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.

Study Uncovers Genetic Roots of Stuttering

The largest genetic analysis of stuttering has demonstrated a clear genetic basis for the speech disorder, highlighting neurological pathways of risk.

29 Jul 2025

Retinal Immune Response Relies on Microglia Not Neutrophils

During most eye infections or injuries, neutrophils, immune cells found in the blood, are usually the first line of defense.

28 Jul 2025

Uncovering the Molecular Roots of Neural Stem Cell Decline

Age often brings a gradual decline in the ability to learn new things and retain memories. This phenomenon, often associated with the elderly, is linked to the brain's deteriorating capacity to generate new neurons-a process that primarily occurs in the hippocampus -as neural stem cells (NSCs) divide and mature.

28 Jul 2025

New Computer Program Mimics Human and Animal Cell Behavior

Using mathematical analysis of patterns of human and animal cell behavior, scientists say they have developed a computer program that mimics the behavior of such cells in any part of the body.

28 Jul 2025

3D-Printed MXene Scaffolds for Brain Injury Recovery

Research on MXene-ECM scaffolds reveals their potential in enhancing electrical stimulation for neural repair, crucial for addressing neurotrauma challenges.

25 Jul 2025

Memory Neurons Encoding Familiar Routes Drift with Every Experience

In a new study, Northwestern University neurobiologists found the brain's internal GPS changes each time we navigate a familiar, static environment.

24 Jul 2025

Neuron-Like Telocytes Directly Connect to Stem Cells in the Intestine

In a key advance for regenerative medicine and gut health, scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have uncovered a precise and unexpected communication system in the gut.

24 Jul 2025

Gat3 Knockout Disrupts Visual Information Encoding in Mice

Cells called astrocytes are about as abundant in the brain as neurons, but scientists have spent much less time figuring out how they contribute to brain functions.

23 Jul 2025

New Insights into How Cilia Move and Power Cellular Motion

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has uncovered the atomic structure of a protein complex pivotal to the function of motile cilia, the hair-like structures extending from the surfaces of many cell types that generate their movement.

23 Jul 2025

Misfolded Proteins in Mitochondria Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

Aging-related diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders and type 2 diabetes, are associated with defects in protein synthesis and folding.

23 Jul 2025

OHSU Team Identifies Gene Essential for Brain's Protective Layer

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a gene that is critical to the brain’s ability to form myelin, a protective layer around nerves, potentially leading to new treatments for an extremely uncommon childhood disorder and more common diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

23 Jul 2025

Researchers Identify Gene Duplications That May Shape the Human Brain

What makes the human brain distinctive? A new study published July 21 in Cell identifies two genes linked to human brain features and provides a road map to discover many more.

23 Jul 2025

Gene Editing Reverses Symptoms of Rare Brain Disorder in Mice

Scientists have corrected gene mutations in mice causing an ultra-rare disease by editing DNA directly in the brain with a single injection, a feat with profound implications for patients with neurological diseases.

22 Jul 2025

New Chemical Tool Protects Mitochondrial DNA from Environmental Damage

When environmental stress harms DNA, it can set off a cascade of failures linked to heart conditions, neurodegeneration, and chronic inflammation.

22 Jul 2025

mRNA Vaccine Supercharges Immunotherapy Against Cancer

An experimental mRNA vaccine improved the tumor-fighting benefits of immunotherapy in a mouse model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their aim of generating a universal vaccination to “wake up” the immune system against cancer.

21 Jul 2025

Brain Cells Show Unexpected Self-Sufficiency in Energy Use

A new Yale study has revealed that neurons - the energy-hungry cells that connect and direct activity in the brain - are equipped with "backup batteries" that kick in to keep the brain running during periods of metabolic stress.

18 Jul 2025

Brain Ripples Help Segment Experience Into Memories

A research team from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Barcelona, the UB Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has identified, for the first time in humans, and in a realistic environment, a key neurophysiological mechanism in memory formation: ripple-type brain waves -high-frequency electrical oscillations that mark and organize the different episodes or fragments of information that the brain stores as memories.

18 Jul 2025