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.

Prolonged C1 Neuron Activation Causes Heightened Long-Term Panic Behaviors

Anxiety disorders affect more than 300 million people globally. Several brain regions have been linked to anxiety, but how these regions connect has been poorly understood.

11 Jul 2026

New Research Links DNA Hypomethylation to Faster Growing Brain Tumors

A form of glioma, a type of brain cancer, tends to progress towards greater malignancy due to an increasing tendency of the glioma cells to transform into immature, stem-cell-like states, according to a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, the New York Genome Center, Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham.

11 Jul 2026

Atomic Level Discovery Reveals Exactly How Inhaled Anesthetics Silence Neurons

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Birkbeck, University of London, have identified a site where a commonly used anesthetic binds to sodium ion channels, revealing a molecular mechanism that may explain how these drugs dampen communication between neurons.

10 Jul 2026

Novel Study Reveals Hidden Biological Drivers Behind Cancer Induced Appetite Loss

Cachexia is a condition in which patients affected by cancer or other chronic diseases become sick and lose weight. The condition often involves brain-related symptoms of sickness, such as loss of appetite, which can lead to loss of muscle and often fat.

10 Jul 2026

How Touch Science Shapes Better Cosmetic Products

This pedagogical review explains how skin physiology, mechanoreceptors, trained panels, and standardized methods shape tactile evaluation in cosmetics. It also assesses instrumental tools, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and electronic sensors as promising complements to human sensory testing.

9 Jul 2026

Research Shows How Alpha Synuclein Interacts With Traditional Alzheimer's Proteins

The aging brain frequently harbors multiple protein pathologies that contribute to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

9 Jul 2026

Gut Microbiome Signatures Correlate With Clinical Efficacy in Immunotherapy Outcomes

Cancer remains notoriously difficult to treat, partly because tumors co‑opt their surrounding environment, including the resident microbiota, to evade immune surveillance and resist conventional therapies.

9 Jul 2026

Study Links Human and Mouse Brain Smell Processing Rhythms

Picture a mouse taking rapid, staccato sniffs of a crumb it's found while foraging for food. Now compare that with a human, leaning in for a single, deep inhale to gauge if a cantaloupe is ripe.

6 Jul 2026

Researchers Link Prenatal Fructose Exposure to Reduced Adult Neurogenesis

Nutritional imbalance during pregnancy can have long-lasting effects on the health status and disease susceptibility of the offspring.

3 Jul 2026

Study Reveals Common Brain Processing Rules Across Diverse Species

Line up the brains of a fish, bird and a mammal, and something unexpected comes up. You do not see three different answers to the problem of making sense of the world. You see one answer, tilted three different ways.

3 Jul 2026

Salk Study Identifies Brain Signaling Target to Prevent Cancer Cachexia

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a quarter of cancer deaths can be attributed to one source: cachexia. Cachexia is a syndrome that accompanies underlying chronic illness and causes unwanted muscle and fat loss, reducing quality of life and sometimes even limiting treatment options.

3 Jul 2026

Scientists Identify Biological Link Between Low Birth Weight and Chronic Disease

Researchers have long sought to discover why babies who weigh less than expected at birth, a condition known as small for gestational age, or SGA, are at higher risk for heart, lung and metabolic diseases as adults.

3 Jul 2026

New Analysis Supports Brain Lag Hypothesis in Primate Evolution

A new analysis supports the previously overlooked "brain lag" hypothesis-the idea that, in some primate lineages, the evolution of larger body size preceded the evolution of larger brain size-while also building on that hypothesis by suggesting that some lineages' brain sizes then continued to grow beyond an expected baseline.

2 Jul 2026

Ancient Brainstem Neurons That Help The Brain Ignore Distractions

The PLTi circuit in the brainstem plays a key role in spatial attention, enabling target selection by suppressing distractions without affecting vision.

2 Jul 2026

New Study Defines Molecular Features That Guide the Oncogenic Enzyme Called NSUN2

An RNA-modifying enzyme linked to cancer and neurological disorders selects its targets by recognizing specific RNA shapes and sequences, according to a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers. The findings, published in Nature, define the molecular features that guide the enzyme, NSUN2, to the RNAs it modifies and could help researchers investigate how abnormal RNA modification contributes to disease.

1 Jul 2026

Wearable Device Restores Touch And Hand Movement

The SensoExo system enhances hand function through robotic support and electrical nerve stimulation, offering new hope for those with neurological impairments.

1 Jul 2026

Researchers Identify Crucial Cell Death in Down Syndrome

Researchers at the Alzheimer's Center at Temple have identified evidence of a new form of cell death known as necroptosis in the brains of individuals with Down Syndrome, with the corresponding biomarkers providing new clues to potential treatment also for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

1 Jul 2026