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The latest news on neuroscience research

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Mapping complex interactions between sex hormones and neurological health

Published: February 18, 2025 01:00

A comprehensive review published in Brain Medicine by leading neuroendocrinologist Professor Hyman M. Schipper from McGill University's Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery maps out the extensive influence of reproductive hormones on neurological…

Miniature brain models seek a molecular fountain of youth for the brain

Published: February 17, 2025 16:51

What happens in the brain as we age? Might it be at all possible to rejuvenate nerve cells? Seeking answers to these questions, a research group led by Frank Edenhofer in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Innsbruck has succeeded for…

Stress hormones shift neuron types in the developing brain, study suggests

Published: February 17, 2025 14:47

Infections, chemicals, stress—these environmental factors influence the risk of developing psychiatric or neurological disorders, especially if they occur before birth. The biological mechanisms behind this are still not fully understood.

A geometric deep learning method for decoding brain dynamics

Published: February 17, 2025 14:41

In the parable of the blind men and the elephant, several blind men each describe a different part of an elephant they are touching—a sharp tusk, a flexible trunk, or a broad leg—and disagree about the animal's true nature. The story illustrates the…

Zebrafish study uncovers spatial cues that shape neuron diversity beyond gene expression

Published: February 17, 2025 11:20

Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence researchers have identified over 60 transcriptomic neuron types in the zebrafish optic tectum with nearly identical gene-expression profiles yet very different functions and shapes, demonstrating that…

Accelerated drug-testing platform for ALS paves way for therapeutic innovation

Published: February 17, 2025 11:00

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with few treatment options. Since 2018, the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has been working with national and international stakeholders…

Pancreatic cancer: Blocked nerves as a possible new treatment strategy

Published: February 17, 2025 11:00

Pancreatic cancer is fueled by connections to the nervous system. This is reported by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM) in Nature.

Brain bleeds double later-life dementia risk, study finds

Published: February 14, 2025 14:04

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have found that intracranial hemorrhages, or "brain bleeds," caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the brain, double a person's risk of developing dementia later in life.

Gene therapy for rare epilepsy shows promise in mice

Published: February 14, 2025 13:45

Dravet syndrome and other developmental epileptic encephalopathies are rare but devastating conditions that cause a host of symptoms in children, including seizures, intellectual disability, and even sudden death.

Stressful childhood experiences can accelerate brain aging

Published: February 14, 2025 13:21

Stressful or traumatic experiences in childhood have been shown to negatively impact an individual's health as an adult. Those affected face an increased risk of illness and often suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, and cardiovascular or metabolic…

Eye told you so: Why illusions are all in the eye of the beholder

Published: February 14, 2025 13:03

Our brain and eyes can play tricks on us—not least when it comes to the expanding hole illusion. A new computational model developed by Flinders University experts helps to explain how cells in the human retina make us "see" the dark central region of a…

New insight on hearing development in children

Published: February 14, 2025 11:27

A new study from Oregon Health & Science University is the first to suggest that binaural pitch fusion—a process that involves merging different pitches from each ear into a single sound—is one type of central hearing processing that may still be…

Ketamine research may lead to safer treatments for depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions

Published: February 14, 2025 11:00

Ketamine has received a Hollywood makeover. It used to be known as a rave drug (street name special K) and cat anesthetic. However, in recent years, some doctors have prescribed ketamine to treat conditions from post-traumatic stress disorder to…

How the gut triggers lasting pain in common conditions

Published: February 14, 2025 10:16

A global research collaboration has revealed how certain gut cells switch on pain signals, which can linger long after the initial trigger has passed, potentially contributing to chronic pain in conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and…

Mouse model unveils dynamics through which SYNGAP1 gene supports cognitive function

Published: February 14, 2025 10:06

The SYNGAP1 gene, which supports the production of a protein called SynGAP (Synaptic Ras GTPase-Activating Protein), is known to play a key role in supporting the development of synapses and neural circuits (i.e., connections between neurons). Mutations in…

The overlooked astrocyte: Star-shaped brain cells may form specialized networks for reward learning

Published: February 14, 2025 07:00

Most neuroscience research carried out up to date has primarily focused on neurons, the most renowned type of cell in the human brain. As a result, the unique functions of other brain cell types are less understood and have often been entirely overlooked.

Brain's opiate pathway explains why we crave sweets even when full

Published: February 13, 2025 14:00

Who hasn't been there? The big meal is over, you're full, but the craving for sweets remains. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research have now discovered that what we call the "dessert stomach" is rooted in the brain. The same…

Child with rare epileptic disorder receives long-awaited diagnosis

Published: February 13, 2025 13:35

Researchers provided a long-awaited and rare genetic diagnosis in a child with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a type of developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), associated with a severe, complex form of epilepsy and developmental delay.

Manipulating neural circuits in mice can make social interaction more or less rewarding

Published: February 13, 2025 13:00

Neuroscientists have new insights into why previous experiences influence future behaviors. Experiments in mice reveal that personal history, especially stressful events, influences how the brain processes whether something is positive or negative. These…

Research uncovers molecular basis for male, female stress response variations

Published: February 13, 2025 12:59

A new study led by researchers at UF Health has uncovered why males and females may experience stress differently, providing crucial insights into how the brain's molecular mechanisms adapt to acute challenges.

