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Scientists discover neurons that count each bite and signal when to stop eating

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-scientists-neurons.html

Published: February 5, 2025 11:00

Columbia scientists have found specialized neurons in the brains of mice that order the animals to stop eating. The findings appear in a paper, "Brainstem Neuropeptidergic Neurons Link a Neurohumoral Axis to Satiation," published Feb. 5 in Cell.

Could lycopene—a plant extract—be an effective antidepressant?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-lycopene-effective-antidepressant.html

Published: February 5, 2025 10:10

Emerging evidence suggests that lycopene—a natural plant extract—may have antidepressant properties. New research published in Food Science & Nutrition reveals the mechanisms behind its antidepressant effects.

Gray matter study uncovers two neuroanatomically different OCD subtypes

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-gray-uncovers-neuroanatomically-ocd-subtypes.html

Published: February 5, 2025 07:40

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder associated with persistent, intrusive thoughts (i.e., obsessions), accompanied by repetitive behaviors (i.e., compulsions) aimed at reducing the anxiety arising from obsessions. Past studies…

Spinal cord electrical stimulation restores neural function in clinical trial

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-spinal-cord-electrical-neural-function.html

Published: February 5, 2025 05:00

A new drug-free, minimally invasive intervention targets the root cause of progressive loss of neural function in spinal muscle atrophy (SMA), an inherited neuromuscular disease. An intervention, which involves electrical stimulation of the sensory spinal…

Case study: Bartonella and Babesia co-infection in family associated with neurological illnesses

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-case-bartonella-babesia-infection-family.html

Published: February 4, 2025 14:14

In a new case study, researchers from North Carolina State University found that a family suffering from illnesses that included neurological symptoms were co-infected with both several Bartonella species and Babesia divergens-like MO-1. The study presents…

Meditation found to induce changes in deep brain areas associated with memory and emotional regulation

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-meditation-deep-brain-areas-memory.html

Published: February 4, 2025 14:08

Researchers using intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings from deep within the brain found that meditation led to changes in activity in the amygdala and hippocampus, key brain regions involved in emotional regulation and memory.

Recording of nystagmus during vertigo in Meniere disease may offer therapeutic aid

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-nystagmus-vertigo-meniere-disease-therapeutic.html

Published: February 4, 2025 12:40

Nystagmus during vertigo attacks in patients with Meniere disease can be video-recorded with a mobile phone and provide a helpful therapeutic aid, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

About 3% of us will develop a brain aneurysm in our lives. So what is it and how do you treat it?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-brain-aneurysm.html

Published: February 4, 2025 11:10

Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands announced on air yesterday that he has a brain aneurysm and needs urgent brain surgery.

Rethinking metastatic brain cancer as a central nervous system disease

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-rethinking-metastatic-brain-cancer-central.html

Published: February 4, 2025 11:03

A Personal View published in The Lancet Oncology challenges the long-standing perception of metastatic brain cancer, calling to recognize it as a distinct central nervous system (CNS) disease rather than a mere extension of its primary tumor.

Positive emotions plus deep sleep equals longer-lasting perceptual memories, study shows

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-positive-emotions-deep-equals-longer.html

Published: February 4, 2025 10:57

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) have uncovered how perceptual memories linked to positive emotions, such as joy or happiness, are strengthened during sleep. The study, published in Neuron, could help scientists understand the…

What's it like to use Elon Musk's brain chip? How does it work?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-elon-musk-brain-chip.html

Published: February 4, 2025 10:18

Elon Musk wants to merge humans with AI. And his goal of achieving "symbiosis" with artificial intelligence starts with a brain chip.

The link between renal failure and Parkinson's disease: Researchers illuminate the underlying mechanisms

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-link-renal-failure-parkinson-disease.html

Published: February 4, 2025 06:40

Lewy body diseases (LBDs) are a class of debilitating neurodegenerative disorders linked to the abnormal aggregation of the protein α-synuclein in nerve cells. When misfolded, this protein can produce clumps known as Lewy bodies, which can adversely impact…

Guideline on migraine prevention says no clinically important advantages for newer, expensive medications

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-guideline-migraine-clinically-important-advantages.html

Published: February 3, 2025 17:00

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has developed new recommendations to prevent episodic migraines in nonpregnant adults in outpatient settings. The clinical guideline, which includes three recommendations centered around monotherapy, is published in…

Compound with neuroprotective properties shows promise for Parkinson's treatment

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-compound-neuroprotective-properties-parkinson-treatment.html

Published: February 3, 2025 15:53

A compound that showed early promise in the treatment of Parkinson's disease in fruit flies has also shown neuroprotective effects in mice, according to researchers at The University of Alabama.

