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.

Study Reveals Direct Impact of Sound on Cellular Activity

The intense feeling one gets from powerful sounds, like a jet engine at takeoff or booming concert speakers, is not just in the head and ears – the cells might be sensing it too.

17 Apr 2025

Complete Reference Genomes Unlocked for Six Ape Species

Comprehensive reference genomes have now been assembled for six ape species: siamang (a Southeast Asian gibbon), Sumatran orangutan, Bornean orangutan, gorilla, bonobo and chimpanzee.

12 Apr 2025

Genetic Sequencing Leads to Major Discovery in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A seminal study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their collaborators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Iceland has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

11 Apr 2025

Flies Get Drunk on Purpose—But Not for the Reasons You Think

Drosophila flies show a strong attraction to ethanol and methanol, driven by evolutionary benefits in mating success rather than psychological responses.

11 Apr 2025

New Protein Identified as Regulator of Mitochondrial Calcium Transport

Calcium transport into and out of mitochondria – the powerhouses of cells – is central to cellular energy production and cell death.

9 Apr 2025

Study Sheds Light on Development and Evolution of the Human Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is a small but critical region at the base of the brain that controls the autonomic nervous system, regulates body temperature, signals hunger and thirst, exerts hormonal control over the pituitary gland, helps set circadian rhythms, influences sexual behavior and reproduction, and plays a role in instinctive behaviors like fear, aggression, and maternal bonding.

9 Apr 2025

Active and Passive Touch Trigger Different Responses in the Mouse Brain

Though the sense of touch underlies how we and most other animals interact with the world around us, much remains unknown about how this sense is processed in the brain.

9 Apr 2025

New Research Reveals Mitochondrial Guardians Linked to Parkinson’s and ALS

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have discovered how a group of proteins linked to Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis act as "guardians" of mitochondria, small organelles, or subunits, within a cell that make and store energy and are found in almost all plants and animals.

8 Apr 2025

Study Sheds Light on Evolutionary Role of Microglia in the Peripheral Nervous System

In a study published in Cell on April 7, a research team led by Prof. Li Hanjie from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the presence of microglia in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and identified their crucial role in regulating neuronal soma size throughout evolution.

8 Apr 2025

Breakthrough Ultrasound Technique Reveals Living Cells in 3D

While medical centers use ultrasound daily, so far this technology is not capable of observing body tissues at the scale of cells.

4 Apr 2025

Scientists Trace Cell Origins to Understand Inner Ear Development

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method that shows how the nervous system and sensory organs are formed in an embryo.

4 Apr 2025

New Brain Organoid Model Reveals How Microglia Respond to Viral Infections

Organoids have revolutionized science and medicine, providing platforms for disease modeling, drug testing, and understanding developmental processes.

4 Apr 2025

Mapping Larger Tissue Sections Without Specialized Equipment

By creating comprehensive maps of the locations of gene expression in tissue, spatial transcriptomics technologies have made it possible to perform new types of biological assessments.

4 Apr 2025

CD11c Microglia Play Key Role in Neurodevelopmental Delays from Maternal Inflammation

A research group led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants.

2 Apr 2025

New Genetic Targets for Atherosclerosis Prevention

Genetic variations that raise the risk of atherosclerosis have been found by Swedish researchers.

1 Apr 2025

Fluid Dynamics of Stentors Offers New Insight Into Evolution of Multicellular Life

Life emerged on Earth some 3.8 billion years ago. The "primordial soup theory" proposes that chemicals floating in pools of water, in the presence of sunlight and electrical discharge, spontaneously formed organic molecules.

1 Apr 2025

Study Identifies Mechanisms Regulating Nuclear Pore Complexes in Cells

The nuclei in our cells are miniature warehouses safeguarding the genetic blueprint for the body's biologic machinery.

1 Apr 2025

AI Brings Brain Metabolism to Life in 3D with MetaVision3D

The MetaVision3D tool transforms 2D tissue sections into 3D brain metabolome models, offering critical insights into metabolism and neurological diseases.

31 Mar 2025

Intermittent Fasting Alters Serotonin Levels to Boost Male Mice's Libido

Long-term fasting in 24-hour cycles increases the sex drive of male mice by lowering the concentration of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.

29 Mar 2025

Scientists Capture How Glutamate Opens Neuron Signaling Channels

In an effort to understand how brain cells exchange chemical messages, scientists say they have successfully used a highly specialized microscope to capture more precise details of how one of the most common signaling molecules, glutamate, opens a channel and allows a flood of charged particles to enter.

29 Mar 2025