Gene 'silencer' in junk DNA prevents fatal neurological disease

Published: February 13, 2025 12:47

A team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health geneticists has shown, for the first time, that a gene "silencer" that resides in junk DNA is directly sparing people from a devastating and fatal progressive neurological disease.

What happens in the brain when there's a word 'on the tip of the tongue'?

Published: February 13, 2025 12:40

We've all experienced it: you're in the middle of a conversation, searching for a word, a name, or a title, and… nothing. You know you know it—you can almost feel it—but it just won't come. This phenomenon, known as having a word "on the tip of the…

MRI mapping identifies a brain circuit for creativity

Published: February 13, 2025 11:00

A new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests that different brain regions activated by creative tasks are part of one common brain circuit. By evaluating data from 857 participants across 36 fMRI studies, researchers identified a brain…

Branching channels: How tree-structured representations in the brain maintain and update information

Published: February 13, 2025 10:32

Tree structures have been widely used to model intelligent behavior, such as reasoning, problem-solving, and language processing. However, whether our brain uses tree-structured representations is still controversial. In particular, a key challenge remains…

Study reveals immune system's crucial role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at cellular level

Published: February 13, 2025 09:11

A team of researchers from the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) has published a study in the Journal of Neuroinflammation that, for the first time, examines in depth the role of the peripheral immune system in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)…

Brain rhythms can predict seizure risk in Alzheimer's disease patients, study finds

Published: February 13, 2025 06:46

A UCLA Health research team has identified changes in brain rhythms that indicate seizure activity in Alzheimer's patients. The findings, published in Brain Communications, build on UCLA neurologist and senior author Dr. Keith Vossel's pioneering work that…

Researchers link dry food consumption to measurable thirst levels

Published: February 12, 2025 16:26

Consuming foods with low water content, such as rice crackers and cookies, often leads to increased thirst. While thirst and hunger are subjective sensations produced by the brain, they are caused by various factors. For instance, eating cookies can dry…

Epidural steroid injections for chronic back pain: A systematic review

Published: February 12, 2025 16:23

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has developed a new systematic review to summarize for neurologists and other clinicians the evidence for epidural steroid injections and whether they reduce pain and disability for people with certain kinds of…

More sunshine as a baby linked to less disease activity for children with multiple sclerosis

Published: February 12, 2025 16:00

Getting at least 30 minutes of daily summer sun in the first year of life may mean a lower relapse risk for children who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) later, according to a study published on February 12, 2025, online in Neurology…

Cracking the Alzheimer's code: How brain trauma triggers a hallmark of the disease

Published: February 12, 2025 12:49

A study at Lund University reveals that traumatic brain injury alters the small vessels in the brain, resulting in an accumulation of amyloid beta—a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The findings suggest that vascular dysfunction could be an early driver in…

Discovery of macrophages' protective role for nerve damage opens new treatment path

Published: February 12, 2025 12:22

An increase in high-fat, high-fructose foods in people's diets has contributed to a dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes. This, in turn, has led to an increase in peripheral neuropathy—nerve damage, typically in the hands and feet—that causes weakness,…

Adults can learn absolute pitch: New research challenges long-held musical belief

Published: February 12, 2025 12:00

It's been a long-held belief that absolute pitch—the ability to identify musical notes without reference—is a rare gift reserved for a select few with special genetic gifts or those who began musical training in early childhood. However, new research from…

From corridors to cognition: How the brain builds mental maps of the world

Published: February 12, 2025 11:00

Our brains build maps of the environment that help us understand the world around us, allowing us to think, recall, and plan. These maps not only help us to, say, find our room on the correct floor of a hotel, but they also help us figure out if we've…

Mouse study identifies brain region that can prevent aggressive social behavior and induce pro-social behavior

Published: February 12, 2025 11:00

Neural activity in the cortical amygdala determines whether mice engage in aggressive or pro-social behavior, according to a new study. By performing a network analysis on whole-brain activity of male mice, Mount Sinai scientists have identified the…

Overcoming nicotine withdrawal: Clues found in neural mechanisms of the brain

Published: February 12, 2025 09:42

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 22% of the global population smokes, with more than 9 million smoking-related deaths reported annually. Effective treatments to alleviate nicotine withdrawal symptoms caused by smoking cessation are…

Mapping the human brain's default mode network: Anatomical study suggests it has widespread influence

Published: February 12, 2025 06:40

The default mode network (DMN) is a set of interconnected brain regions known to be most active when humans are awake but not engaged in physical activities, such as relaxing, resting or daydreaming. This brain network has been found to support a variety…

Newly discovered 'ovoid' brain cells reshape understanding of how memory works

Published: February 12, 2025 05:00

Take a look around your home and you'll find yourself surrounded by familiar comforts—photos of family and friends on the wall, well-worn sneakers by the door, a shelf adorned with travel mementos. Objects like these are etched into our memory, shaping who…

Music makes us move even when we don't like it, according to psychologists

Published: February 11, 2025 14:46

The pleasurable urge to move to music—to groove—appears to be a physiological response independent of how much we generally enjoy music, according to a new paper led by Concordia researchers.