Scientists find more microplastics in human brains than in kidneys and livers—and levels are rising

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-scientists-microplastics-human-brains-kidneys.html

Published: February 3, 2025 14:51

Tiny plastic particles may accumulate at higher levels in the human brain than in the kidney and liver, with greater concentrations detected in postmortem samples from 2024 than in those from 2016, suggests a paper published in Nature Medicine. Although…

Rat study reveals how prenatal alcohol exposure affects behavior into adulthood

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-rat-reveals-prenatal-alcohol-exposure.html

Published: February 3, 2025 13:00

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), characterized by symptoms of cognitive decline, such as worsened memory and impaired decision-making, are alarmingly prevalent globally.

When using music to alleviate pain, tempo matters

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-music-alleviate-pain-tempo.html

Published: February 3, 2025 12:08

Music has the best chance of providing pain relief when it is played at our natural rhythm, a McGill University research team has discovered.

Microneedle electrode-based device overcomes long-standing challenges in neural recording

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-microneedle-electrode-based-device-neural.html

Published: February 3, 2025 11:35

A research group from the Institute for Research on Next-generation Semiconductor and Sensing Science (IRES²) at Toyohashi University of Technology has developed an innovative in vivo electrophysiological neural recording technology that minimizes neuronal…

Goalkeeper or corner? Neuroscientists show how the brain enables flexible decisions

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-goalkeeper-corner-neuroscientists-brain-enables.html

Published: February 3, 2025 10:45

Our brain is remarkably flexible in producing different reactions to supposedly comparable situations. The same sensory information can lead to different decisions depending on the behavioral context. One example of this is a penalty kick in soccer: a…

Scientists are unraveling the cause behind sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-scientists-unraveling-sudden-unexpected-death.html

Published: February 3, 2025 10:30

In the United States, nearly three million adults 18 years and older reported having active epilepsy during 2021 and 2022. SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy), however, is rare, occurring in one in 1,000 people and resulting in an estimated 3,000…

How the hippocampus coordinates memory encoding and retrieval

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-hippocampus-memory-encoding.html

Published: February 3, 2025 10:13

A team of scientists from the Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR) at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has unveiled how the hippocampus orchestrates multiple memory processes, including encoding new information, forming memories, and…

A neurovascular approach to detecting Alzheimer's disease

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-neurovascular-approach-alzheimer-disease.html

Published: February 3, 2025 09:55

Research led by Lancaster University has revealed clear evidence that changes in the orchestration of brain oxygenation dynamics and neuronal function in Alzheimer's disease contribute to the neurodegeneration.

Prosthetic limb gains more natural control through hand–brain connection

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-prosthetic-limb-gains-natural-handbrain.html

Published: February 1, 2025 13:10

Researchers are paving the way for the design of bionic limbs that feel natural to users. They demonstrate the connection between hand movement patterns and motoneuron control patterns. The study, published in Science Robotics, also reports the application…

Triple semicircular canal plugging effective for vertigo control in Meniere disease

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-triple-semicircular-canal-effective-vertigo.html

Published: February 1, 2025 05:12

Triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) is effective for vertigo control but is associated with a risk for hearing loss in patients with Meniere disease (MD), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Dec. 5 in PLOS ONE.

First-ever ethics checklist developed for portable MRI brain researchers

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-ethics-checklist-portable-mri-brain.html

Published: January 31, 2025 10:58

Portable MRI (pMRI) technologies are rapidly transforming the landscape of neuroscience research, allowing neuroscientists to acquire brain data in community settings outside the hospital for the first time. But as neuroscientists increase access to MRI…

MRI study examines overlap between two common neonatal brain injuries

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-mri-overlap-common-neonatal-brain.html

Published: January 31, 2025 10:14

Brain injuries are a leading cause of death and long-term disability in infants. Among the most common is neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which affects one to three in 1,000 live births per year and accounts for 22% of infant deaths…

Cognitive abilities: Mapping the impact of DNA modifications

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-cognitive-abilities-impact-dna-modifications.html

Published: January 31, 2025 08:51

A significant advancement in knowledge of the link between cognition and genetics has been made thanks to a study led by Université de Montréal graduate students Guillaume Huguet and Thomas Renne, working under the supervision of medical geneticist…

New study uncovers how gliomas disrupt brain function and points to rapid therapeutic reversal

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-uncovers-gliomas-disrupt-brain-function.html

Published: January 31, 2025 08:48

A study led by Dr. Peter Canoll's lab, in collaboration with researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Zuckerman Institute, and Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics, along with multiple other researchers at other universities, provides…

Harnessing chaos: How the brain turns randomness into robust memory

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-harnessing-chaos-brain-randomness-robust.html

