Brain News and Research

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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.

Unveiling the Role of the Cerebellum in Human Cognitive Evolution

The development of advanced cognitive functions in humans has primarily been associated with the growth of the neocortex, a brain region responsible for conscious thought, movement, and sensory perception.

30 Nov 2023

"Wake" Slow Waves may Decrease the Impact of Epileptic Spikes on Brain Activity

Slow waves that usually only occur in the brain during sleep are also present during wakefulness in people with epilepsy and may protect against increased brain excitability associated with the condition, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL.

30 Nov 2023

New Method Allows Scientists to Observe Multiple Signals in Living Cells

Living cells are bombarded with many kinds of incoming molecular signal that influence their behavior.

29 Nov 2023

Unveiling the Role of EVs in Bacterial Communication and Immune Surveillance

Messenger bubbles produced by human cells can pick up bacterial products and deliver them to other cells, University of Connecticut researchers report in the Nov. 16 issue of Nature Cell Biology.

28 Nov 2023

Fluorescence-Based Actinometers Enable Precise and Versatile Light Intensity Measurements

Accurate measurements of light intensity provide vital data for scientists and everyday applications.

28 Nov 2023

New Tool Tracks Mouse Movements and Brain Activity

Mice exhibit constant activity, regardless of external stimuli such as the presence of a nearby cat. Their ongoing actions, which include whisker movement, environmental exploration, and self-grooming, trigger neural responses spanning various brain regions.

21 Nov 2023

Unveiling the Cerebellar Nuclei’s Role in Associative Learning

The regulation of associative learning was traditionally believed to be controlled by the cortex within the cerebellum, commonly known as the “little brain.”

21 Nov 2023

Artificial System Develops Key Characteristics Similar to Human Brains Under Physical Constraints

Cambridge scientists have shown that placing physical constraints on an artificially-intelligent system – in much the same way that the human brain has to develop and operate within physical and biological constraints – allows it to develop features of the brains of complex organisms in order to solve tasks.

21 Nov 2023

Insights Into the Genetic Landscape of Human Head Shape

A collaborative research team from the University of Pittsburgh and KU Leuven has identified a set of genes that influence the shape of the human head.

20 Nov 2023

Study Reveals Crucial Protein’s Role in Brain Cell Development

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have pinpointed a crucial protein associated with the formation of a specific type of brain cell implicated in conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

20 Nov 2023

Novel Biosensors Uncover Brain Activity

Researchers have employed novel biosensors to uncover neuropeptide activity in the brain, introducing innovative tools for examining the release, function, and regulation of these vital signaling molecules in vivo.

17 Nov 2023

More Genes Changed By Early Life Stress Than Head Injury

Researchers recently discovered a phenomenon as they delved into the investigation of whether early-life stress exacerbates the impact of a childhood head injury on health and behavior in later years.

16 Nov 2023

Circular Extrachromosomal DNA Linked to Medulloblastoma Relapse and Death

A study of newly created databases of medulloblastoma has found that patients with tumors containing circular extrachromosomal DNA-;loops of DNA found outside of regular chromosomes-;are twice as likely to relapse and three times as likely to die within five years of diagnosis.

15 Nov 2023

Rare Genetic Variant Found to Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease

Researchers at Gladstone Institutes have discovered that a rare genetic variant known as the "Christchurch mutation" can block detrimental effects of apolipoprotein E4, the best-established risk factor for the most common form of Alzheimer's disease.

14 Nov 2023

New Drug-Like Molecule Enhances Mitophagy, Protects Against Neurodegeneration

Having healthy mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy in all our cells, usually portends a long healthy life whether in humans or in C. elegans, a tiny, short-lived nematode worm often used to study the aging process.

14 Nov 2023

Exploring How Climate Change Could Impact Our Brain Function in the Future

A new element of the catastrophic impacts of climate change is emerging – how global warming is impacting the human brain.

14 Nov 2023

Role of Inhibitory Interneurons in Memory Expression

Memory, a crucial aspect of human survival, is intricately connected to how humans encode, retrieve, and react to external stimuli.

9 Nov 2023

Distinctive Taste Receptors Between a Moth’s Larval and Adult Stages

New research reveals that the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) employs distinct sugar-sensing mechanisms in its larval and adult stages to fulfill its dietary preferences.

8 Nov 2023

SPT5 Identified as a Potential Target Protein for Treatment of MYC-Dependent Cancers

MYC proteins play an important role in many types of cancer. A research team at the University of Würzburg has now succeeded in indirectly influencing these proteins - with clear consequences for the tumor.

8 Nov 2023

Novel Gene Therapy Targets Core Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

A team of researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have devised a gene therapy approach aimed at selectively manipulating the affected circuitry in Parkinson’s disease.

6 Nov 2023