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.

Family of naturally occurring proteins shows promise for treating ischemic stroke

Boosting a family of naturally occurring proteins that dampens inflammation in the body has been shown to be effective in reducing damage from an ischemic stroke, according to preclinical researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

2 Sep 2021

UMSOM study suggests a genetic basis behind instantaneous human compatibility

Have you ever met someone you instantly liked, or at other times, someone who you knew immediately that you did not want to be friends with, although you did not know why?

2 Sep 2021

Brain cholesterol promotes toxic amyloid plaque formation in Alzheimer’s disease

Research has revealed higher cholesterol supply from astrocytes to neurons in the model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains.

31 Aug 2021

Study explores the link between antibiotics use, gut microbiota, and lifespan

A group of scientists have identified a connection between the type of microbiome that recolonizes the gut after antibiotics and the lessened lifespan in mice.

31 Aug 2021

Study reveals mechanisms promoting overall glioma tumor growth

Researchers from Northwestern Medicine unearthed the epigenetic processes involved in the regulation of multiple oncogenes in glioma cells.

31 Aug 2021

Massive study identifies 579 genomic locations linked to self-regulating behaviors

Researchers have identified 579 locations in the human genome associated with a predisposition to self-regulation-related behaviors, including addiction and child behavioral problems. With data from 1.5 million people of European descent, the effort is considered to be one of the largest genome-wide association studies to date.

27 Aug 2021

Old habit-controlling neurons may also play a key role in learning new tricks

Imagine working on your computer and typing the same long password you have used for years to access your email.

26 Aug 2021

Novel method improves the resolution of hard X-ray nanotomography

It's been a truth for a long time: if you want to study the movement and behavior of single atoms, electron microscopy can give you what X-rays can't. X-rays are good at penetrating into samples -; they allow you to see what happens inside batteries as they charge and discharge, for example -; but historically they have not been able to spatially image with the same precision electrons can.

25 Aug 2021

Study unravels new aspects of prions causing untreatable neurodegenerative conditions

A new study achieved the highest-ever resolution imaging of an infectious prion, offering atomic-level data of how these abnormal proteins assemble.

25 Aug 2021

Study devises novel process to purify exosomes from cow’s milk

Cells produce exosomes, the nano-sized biological capsules, to protect and courier delicate molecules across the body. The capsules are hard enough to resist enzymatic breakdown and acidic and temperature fluctuations in the bloodstream and gut, which makes them a major candidate for drug delivery.

25 Aug 2021

Scientists isolate monoclonal antibodies against alphaviruses

A research group has isolated monoclonal antibodies that, in laboratory and animal studies, prohibited infection by alphaviruses.

From Vanderbilt University 24 Aug 2021

Study identifies variants and genes linked to alcohol consumption

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published the first of its kind research in the field of addiction genetics employing a multi-omics method to offer a huge list of causal candidate genes linked with alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

24 Aug 2021

Research reveals Alzheimer’s protein accumulates inside nerve cells

Experimental research has shown that amyloid-beta, the Alzheimer’s protein, accumulates within nerve cells.

23 Aug 2021

Study discovers Parkinson’s disease-linked protein impairs mitochondria

Recently, researchers discovered that a protein linked with Parkinson’s disease can impair mitochondria.

23 Aug 2021

New mouse line reveals the state of proteostasis in mammalian brain for the first time

Proteins are the "tools" of our cells – they are essential to all vital tasks. However, they are only able to do their jobs if they fold correctly and adopt their respective, very specific 3D structure.

20 Aug 2021

New research identifies a master timekeeper for the brain's circadian clock

A gene called Npas4, already known to play a key role in balancing excitatory and inhibitory inputs in brain cells, appears to also be a master timekeeper for the brain's circadian clock, new research led by UT Southwestern scientists suggests.

20 Aug 2021

Novel genome-editing technology to mitigate Alzheimer’s disease

Around 500,000 patients in China alone are considered to be living with a hereditary form of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

19 Aug 2021

Scientists develop new tool to identify neuronal proteins in animal models

Scientists, for the first time, developed a successful method for pinpointing proteins within different kinds of neurons in the brain of a living animal.

16 Aug 2021

Study reveals how 3D space is represented in the mammalian cortex by the brain's 'GPS'

In a new study published in Nature today, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers, in collaboration with colleagues from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, unveiled for the first time how three-dimensional space is represented in the mammalian cortex by the brain's "GPS" system.

13 Aug 2021

UW researchers identify a link between air pollution and dementia

Using data from two large, long-running study projects in the Puget Sound region -; one that began in the late 1970s measuring air pollution and another on risk factors for dementia that began in 1994 -; University of Washington researchers identified a link between air pollution and dementia.

10 Aug 2021