Published: January 31, 2025 08:36

Random noise, such as background hubbub on a phone call, is usually thought of as unwanted interference. Now researchers at Columbia Engineering find the brain may harness unavoidable random fluctuations of its activity to perform useful computations,…

Brain-imaging experiments reveal how we process expectations about actions of others when making decisions

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-brain-imaging-reveal-actions-decisions.html

Published: January 30, 2025 15:33

In the well-known thought experiment known as the prisoner's dilemma, one individual has to decide whether to stay silent or talk to the police about their crime based on how they anticipate an accomplice will react. RIKEN researchers have gained insights…

Brazilian researchers create cell atlas for brain malformation associated with severe epilepsy

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-brazilian-cell-atlas-brain-malformation.html

Published: January 30, 2025 15:01

Using a single-cell sequencing technique, Brazilian researchers have created the first cell atlas of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a malformation of the cerebral cortex that leads to drug-resistant epilepsy. These cases are most common in children and…

Coordinated brain networks found to play a key role in recognition memory

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-brain-networks-play-key-role.html

Published: January 30, 2025 12:25

Investigators have discovered that activity in two widely distributed brain networks previously considered separate are actually correlated with each other and together play a key role in recognition memory, according to a Northwestern Medicine study…

Active management proves most effective for concussion recovery

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-effective-concussion-recovery.html

Published: January 30, 2025 11:25

Active management after concussion is the best way for patients to recover and get back to school and work as quickly as possible, according to a Clinical Practice paper published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Cannabinoids offer new hope for safe and effective pain relief

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-cannabinoids-safe-effective-pain-relief.html

Published: January 30, 2025 11:13

Chronic pain is a global health challenge, with current treatment options often limited by side effects, addiction risk, and diminished effectiveness over time. In a new study, Yale researchers identify alternative compounds with therapeutic…

Parkinson's patients face increased depression, independence issues due to poor sleep

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-parkinson-patients-depression-independence-issues.html

Published: January 30, 2025 10:43

A new study by researchers at Ireland's Maynooth University, based on patient data gathered by the US-based Michael J. Fox Foundation, found that an overwhelming 84% of patients with Parkinson's disease report struggling with sleep issues.

Study shows changing therapy practice to add higher-intensity walking improves early stroke recovery

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-therapy-higher-intensity-early-recovery.html

Published: January 30, 2025 10:10

A progressively higher-intensity walking exercise program combined with standard physical therapy significantly improved the quality of life and mobility in stroke survivors, according to a preliminary study presented at the American Stroke Association's…

A hearing aid for … your nose? Feedback loop in olfactory system helps brain adapt to stimuli changes

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-aid-nose-feedback-loop-olfactory.html

Published: January 30, 2025 09:51

Kaboom! The first time most of us hear the sound of an explosion is in the movies. Encountering the sound in the real world—even at a distance—has a profoundly different effect. Why? It's all about context. How we react to sounds and other sensory stimuli…

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet improved brain health in study of Hispanic/Latino adults

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-mediterranean-style-diet-brain-health.html

Published: January 30, 2025 09:30

Closely following a Mediterranean diet was associated with having better brain health among Hispanic/Latino adults in a preliminary study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2025, held in Los Angeles, Feb. 5–7,…

CBD reduces alcohol cravings in people suffering from alcoholism, clinical trial finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-cbd-alcohol-cravings-people-alcoholism.html

Published: January 29, 2025 16:27

A new study shows that cannabidiol (CBD) can reduce the craving for alcohol in people suffering from alcoholism. CBD is a natural component of the cannabis plant and has no intoxicating effects.

Glial cells' newly discovered mechanism shields neurons from damage

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-glial-cells-newly-mechanism-shields.html

Published: January 29, 2025 11:58

Neurons may get all the glory, but they would be nothing without glial cells. While brain cells do the heavy lifting in the nervous system, it's the glia that provide nutrients, clean up waste, and protect neurons from harm.

How group size affects cooperation: Insights from brain science

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-group-size-affects-cooperation-insights.html

Published: January 29, 2025 10:55

Can bigger groups foster stronger cooperation? New research from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS), published in Communications Psychology on December 23, challenges conventional wisdom that larger group size reduces cooperation by showing that…

Advanced brain circuit-mapping technique reveals new anxiety drug target

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-advanced-brain-circuit-technique-reveals.html

Published: January 29, 2025 08:39

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have identified in a preclinical model a specific brain circuit whose inhibition appears to reduce anxiety without side effects. Their work suggests a new target for treating anxiety disorders and related conditions and…

Cancer drugs cause chronic peripheral nerve pain in 40% of patients

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-cancer-drugs-chronic-peripheral-nerve.html

Published: January 28, 2025 18:30

Worldwide, cancer chemotherapy is linked to persistent severe peripheral nerve pain (neuropathy) for around four in every 10 patients treated with these drugs, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal…

Empathy for other people's pain peaks in young adulthood, according to psychologists

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-empathy-people-pain-peaks-young.html

Published: January 28, 2025 16:28

Empathy responses to others in pain peak in young adulthood, according to a new study led by the University of Kent's School of Psychology.

