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.

Understanding How α2δ Protein Mutations Influence Brain Development in Autism

A recent study has uncovered how specific genetic mutations in α2δ-1 and α2δ-3 proteins linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) alter neuronal functionality. These mutations significantly reduce the proteins’ membrane expression and synaptic targeting but do not impair calcium channel activity or trans-synaptic signalling.

3 Feb 2025

First Cell Atlas of Focal Cortical Dysplasia Offers New Insights for Treatment

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.

31 Jan 2025

Researchers Apply Advanced AI Genetics Models to Study Parkinson's Disease

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center have successfully applied advanced artificial intelligence (AI) genetics models to Parkinson's disease. Researchers identified genetic factors in progression and FDA-approved drugs that can potentially be repurposed for PD treatment.

29 Jan 2025

New Protein Structures Could Lead to Better Treatments for Transthyretin Amyloidosis

The tiny protein known as transthyretin can cause big problems in the body when it misfolds after secretion.

29 Jan 2025

Fast and Precise Protein Labeling in Intact Tissues with MIT Technology

A new technology developed at MIT enables scientists to label proteins across millions of individual cells in fully intact 3D tissues with unprecedented speed, uniformity, and versatility.

27 Jan 2025

Unveiling the Architecture of Native NMDA Receptors in the Mammalian Brain

A research team led by Shujia Zhu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology and Yang Li from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of CAS examined the architecture and assembly of endogenous N-methyl-ᴅ-aspartate receptors (eNMDARs) in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of adult mammals in a study published in Cell on January 23rd, 2025.

27 Jan 2025

Study Reveals How Male Ruff Birds Use a "Super Enzyme" to Tame Excess Testosterone

We normally associate high testosterone levels with male dominance and aggression. Among ruffs – a shore bird that breeds across Europe and Asia – some males suffer from too much of it.

24 Jan 2025

New Research Sheds Light on Y Chromosome’s Role in Male Infertility

Researchers at the Crick have uncovered which genes on the Y chromosome regulate the development of sperm and impact fertility in male mice.

24 Jan 2025

New Insights into the Biological Basis of Bipolar Disorder

According to research published in Nature on January 22nd, 2025, an international team of psychiatric genetics researchers has discovered 298 regions of the genome with DNA variations that increase the risk for bipolar disorder, more than four times the number previously found.

24 Jan 2025

Segmented Nerve Cords Enable Precision and Flexibility in Cephalopod Arms

Findings on cephalopod nerve cords highlight segmentation's role in sucker movement control, advancing knowledge of neural architectures in soft-bodied species.

24 Jan 2025

AI Model 'MUSK' Advances Cancer Diagnosis with Multimodal Data Integration

MUSK, a vision-language model, enhances cancer diagnosis by integrating multimodal data, outperforming existing methods in prognosis and treatment predictions.

23 Jan 2025

Microglia Response Varies Between Male and Female Mice

A collision happens. Someone is hurt, a head injury, a concussion. Just as the first responders arrive to help the person, inside the brain, another "crew" of responders is busy clearing debris and repairing injured tissue.

22 Jan 2025

New Technique Unifies Protein Size Measurements to Predict Aggregation Risk

Proteins are necessary for many bodily processes. Numerous physiological functions and activities are carried out by thousands of distinct proteins.

21 Jan 2025

New Insights into the Structure and Function of a Key Viral Protein

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine have mapped a crucial part of the Nipah virus, a deadly bat-borne infection that has been responsible for human outbreaks every year since its discovery in 1999.

21 Jan 2025

Mapping of Neuronal IL-1R1 Expression in the Mouse Brain Sheds Light on Mood and Memory

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a key molecule involved in inflammation and plays an important role in both healthy and diseased states.

20 Jan 2025

Novel Fluorescent Probes Illuminate Cholesterol Dynamics in Live Cells

The quest to find solutions for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders continues to be one of the most urgent priorities in brain research. According to Maciej J. Stawikowski, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University, the secret might be in comprehending how lipids like cholesterol flow through cells and impact communication.

20 Jan 2025

Study Unveils Surprising Cause of Brain Cell Death in Huntington's Disease

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, and McLean Hospital have discovered a surprising mechanism by which the inherited genetic mutation known to cause Huntington's disease leads to the death of brain cells.

17 Jan 2025

Researchers Develop Method to Visualize Nanocarriers at Single-Cell Level

How can we ensure that life-saving drugs or genetic therapies reach their intended target cells without causing harmful side effects? Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) and Technical University Munich (TUM) have taken an important step to answer this question.

16 Jan 2025

Breakthrough in Understanding Semliki Forest Virus Neuro-Invasion

In a recent study, researchers from Uppsala University show that the Semliki Forest virus enters the central nervous system by first entering the cerebrospinal fluid and then binding to a specific cell type before penetrating deeper into the brain.

16 Jan 2025

Human H5N1 Bird Flu More Virulent in Mice Than Bovine Strain

Researchers from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute reported in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infections that one of the first strains of bird flu to be isolated from a human in Texas exhibits a distinct set of mutations that allow it to more readily replicate in human cells and inflict more severe disease in mice than a strain found in dairy cattle.

16 Jan 2025