Grey Matter News and Research

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Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cell bodies, neuropil (dendrites and both unmyelinated axons and myelinated axons), glial cells (astroglia and oligodendrocytes) and capillaries.

Profound neuroinflammation associated with long COVID

Around 36 to 53% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients develop persistent chronic symptoms, often referred to as long COVID or PASC.

7 Jun 2022

Normal brain aging accelerated by 26% in people with progressive type 2 diabetes, study shows

Scientists have demonstrated that normal brain aging is accelerated by approximately 26% in people with progressive type 2 diabetes compared with individuals without the disease, reports a study published today in eLife.

24 May 2022

Study reveals how the brain volume changes in Parkinson's patients

Researchers of the Human Brain Project (HBP) found that in Parkinson’s disease the volumes of certain brain regions decrease over time in a specific pattern that is associated with clinical symptoms and largely coincides with the pattern described in Braak’s famous staging theory.

17 May 2022

Exercise maintains insulin and body mass index levels to help protect brain volume

Studies have shown that exercise helps protect brain cells. A new study looking at the mechanisms involved in this relationship suggests that the role exercise plays in maintaining insulin and body mass index levels may help protect brain volume and thus help stave off dementia.

14 Apr 2022

Structural MRI scans of the brain may help guide treatment decisions for mental health disorders

The brain structure of patients with recent onset psychosis and depression can offer important biological insights into these illnesses and how they might develop.

12 Apr 2022

Brain charts show changing morphology by age

A new study develops utilizes neuroimages to understand how the brain grows, develops, and matures with age.

10 Apr 2022

Researchers discover potential link between inflammation and structure of specific brain regions

A potential link between inflammation and the structure of specific regions of the brain has been identified by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

30 Mar 2022

Mild SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to tissue damage and shrinkage in brain areas related to smell

Researchers from the University of Oxford have used data from UK Biobank participants to look at changes to the brain on average 4.5 months after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection.

11 Mar 2022

COVID-19 may cause brain shrinkage in some people

In a recent study posted to the journal Nature as an unedited manuscript, researchers assessed the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-associated brain changes among United Kingdom (UK) Biobank patients.

8 Mar 2022

Study characterizes brain changes in adolescents affected by juvenile fibromyalgia

Juvenile fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by a chronic pain affecting the whole body. It also causes fatigue as well as sleep and mood disorders.

17 Feb 2022

Higher white matter extracellular free-water related to cognitive dysfunction in lupus patients

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and damage in the affected organs.

18 Sep 2021

Electroconvulsive therapy reduces deaths by suicide among depressed elders

Electroconvulsive therapy reduces deaths by suicide among older adults with depression in the months immediately following hospitalization, researchers report in the 10 September issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

12 Sep 2021

New Binghamton research explores how brain folds form in fetuses

Many mysteries continue to surround the human brain, but among the most important are how it forms and how those early weeks affect the rest of a person's life.

25 Aug 2021

Study explores ‘brain fog’ following COVID-19

A recent survey conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that approximately one in every five experiences prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms five weeks post-infection. Also, one in seven people reported persistent symptoms even after twelve weeks.

10 Aug 2021

Excessive body fat can increase the risk of dementia

It's the global epidemic that affects two in every five adults, but as obesity continues to expand waistlines worldwide, researchers at the University of South Australia are warning that harmful body fat can also increase the risk of dementia and stroke.

26 Jul 2021

Alarming COVID study indicates long-term loss of gray matter and other brain tissue

In a research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv* by Prof. Gwenaëlle Douaud et al. (June 15th, 2021), participants that had taken part in a brain study prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were invited back for a series of follow-up tests, revealing significant losses of grey matter surrounding the olfactory and gustatory system in those that had been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Jun 2021

Spiritual fitness and meditative practice may reduce multiple risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

It is projected that up to 152 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by 2050. To date there are no drugs that have a substantial positive impact on either the prevention or reversal of cognitive decline.

11 May 2021

Study identifies how SARS-CoV-2 enters and infects the brain

A recent preclinical study led by Anja Kipar of the University of Zurich and the University of Liverpool found evidence of the virus infecting and eventually provoking cell death in microglia and immune cells — but not neurons. The viral-induced apoptosis in these brain cells may explain why some long-haulers experience ‘brain fog’ months after recovery.

21 Apr 2021

Study demonstrates profound anhedonia in people with frontotemporal dementia

People with early-onset dementia are often mistaken for having depression and now Australian research has discovered the cause: a profound loss of ability to experience pleasure - for example a delicious meal or beautiful sunset - related to degeneration of 'hedonic hotspots' in the brain where pleasure mechanisms are concentrated.

12 Apr 2021

Study reveals the incidence of structural abnormalities in the developing brain

A large study of brain MRI scans from 11,679 nine- and ten-year-old children reviewed by UC San Francisco neuroradiologists identified potentially life-threatening conditions in 1 in 500 children, and more minor but possibly clinically significant brain abnormalities in 1 out of 25 children.

22 Mar 2021