Regulatory T cells found to safeguard brain health and memory formation

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-regulatory-cells-safeguard-brain-health.html

Published: January 28, 2025 11:12

Immune cells called regulatory T cells have long been known for their role in countering inflammation. In the setting of infection, these so-called Tregs restrain the immune system to ensure it doesn't go into overdrive and mistakenly attack the body's own…

Largest study ever done on cannabis and brain function finds impact on working memory

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-largest-cannabis-brain-function-impact.html

Published: January 28, 2025 11:00

A study published in JAMA Network Open explores the effects of both recent and lifetime cannabis use on brain function during cognitive tasks.

People with schizophrenia have altered ability to visually perceive contrast, researchers find

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-people-schizophrenia-ability-visually-contrast.html

Published: January 28, 2025 10:34

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects around 1% of the world's population. Researchers at the University of Barcelona have identified a deficit in contrast perception in people with schizophrenia.

Might xenon gas be useful for treating Alzheimer's, as a new study suggests?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-xenon-gas-alzheimer.html

Published: January 28, 2025 09:45

An inert and unreactive gas may not seem like an obvious candidate for treating Alzheimer's disease, yet a new study in mice suggests that xenon might just be the breakthrough we need.

Don't miss a quiet symptom of concussion

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-dont-quiet-symptom-concussion.html

Published: January 28, 2025 09:10

Dizziness, headaches, confusion, fatigue, blurry vision and sensitivity to light are among the most common symptoms of a concussion. Once these symptoms have subsided and patients begin to resume their regular activities, they also may experience…

Nerve stimulation therapy can be improved by synchronization with the body's natural rhythms

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-nerve-therapy-synchronization-body-natural.html

Published: January 27, 2025 16:35

Some health problems, including chronic pain, inflammation and neurological diseases, can be treated by nerve stimulation, for example, with the help of electrodes that are attached to the ear and activate the vagus nerve. This method is sometimes referred…

Brain receptor study offers hope for preventing epilepsy after traumatic brain injury

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-brain-receptor-epilepsy-traumatic-injury.html

Published: January 27, 2025 16:32

A new international study has unveiled critical insights in understanding post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), a condition that can develop following traumatic brain injury. Published in Theranostics, the study highlights the important role played by a receptor…

A high-resolution 'map' reveals the structural and functional complexity of endogenous NMDA receptors in the brain

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-high-resolution-reveals-functional-complexity.html

Published: January 27, 2025 16:30

In a study published in Cell, a research team led by Zhu Shujia from the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), along with Li Yang from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of CAS,…

Patients with anorexia have elevated opioid neurotransmitter activity in the brain, study shows

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-patients-anorexia-elevated-opioid-neurotransmitter.html

Published: January 27, 2025 14:51

A study conducted at Turku PET Center in Finland showed that changes in the functioning of opioid neurotransmitters in the brain may underlie anorexia. The results were published on 12 January 2025 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Space and time? Here's how they interact in the brain

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-space-interact-brain.html

Published: January 27, 2025 13:04

Imagine a swarm of fireflies, flickering lights on and off in the nighttime space. How does the human brain process and integrate information about duration and spatial position enabling this vision? This was the question addressed by Valeria Centanino,…

Characterizing olfactory brain responses in young infants

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-characterizing-olfactory-brain-responses-young.html

Published: January 27, 2025 13:00

The sense of smell promotes adaptive behaviors such as feeding and soothing, but how early humans begin to process odors represents a gap in knowledge for researchers.

Two biomarkers in the brain could transform how chronic pain is understood and managed

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-biomarkers-brain-chronic-pain-understood.html

Published: January 27, 2025 12:49

In an international effort, researchers at Western, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) uncovered how specific patterns in brain activity can predict an individual's sensitivity to pain,…

Why neglecting your brain health can make it harder to achieve physical goals

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-neglecting-brain-health-harder-physical.html

Published: January 27, 2025 12:19

Our cognition and mental well-being are crucial factors for our quality of life and put us in a good position to contribute to society. Ultimately, it can be near impossible to achieve physical goals and demanding life challenges if our brain health is not…

What drives mood swings in bipolar disorder? Study points to a second brain clock

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-mood-bipolar-disorder-brain-clock.html

Published: January 27, 2025 10:24

A brain rhythm working in tandem with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle may explain why bipolar patients alternate between mania and depression, according to new research.