Stressed mice process noise differently in the brain, altering how they perceive the world

Published: February 11, 2025 14:00

After a week of stress, mice show changes in how their brains process sound, reducing how well they perceive loud noises, according to a study published February 11 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology led by Ghattas Bisharat, from the Ben-Gurion…

Experiments show untrained patient with prosthetic hand can tell objects apart by touch

Published: February 11, 2025 12:47

Researchers from Skoltech, prosthetics manufacturer Motorica, and Far Eastern Federal University have for the first time compared the sensations in phantom limbs of amputees during spinal and peripheral nerve stimulation as reported by the same patients.

The secret behind sharp vision: New research reveals the benefits of tiny eye movements

Published: February 11, 2025 11:05

Even when we think we are holding our gaze perfectly still, our eyes make tiny, involuntary movements. While these "fixational eye movements" might seem like they would blur our vision, new research reveals they actually help us see fine details more…

Method to measure blood-brain barrier permeability accurately developed

Published: February 11, 2025 09:30

For decades, scientists across the globe have investigated methods to accurately measure drug permeability across the blood-brain barrier, a compact layer of cells that protect the brain from potentially dangerous substances and microbes. They struggled…

Brain-inspired neural networks reveal insights into biological basis of relational learning

Published: February 11, 2025 06:50

Humans and certain animals appear to have an innate capacity to learn relationships between different objects or events in the world. This ability, known as "relational learning," is widely regarded as critical for cognition and intelligence, as learned…

Guidelines aim to include end users in neurotechnology development

Published: February 11, 2025 01:34

"Neurotechnology" refers to a broad range of technologies designed to interface with the nervous system, with the aim of treating neurological disorders, enhancing cognitive function, and improving overall well-being. This can include devices like…

Inflammation-triggering cellular pathway identified as potential new drug target for Alzheimer's disease

Published: February 10, 2025 14:47

A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC has unlocked the details of a cellular pathway that triggers cellular inflammation and aging and is linked to Alzheimer's disease, particularly among those who carry the APOE4 genetic risk. They…

How the brain can miraculously switch off pain

Published: February 10, 2025 14:03

In the second world war, the physician Henry Beecher observed that some of his soldier patients, despite being injured on the battlefield, required no strong painkillers to manage their pain. In some cases, the injury was as severe as losing part of a…

Brain signals linked to sweet taste preference discovered

Published: February 10, 2025 13:30

Researchers at Stony Brook University used genetic manipulation in a laboratory brain model to demonstrate that neurosteroids, signals involved in mood regulation and stress, can reduce the sensitivity and preference for sweet tastes when elevated within…

AI enhances brain imaging—optimizing tractography for surgical procedures

Published: February 10, 2025 11:28

How can nerve pathways in the brain be visualized to improve the planning of complex surgeries? A research team from the Lamarr Institute and the University of Bonn, in collaboration with the Translational Neuroimaging Group at the Departments of…

Study sheds light on how the brain differentiates new stimuli from old ones

Published: February 10, 2025 11:00

The cerebral cortex is the largest part of a mammal's brain, and by some measures, the most important. In humans in particular, it's where most things happen—like perception, thinking, memory storage and decision-making.

First Australia/New Zealand clinical guidance developed for people living with multiple sclerosis

Published: February 10, 2025 10:12

The first clinical consensus statement for managing multiple sclerosis (MS) in Australia and New Zealand has been released, and will help health professionals navigate a treatment landscape that has changed vastly in recent years due to numerous new…

Neuroscientists crack the code of how we make decisions with new mathematical framework

Published: February 10, 2025 09:53

A new mathematical model sheds light on how the brain processes different cues, such as sights and sounds, during decision making. The findings from Princeton neuroscientists may one day improve how brain circuits go awry in neurological disorders, such as…

Unlocking the mind's decision-making engine: How working memory shapes our choices

Published: February 10, 2025 09:47

A study led by Prof. Li Hai from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed that the balance between habitual and goal-directed decision-making strategies is influenced by the availability of working memory…

High-tech video optimization in our brain: How the brain unblurs vision during movement

Published: February 10, 2025 05:00

Why do our mental images stay sharp even when we are moving fast? A team of neuroscientists led by Professor Maximilian Jösch at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has identified a mechanism that corrects visual distortions caused by…

Cerebrospinal biomarker test can detect Alzheimer's pathology earlier, study shows

Published: February 10, 2025 05:00

Years before tau tangles show up in brain scans of patients with Alzheimer's disease, a biomarker test developed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine can detect small amounts of the clumping-prone tau protein and its misfolded pathological…

The link between headache disorders and suicide—a 25-year Danish cohort study

Published: February 8, 2025 12:00

New evidence from a large population-based cohort analysis indicates an increased risk of both attempted and completed suicide among individuals diagnosed with headache disorders. Researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark found that individuals diagnosed…