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.

Detachable head-mounted photoacoustic microscope images brain activity in mice

Scientists recently generated the first detachable head-mounted photoacoustic microscope for imaging brain activity in freely roaming mice.

13 Dec 2021

First molecular structure of TDP-43 could pave the way for new ALS therapies

Scientists have determined for the first time the structure of the molecule associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple other neurodegenerative diseases.

9 Dec 2021

Cancer drug effective against Alzheimer’s disease, says research

According to recent research carried out by researchers from the Weill Cornell Medicine, a gene mutation associated with Alzheimer’s disease changes a signaling pathway in specific immune cells of individuals with the disease.

7 Dec 2021

Experts visualize genes linked to hearing loss in humans

Scientists from Uppsala University recently documented and visualized genes linked to hearing loss in the human inner ear.

7 Dec 2021

Announcing the Winners of The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations of 2021

Each year The Scientist seeks to highlight the latest and greatest tools, technologies, and techniques to hit the life science landscape.

From Resolve Biosciences 6 Dec 2021

Immune cells in the brain mediate the link between gut microbiome and amyloid beta deposits

New research from the University of Chicago points to microglia, key immune cells in the brain, as a key mediator in the relationship between the gut microbiome and b-amyloid deposits in male mice in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

3 Dec 2021

New two-photon microscope provides unprecedented brain-imaging ability

Advancing our understanding of the human brain will require new insights into how neural circuitry works in mammals, including laboratory mice.

3 Dec 2021

Research finds positive correlation between gut bacteria and memory in bees

Recent research demonstrated that a species of gut bacteria, called Lactobacillus apis, is connected to improved memory in bumblebees.

2 Dec 2021

Researchers compare impact of different diets on health, animal welfare and the environment

Which diet is better: moderately reduce meat consumption and eat more fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products, as recommended by the German Nutrition Society? Follow Germany's southern neighbors' example and eat more fish and seafood? Or even switch completely to a vegan diet?

1 Dec 2021

Novel information leads to identification of new protein communities

If cells are assumed to be “countries”, the proteins will be the citizens structured into inter-connected villages and towns.

25 Nov 2021

Persistency allows value signals to be most effectively coded across different brain areas

In 2019 University of California San Diego researchers discovered the area of the brain where "value decisions" are made.

24 Nov 2021

Dopamine may play a key role in shaping female songbirds' auditory preference

In humans, the dopamine system has been tied to rewards and pleasurable sensations. As well as to memory and learning.

24 Nov 2021

Study compares protein quality of meat-based burgers and plant-based burgers

Plant-based burgers claim that they offer protein similar to their animal-based counterparts. However, protein is expressed on present-day nutrition labels as a single generic value expressed in grams.

19 Nov 2021

Study uncovers how brain cells encode head motion to enable navigation during the day and night

To navigate successfully in an environment, you need to continuously track the speed and direction of your head, even in the dark.

From University College London 17 Nov 2021

Researchers test a neoantigen-specific transgenic immune cell therapy for malignant gliomas

Doctors and scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and from Heidelberg University's Medical Faculty Mannheim have successfully tested a neoantigen-specific transgenic immune cell therapy for malignant brain tumors for the first time using an experimental model in mice.

16 Nov 2021

Microbiome discovery may help improve treatment for patients facing gut damage

University of Calgary researchers probing the gut -; "the inner tube of life" -; have for the first time discovered specific factors in its workings that in the future may help improve treatment for patients facing gut damage or gastrointestinal disease.

15 Nov 2021

Microbiome differences in autism reflect dietary preferences, says study

Earlier studies suggest that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be partly due to differences in the gut microbiota composition.

15 Nov 2021

Mysterious protein clusters found on neurons are calcium-signaling “hotspots”, study reveals

For 30 years, mysterious clusters of proteins found on the cell body of neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain, both intrigued and baffled James Trimmer.

From The University of California, Davis 15 Nov 2021

Study sheds light on how genes and air pollution elevate healthy people’s depression risk

A genetic predisposition for depression combined with exposure to high-particulate-matter air pollution greatly elevates the risk that healthy people will experience depression, according to a first-of-its-kind study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences from neuroscientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, on the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, and Peking University in Beijing, China.

9 Nov 2021

Tough protein connects directly with neurons to cause damaging inflammatory reaction in the brain

Neuroinflammatory diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury, have been linked to deposits of a tough protein known as fibrin, derived from the blood clotting factor fibrinogen.