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.

Scientists Reveal How Honey Bees' Brains Work

Honey bees have to balance effort, risk and reward, making rapid and accurate assessments of which flowers are mostly likely to offer food for their hive.

11 Jul 2023

Novel Peptide may be Key to Understanding Skin Aging

A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 12, entitled, "A novel peptide 'T14' reflects age and photo-aging in human skin."

6 Jul 2023

Uncovering the Role of Cochlear Signal in Hearing Loss

A cochlear signal, the precise role of which has been uncertain since its discovery around 70 years ago, probably gives the brain information on whether the ear is working normally or not.

5 Jul 2023

Extraoral Bitter Taste Receptors Serve as Endogenous Sensors for Bile Acids

Taste receptors for bitter substances are not only observed on the tongue but also on cells outside of the oral cavity.

5 Jul 2023

Identifying the Genetic Variant That Increases Disease Severity in MS

Research of over 22,000 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has for the first time discovered a genetic variant linked with speedier progression of the disease, a buildup of disability that can deprive patients of their mobility and independence over time.

29 Jun 2023

The First Programmable RNA-Guided System in Eukaryotes Uncovered

Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT headed a team of researchers who discovered the first programmable RNA-guided mechanism in eukaryotes, which include fungi, plants, and animals.

29 Jun 2023

Study Examines Neural Activity and Wake-Like Skin Patterning of Octopus During Their Sleep

When octopuses sleep, their quiet periods of slumber are punctuated by short bursts of frenzied activity. Their arms and eyes twitch, their breathing rate quickens, and their skin flashes with vibrant colors.

29 Jun 2023

Analyzing Glioma Progression and Implicating CPNs’ Long-Range Projections

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal form of brain tumor. Despite treatment, GBM recurrence is inevitable and tends to occur outside surgical margins or in locations remote to the primary tumor, highlighting the central role played by tumor infiltration in this malicious disease.

29 Jun 2023

New Breakthrough of Genetic Marker Improves Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

A study of more than 22,000 people with multiple sclerosis has discovered the first genetic variant associated with faster disease progression, which can rob patients of their mobility and independence over time.

29 Jun 2023

Probiotic Bacteria may Help Maintain Brain Function in Aging Nematodes

A group from Nagoya University in Japan has discovered that when the diet of nematodes, tiny worms measuring about a millimeter or less in length, includes the bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri, the weakening of associative learning ability caused by aging does not occur.

28 Jun 2023

New Computational Methods for Improving Alzheimer’s Disease Characterization

An improved method of subtyping Alzheimer’s disease based on genetic and tau PET imaging data has been developed computationally.

27 Jun 2023

New Technology can Help Probe the Connections Between the Brain and Gut

The brain and the digestive tract are in constant communication, relaying signals that help to control feeding and other behaviors.

23 Jun 2023

Albino Squid Illuminates Cephalopod Brain Activity

A team of researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has successfully engineered an albino strain of Euprymna berryi, the hummingbird bobtail squid.

21 Jun 2023

First Brain Atlas of Dwarf Cuttlefish

Anything with three hearts, blue blood and skin that can change colors like a display in Times Square is likely to turn heads.

21 Jun 2023

Review: Role of Alternative Splicing Defects in Major Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alternative splicing, a clever way a cell generates many different variations of messenger RNAs -; single-stranded RNAs involved in protein synthesis -; and proteins from the same stretch of DNA, plays an important role in molecular biology.

21 Jun 2023

Neurotransmitter Receptor Patterns Define Key Organizational Principles in the Brain

Receptor patterns define key organizational principles in the brain, scientists have discovered.

20 Jun 2023

Microglial Cells Serve as a Stable Viral Reservoir for Latent HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) introduces a copy of its DNA into human immune cells as part of its life cycle. Some of these newly infected immune cells can subsequently enter an inactive, latent state for an extended length of time, which is known as HIV latency.

19 Jun 2023

New Mechanism to Maintain Astrocyte-Neuron Communication

Neurons and astrocytes are the two types of cells required by the brain to enjoy the scent of morning coffee and freshly baked cookies or to discern the warning smell of something burning.

16 Jun 2023

Laxative Prucalopride can Have Important Effects in the Brain Circuits Crucial for Learning and Memory

Cognitive deficits accompany mood disorders and other psychiatric conditions, often with debilitating effects.

14 Jun 2023

Virus Plays Important Role in Treating Glioblastoma

A potential advancement in the treatment of glioblastoma was noted by Howard Colman, MD, PhD, the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Professor of Neuro-Oncology and co-leader of the Neurologic Cancers Disease Center and the Experimental Therapeutics CCSG program at Huntsman Cancer Institute, in a recently published manuscript.

13 Jun 2023