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Hidden Role of Biliverdin Reductase A in Fighting Oxidative Damage

According to a new study from Johns Hopkins Medicine, the enzyme biliverdin reductase A (BVRA) protects neurons directly from oxidative stress, regardless of whether it produces the yellow pigment bilirubin.

5 Nov 2025

RNA Molecules Alter Genome Structure to Silence Critical Neuronal Genes During Stress

What if the brain's response to stress could be read not in fleeting neurotransmitter bursts, but in the quieting of genes deep inside chromatin? Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have now shown that stress hormones may silence crucial neuronal genes through an unexpected class of RNA molecules that operate not by encoding proteins, but by reshaping the genome's architecture.

5 Nov 2025

Enzyme BVRA Found to Shield Neurons from Oxidative Stress

New research from Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that the enzyme biliverdin reductase A (BVRA) plays a direct protective role against oxidative stress in neurons, independent of its role producing the yellow pigment bilirubin.

4 Nov 2025

Frazzled Protein Found to Shape Fast Neural Connections in Fruit Flies

Florida Atlantic University neuroscientists have uncovered a surprising role for a protein named "Frazzled" (known as DCC in mammals) in the nervous system of fruit flies, showing how it helps neurons connect and communicate with lightning speed.

3 Nov 2025

How Animals Use The Same Balance Control System

A study uncovers shared mechanisms of foot placement in walking, highlighting the role of feedforward-feedback systems in stable locomotion across species.

30 Oct 2025

Research Sheds New Light On How Neurons Transmit Strains and Stresses

How do embryos develop? Why does the cortex of the mammalian brain fold? How do we feel touch at our fingertips? These and other fundamental biological questions remain unsolved. Yet, scientists know they all rely on a common principle: the conversion of a physical stimulus into a biochemical signal.

30 Oct 2025

Fruit Fly Study Reveals New Details on Alzheimer's Disease Risk Genes

Scientists have identified hundreds of genes that may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease but the roles these genes play in the brain are poorly understood.

30 Oct 2025

Reversible Epigenetic Switches Influence Memory Formation

Our experiences leave traces in the brain, stored in small groups of cells called "engrams". Engrams are thought to hold the information of a memory and are reactivated when we remember, which makes them very interesting to research on memory and age- or trauma-related memory loss.

30 Oct 2025

Study Reveals How Blood Vessels Drive Neuron Movement in the Brain

Researchers have discovered how newly created neurons depend on blood flow in the adult brain to travel from their site of origin to their final location.

29 Oct 2025

Disrupted Circadian Rhythms Alter Gene Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's disease is notorious for scrambling patients' daily rhythms. Restless nights with little sleep and increased napping during the day are early indicators of disease onset, while sundowning, or confusion later in the day, is typical for later stages of the disease.

24 Oct 2025

Hungry Female Mice Turn Aggressive Toward Pups Only in Specific Hormonal States

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found that hunger can make virgin female mice aggressive towards pups, but only in certain hormonal states.

23 Oct 2025

Leptin-Sensitive Brain Circuit Helps Overcome Anxiety to Perform Essential Behaviors

How do mammals manage to eat in situations that cause anxiety, step into exposed spaces, or slow down when anxiety drives them to keep moving? A new study pinpoints a leptin-sensitive circuit in the lateral hypothalamus that helps to overcome anxiety to perform essential behaviors such as exploring, feeding, and limiting maladaptive hyperactivity.

21 Oct 2025

Biological Effects of Childhood Abuse Uncovered Through Epigenome-Wide Analysis

Child maltreatment, which includes abuse and neglect, is one of the most serious public health concerns worldwide.

16 Oct 2025

Cellular Switches Direct Supplies During Memory Formation

When we form a memory, brain cells need to deliver supplies to strengthen specific neural connections.

15 Oct 2025

Rat Study Reveals Orbitofrontal Cortex Cells That Power Learning Under Uncertainty

Newly identified brain cells evolved along the theme, "Life is uncertain; Eat dessert first." The neurons, located in the front part of the brain, are most active when the outcome of a decision is uncertain, suggesting that they help with decision making, along with learning and mental flexibility in general.

10 Oct 2025

Breakthrough in Understanding How Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Infects Human Brain Cells

The protein on human cells that tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) uses for infection has now been identified-a major step toward understanding how TBEV causes neurological disease and for developing antiviral drugs.

3 Oct 2025

How GBA Mutations Drive Cognitive Decline in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease causes both movement and cognitive deficits, and for a long time both were thought to be caused by the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain.

3 Oct 2025

Astrocytes Found to Integrate Signals from Multiple Neurons

A collaborative French-Swiss study reveals a previously unknown role for astrocytes in the brain's information processing.

25 Sep 2025

Metastatic Lung Cancer Cells Cozy Up to Neurons and Form Synapses

Small cell lung cancer cells that metastasize to the brain cozy up to neurons and form working electrical connections, called synapses, according to an upcoming study led by Stanford Medicine researchers.

11 Sep 2025

Researchers Develop New Technique to Detect Causality in Neural Spike Trains

Understanding the brain's functional architecture is a fundamental challenge in neuroscience. The connections between neurons ultimately dictate how information is processed, transmitted, stored, and retrieved, thus forming the basis of our cognitive functions.

10 Sep 2025