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.

"Molecular GPS" Developed to Guide Immune Cells into the Brain and Kill Tumors

Researchers have found a way to program immune cells to attack glioblastoma and treat the inflammation of multiple sclerosis in mice.

6 Dec 2024

Adult Neurogenesis Found to Aid Verbal Learning and Memory

Why do adults make new brain cells? A new study published in Cell Stem Cell provides the first cellular evidence that making new brain cells in adults supports verbal learning and memory, which enables people to have conversations and to remember what they hear.

6 Dec 2024

Groundbreaking Discovery Connects Immune Cells with Neural and Metabolic Control

Immune cells have a surprising and critical role in controlling movement and bridging neural activity with metabolic demands, concludes a groundbreaking study published in Nature by researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Imperial College London.

5 Dec 2024

Tool to control cellular activity could advance biology and medicine

A cell’s ability to react to its surroundings is one of its fundamental roles. Therefore, it makes sense that one of the objectives of scientists is to manipulate that process so that cells react to their desires.

5 Dec 2024

Stem Cells' Ability to Respond to Physical Forces Uncovered

A new study from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Institut Curie reveals how stem cells sense and respond to their environment, with implications for inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.

4 Dec 2024

New Insights into the Mechanisms Driving Familial Alzheimer's Disease

Millions of people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease, a crippling illness that gradually robs people of their memory and cognitive abilities.

4 Dec 2024

Study Offers a New Perspective on the Evolution of Large Human Brains

Brain tissue is among the most energetically costly in the body, and as a result, larger-brained mammals require more energy to support brain growth and maintenance.

3 Dec 2024

New Discovery Redefines the Shape of Axons in Mammalian Brain Cells

Biology textbooks may need a revision, say Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists, who present new evidence that an armlike structure of mammalian brain cells may be a different shape than scientists have assumed for more than a century.

3 Dec 2024

New Frontier in Protein Quality Control and Brain Health

Beyond their use as fuel during fasting, the body's production of ketones plays a part in controlling cellular functions and aging processes.

3 Dec 2024

New Research Challenges Views on Human Brain Evolution

Modern humans, Neanderthals, and other recent relatives on our human family tree evolved bigger brains much more rapidly than earlier species, a new study of human brain evolution has found.

2 Dec 2024

The Immune System’s Role in Neurodegenerative Disease

Researchers have discovered a new connection between Parkinson’s disease development and the immune system.

2 Dec 2024

Novel Role for Viscoelasticity in Cellular Signaling and Response

An important mechanism in fat cells (adipocytes) that allows them to safely enlarge to store energy has been discovered by a team at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), led by Professor Miguel Ángel del Pozo Barriuso, who leads the CNIC's Mechanoadaptation and Caveolae Biology group.

29 Nov 2024

The Critical Role of TRiC in Brain Development and Function

In 1992, Judith Frydman, PhD, discovered a molecular complex with an essential purpose in all of our cells: folding proteins correctly.

29 Nov 2024

Mathematical Approach Helps Understand Complex Neural Systems

In an article published in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus, researchers from the Neuromorphic Engineering Laboratory at the University of Liège reveal a fascinating brain mechanism: the ability of neurons to maintain reliable functions despite significant variability in their physiological components.

29 Nov 2024

Study Reveals Molecular Mechanism Behind Neural Fate Commitment

The Wistar Institute's Alessandro Gardini, Ph.D., and lab have shed new light on how certain biological processes determine the development of neural cells. Their findings on a molecular "bridge" complex demonstrate a new level of detail in the understanding of early neural development -; which is fundamental for the further understanding of neurodevelopmental syndromes.

27 Nov 2024

Study Links MICOS10 Gene Defect to Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome

Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MTDPS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a marked decrease in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

27 Nov 2024

Unveiling the Epigenetic Landscape of Blood Cancers

In recent years, biomedical laboratory research has undergone tremendous change, to the extent that computers have frequently replaced test tubes.

27 Nov 2024

Dopamine and Serotonin Act as Opposing Forces in Learning and Reward

If you've heard of two of the brain's chemical neurotransmitters, it's probably dopamine and serotonin. Never mind that glutamate and GABA do most of the work -; it's the thrill of dopamine as the "pleasure chemical" and serotonin as tender mood-stabilizer that attract all the headlines.

26 Nov 2024

Locus Coeruleus Identified as Crucial for Maintaining Sleep Cycles

Researchers at the University of Lausanne have identified a novel role for the brain's 'locus coeruleus' in sleep and its disruptions.

26 Nov 2024

Novel Genetic Variant Associated with Severe Mitochondrial Dysfunction

The rare hereditary condition known as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MTDPS) is typified by a significant reduction in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

26 Nov 2024