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 How Syngap1 Gene Affects Touch-Based Perception in Mice

You may scarcely notice it, but much of what you do every day requires your brain to engage in perceptual learning.

14 Mar 2025

New Technique Converts Skin Cells into Motor Neurons

Converting one type of cell to another - for example, a skin cell to a neuron - can be done through a process that requires the skin cell to be induced into a "pluripotent" stem cell, then differentiated into a neuron.

14 Mar 2025

Fruit Fly Study Reveals Temperature's Role in Brain Development and Behavior

The rate of development of poikilothermic animals, such as insects, fish, and reptiles, is determined by environmental temperature.

14 Mar 2025

UCL Study Reveals How Our Brains Simplify Social Interactions

Our brains use basic 'building blocks' of information to keep track of how people interact, enabling us to navigate complex social interactions, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

14 Mar 2025

Generative AI Enhances Spatial Gene Expression Analysis in Tissue Samples

Spatial transcriptomics is an advanced technique that analyzes gene expression within tissue sections, such as those from the heart, skin, or liver. These analyses offer valuable insights into how spatial organization influences cellular functions across various biological contexts and diseases.

13 Mar 2025

New Cannabinoid Drug Brings Hope For Treating Chronic Pain Without Addiction

VIP36, a new CB1 agonist, targets a cryptic pocket to provide analgesia for chronic pain while minimizing side effects and avoiding opioid-related risks.

13 Mar 2025

Study Explores the Physiological Role of Nwd1 Gene in MASH Pathogenesis

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a liver disease that progresses without symptoms and is associated with significant global public health concerns.

12 Mar 2025

Combination of Viral Antibodies and Genetic Risk Factors Linked to Increased MS Risk

In multiple sclerosis (MS), antibodies to the common Epstein-Barr virus can accidentally attack a protein in the brain and spinal cord. New research shows that the combination of certain viral antibodies and genetic risk factors can be linked to a greatly increased risk of MS.

12 Mar 2025

Protective ‘Slime’ In The Brain May Help Prevent Aging And Neurodegeneration

The study shows that boosting mucin-type O-glycosylation in aged mice reinforces the blood-brain barrier and improves memory, paving the way for new treatments.

10 Mar 2025

Neurons in the Human Brain Can Store Concepts Regardless of Context

A study led by Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, group leader of the Neural Mechanisms of Perception and Memory Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has allowed scientists to observe for the first time how neurons in the human brain store memories independent of context in which they are acquired.

8 Mar 2025

Study Reveals How the Brain Reorganizes Sensory Maps After Loss of Touch

A team of researchers from the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University (UMH) in Elche, has discovered that the developing brain can reorganize its sensory maps when the sense of touch is affected.

8 Mar 2025

New Brain-Mapping Technique Pinpoints Cell Types Linked to Alzheimer's Progression

Researchers from The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of California–San Francisco have employed a novel brain-mapping technique to pinpoint memory-related brain cells that are susceptible to protein accumulation, a significant contributor to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible and progressive neurological disorder that gradually impairs memory and cognitive abilities.

7 Mar 2025

Minoryx Announces Dosing of the First Patient with Leriglitazone in the Phase 2a Study in Rett Syndrome (TREE Study)

Minoryx Therapeutics, a late-stage biotech company focused on the development of therapies for orphan central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announces that the first patient in the TREE study has been dosed with leriglitazone.

6 Mar 2025

Discovery of Ball-and-Chain Mechanism Sheds Light on Ion Channel Regulation

A new study has unveiled a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a "ball-and-chain" channel-plugging mechanism, according to investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine.

5 Mar 2025

Neural Mechanism Involved in Leptin Resistance Revealed

Worldwide obesity rates have more than doubled since 1990, with nearly a billion people now falling into the category.

5 Mar 2025

Pain and Itch Processed by Distinct Neurons in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex

A research team led by KAANG Bong-Kiun, director of the Center for Cognition and Sociality within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), and KO Hyoung-Gon, professor at Kyung Hee University College of Dentistry, have uncovered the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of pain and itch in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

5 Mar 2025