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.

Antisense Therapy Shows Promise Against Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease (PD), as well as many other neurodegenerative disorders, has shown a link between the abnormal aggregation of a protein called α-synuclein (aSyn) and neuronal death. These aggregates, known as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites depending on their subcellular localization, can spread by continuously causing normal endogenous aSyn to misfold.

26 Jul 2024

New Insights into the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Infant Attachment

Specific neurons in the brain's zona incerta (ZI) play a crucial role in the early social interactions of an infant and its mother, building their bond and reducing stress, according to a new study in mice. Activation of the same neurons in adult mice increased anxiety- and fear-like responses, the study showed.

26 Jul 2024

Traffic-Related Ultrafine Particles Cause Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Olfactory Mucosa

Ultrafine particles, UFPs, the smallest contributors to air pollution, hinder the function of mitochondria in human olfactory mucosa cells, a new study shows.

25 Jul 2024

Oligodendrocytes as Producers of Amyloid Beta in Alzheimer's Disease

Oligodendrocytes are an important source of amyloid beta (Aβ) and play a key role in promoting neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a study published July 23, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Rikesh Rajani and Marc Aurel Busche from the UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, and colleagues.

24 Jul 2024

Neuropeptides Revealed as Key Messengers in Fear Response

Researchers at Salk developed techniques to examine neuropeptides, which are messenger proteins in the brain that regulate the fear response in mice.

23 Jul 2024

Researchers Capture Protein Tangle Formation in Real-Time

Protein tangles known as amyloid-beta (A-beta) aggregates are most famously linked to neurodegenerative illnesses like Alzheimer's. Nevertheless, despite its frequent attention, scientists have not been able to fully comprehend how A-beta assembles and disassembles.

22 Jul 2024

New Research Highlights Brain Connectivity as Key Factor in Cognitive Aging

How variations in cognitive abilities, cognitive reserve, and SVD-related neuropathologies impacted SFC in aging adults.

22 Jul 2024

New Model Reveals Interplay Between Circadian Rhythms and Sleep-Wake Cycles in Gene Expression

A mathematical, driven, damped harmonic oscillator model to assess the varying contributions of circadian cues and sleep-wake processes on gene expression and the rhythmic transcriptome.

18 Jul 2024

Researchers Unveil Revolutionary New Template of the Human Brain

The human brain is in charge of important processes such as perception, memory, language, reasoning, awareness, and emotions.

17 Jul 2024

How an obesity gene influences brain function

A complex condition, obesity is brought on by a confluence of factors including behavior, diet, and heredity. Getting enough food to survive and thrive was a challenge for millennia.

16 Jul 2024

Neuregulin 3 Gene Variant Linked to Gabapentin Effectiveness in Chronic Pelvic Pain

Women who carry a particular form of a pain gene are more likely to respond well to a common medication used to treat long-term discomfort, research shows.

16 Jul 2024

Scripps Research Unveils Brain Neurons That Control First Bite and Drinking Behavior

Do you grab a fork and take a first bite of cake, or say no and walk away? Our motivation to eat is driven by a complex web of cells in the brain that use signals from within the body, as well as sensory information about the food in front of us, to determine our behaviors.

12 Jul 2024

Key Brain Cells Discovered in Delaying First Bite of Food

Scientists at Scripps Research have pinpointed a group of neurons in the previously overlooked parasubthalamic nucleus (PSTN) that govern the initiation of feeding behavior.

11 Jul 2024

Kainate Receptors: A Potential Target for Novel Cerebellar Therapies

The Institute of Neurosciences (IN), a collaborative center of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is leading a study in Tokyo, Japan, in conjunction with Keio University, which highlights the critical role one of the glutamate receptors plays in the proper functioning of the cerebellum's synapses.

11 Jul 2024