4, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Nov 2026

Longer reproductive lifespan and hormonal history may influence brain vascular health

A longer reproductive lifespan and a history of using birth control pills or menopausal hormone therapy were associated with certain signs of blood vessel health in the brain, according to a study published November 4, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Nov 2026