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Early-life stress rewires brain epigenetics to heighten sensitivity to future stress

. Early-life stress increased SETD7 and H3K4me1 in the ventral tegmental area of mice, creating an epigenetically primed state that heightened later transcriptional, neuronal, and behavioral responses to stress. Reducing Setd7 during development lowered H3K4me1 and weakened these stress-sensitizing effects, identifying a mechanism that may help explain how early adversity leaves lasting biological effects.

11 Aug 2026

A closer look at Parkinson’s brains finds tau where standard tests saw little

Researchers used single-molecule and super-resolution imaging to profile protein aggregates across six brain regions from 29 post-mortem donors, detecting high-intensity phosphorylated tau aggregates in the Parkinson’s disease putamen despite negligible conventional tau staining. PD cases with dementia showed greater tau burden than those without dementia, while the assay did not detect a PD-specific population of nanoscopic alpha-synuclein aggregates.

29 Jul 2026

Bee venom boosts the effects of standard Parkinson's therapy

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the loss of dopamine-producing neurons, leading to motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, slowed movement, and impaired balance, as well as cognitive decline.

22 Jul 2026

PET imaging reveals widespread brain receptor deficits in schizophrenia

A groundbreaking study using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has found that patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower muscarinic acetylcholine M1 receptor availability (~13% to 19%) across multiple brain regions compared with healthy individuals.

16 Jul 2026

Stem cell-derived dopaminergic cell transplantation shows encouraging results for Parkinson's disease

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced the presentation of new clinical data from the STEM-PD Phase I/II clinical trial at the ISSCR 2026 Annual Meeting.

9 Jul 2026

Clinical trial finds stem cell brain transplants feasible for Parkinson's disease

A landmark study led from Lund, Sweden, has shown that transplanting stem-cell derived dopamine progenitor cells into the brain is feasible.

9 Jul 2026

University of Malaga scientists find way to improve morphine treatments

Scientists at the Department of Cell Biology of the University of Malaga have taken a step forward in the search for more effective treatments for pain with a new study that continues advancing in mitigating the addictive effects of morphine -one of the main drugs used for this purpose- as well as the development of analgesic tolerance to this drug.

9 Jul 2026

Long-term exposure to air pollution linked to increased risk of Parkinson’s disease

Air pollution is a major public health issue, with long-term exposure to fine particulate matter linked with an increased risk of various diseases, including stroke and dementia.

9 Jul 2026

Study identifies new target for Parkinson's disease neuroprotection

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common form of neurodegenerative disease and afflicts more than ten million people worldwide. While current therapies address disease symptoms, they do not prevent the underlying neurodegeneration that drives the disease.

8 Jul 2026

Single cocaine exposure causes lasting brain cell changes in mice

Researchers studying the impact of cocaine in mice have found that just one exposure to the drug can create changes in brain cells that persist for at least two weeks.

6 Jul 2026

Study identifies promising drug target to prevent neurodegenerative conditions

6 Jul 2026

Scientists urge caution over psychedelics as ADHD treatment

In recent years, there has been growing interest among adults with ADHD in the practice of microdosing classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD.

1 Jul 2026

New peptide strategy may protect brain cells involved in Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil have discovered a new strategy that may protect neurons and other brain cells involved in Parkinson's disease in the future.

12 Jun 2026

Teen cannabis use alters brain development and raises addiction risk

A systematic review reveals adolescent cannabis use alters brain structure, elevates addiction risk, and impacts cognitive outcomes during critical development.

29 Apr 2026

Gut microbiome clues may help spot Parkinson’s disease in its earliest phase

Researchers found that a Parkinson’s disease-related gut microbiome pattern appears not only in people with diagnosed Parkinson’s, but also in some non-manifesting GBA1 variant carriers and a subset of healthy individuals. The findings suggest that gut microbiome changes may help flag people who are closer to Parkinson’s disease development, although longitudinal studies are still needed to confirm predictive value.

21 Apr 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

Brain reward responses shift based on expectations about sweeteners

Elena Mainetto, from Radboud University, Margaret Westwater, from the University of Oxford, and colleagues at the University of Cambridge explored whether they could change how much people enjoy beverages containing sugar or artificial sweeteners by manipulating previous expectations about the drinks.

2 Mar 2026