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.

Neuron Anatomy Shapes How the Brain Processes Odor Information

Closely related subtypes of dopamine-releasing neurons may play entirely separate roles in processing sensory information, depending on their physical structure.

17 Dec 2025

Light-Based Technique Reveals How Extracellular Vesicles Interact With Cells

The tiny bubbles that carry signals between cells throughout the body were discovered decades ago, but precisely what they contain and how their cargo affects recipient cells is still largely a mystery.

12 Dec 2025

Visualizing How Cancer Seed Cells Evade Brain Immunity

Metastasis occurs when cancer cells break away from the original tumor and travel through the bloodstream to form new tumors in other parts of the body. It is the leading cause of cancer-related death. Brain metastasis is particularly severe and affects 10-30% of patients with advanced lung, breast, and melanoma cancers.

12 Dec 2025

Changes in the Activity of KCC2 Protein Influence Reward Learning

A new finding from researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center shows that the learning process of associating cues with rewards can be altered by increased or decreased activity of a specific protein in the brain.

11 Dec 2025

MiniVolt Microscope Captures Neuron Voltage Signals in Freely Moving Animals

Researchers have built a tiny, lightweight microscope that captures neuron activity with unprecedented speed that can be used in freely moving animals.

8 Dec 2025

Spatial Touchstone Project Brings Standardization to Spatial Transcriptomics

Spatial transcriptomics provides a unique perspective on the genes that cells express and where those cells are located.

8 Dec 2025

Single-Cell RNA Imaging Uncovers Four Distinct Neuron Bands in the Hippocampus

Researchers at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a previously unknown pattern of organization in one of the brain's most important areas for learning and memory.

4 Dec 2025

Unraveling How GFAP Mutations Disrupt Mitochondria in Alexander Disease

Some brain disorders are straightforward, such as the direct frontal lobe assault of a concussion or traumatic brain injury. Others, like Alexander disease, are akin to guerilla warfare.

2 Dec 2025

How Singing Mice Reveal the Roots of Vocal Communication

All mice squeak, but only some sing. Scotinomys teguina, aka Alston's singing mice, hail from the cloud forests of Costa Rica. More than 2,000 miles north, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) neuroscientists study these musically gifted mammals to better understand the evolutionary origins of vocal communication.

2 Dec 2025

New Insight Into Light-Guided Growth of Bristleworm Eyes

A new study, led by the University of Vienna and the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, shows how the eyes of adult marine bristleworms continue to grow throughout life – driven by a ring of neural stem cells reminiscent of vertebrate eyes.

2 Dec 2025

Gene Transcription Start Sites Identified as Hidden Mutational Hotspots

Researchers have discovered new regions of the human genome particularly vulnerable to mutations. These altered stretches of DNA can be passed down to future generations and are important for how we study genetics and disease.

27 Nov 2025

UBQLN2 Liquid Droplets Found to Catalyze Early α-Synuclein Aggregation

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related, progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The hallmark of PD pathogenesis is the Lewy bodies (LBs) that accumulate in neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain, damaging these neurons and leading to the motor symptoms of the disease. α-synuclein (α-syn), a misfolded protein, aggregates and forms fibrils, which leads to the formation of LBs.

27 Nov 2025