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Scientists tame seizures and heal injured brains with gut chemical

Researchers at Texas A&M University have found a way to intervene early in traumatic brain injuries using a natural, gut-derived chemical that prevents post-traumatic epilepsy from taking root. The treatment reduced brain inflammation, improved memory and mood, protected brain cells, made seizures both rarer and harder to trigger.

SourceTexas A&M University·JournalExperimental Neurology·DateJul 15, 2026
SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Hippocampal pathways once thought separate converge to integrate “where” and “why” in reward processing

Researchers from UMBC discover that inputs from the dorsal and ventral hippocampus interact closely on the same neurons in the nucleus accumbens, integrating memories of places and contexts with drive to pursue rewards. This convergence may help animals form associations between rewarding outcomes and environments, essential for survival.

SourceUniversity of Maryland Baltimore County·JournalJNeurosci·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 10, 2026

A study reveals how hippocampal synapses adjust their proteins to specialize their function

A research team has mapped individual synaptic types in the hippocampus, a brain structure critical for learning and memory. The study provides unprecedented resolution of which proteins are present in each type of synapse and their quantities, revealing patterns that help explain how connections perform different functions.

SourceInstitut de Recerca Sant Pau (Sant Pau Research Institute)·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 12, 2025
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

Exploring how storytelling strategies shape memories

A new study found that storytelling strategies with conceptual or perceptual details activate distinct brain networks, predicting how well participants recall core elements of the story. This suggests that people's preferred memory systems may vary across age groups, and tailored information could improve memory for older adults.

SourceSociety for Neuroscience·JournalJNeurosci·DateOct 20, 2025

UCLA researchers find how epilepsy genes disrupt different brain regions using stem cell models

Researchers found distinct effects of single disease-causing gene variants across different brain regions, pointing to hippocampal disruptions as a key factor in cognitive problems beyond seizures. This study provides an early step toward understanding why current treatments often fall short and may help identify new therapies.

SourceUniversity of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences·JournalCell Reports·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 8, 2025

Research spotlight: Mapping lesions that cause psychosis to a human brain circuit and proposed stimulation target

Studies identified 153 cases of psychosis caused by brain lesions, which connected to a common circuit in the hippocampus. The circuit, including the rostromedial prefrontal cortex, is a promising target for transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy, potentially improving symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

SourceBrigham and Women's Hospital·JournalJAMA Psychiatry·DateFeb 12, 2025

Navigating the future: brain cells that plan where to go

Researchers have discovered a new type of brain cell in the medial entorhinal cortex that accurately predicts future locations as an animal travels. This discovery helps explain how planned spatial navigation is possible and has important implications for understanding mechanisms of spatial navigation and episodic memory formation.

SourceRIKEN·JournalScience·DateAug 15, 2024
Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Seamlessly multiplexing memory storage and recall

Researchers found that the medial septum, a brain area in the center of the forebrain, plays a key role in encoding and retrieval processes. It helps generate gamma oscillations, which are faster for storing and slower for recalling memories.

SourceInstitute of Experimental Medicine·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateOct 10, 2023

A varied life boosts the brain’s functional networks

A mouse study using novel biosensing technology reveals that enriched environments increase neural connections and boost brain function. The findings could lead to new AI methods inspired by brain plasticity.

SourceDZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases·JournalBiosensors and Bioelectronics·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 11, 2023

Effects on memory of neuron diversity in brain region revealed

A new study found that neurons in a key brain region have different functions based on their genetic identity, which could lead to better understanding of the brain's computational flexibility and memory capacity. The diversity of neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus was previously unknown and is crucial for memory development.

SourceCornell University·JournalNeuron·DateMay 22, 2023

Researchers map deep brain stimulation target for Alzheimer's disease

A recent study suggests that stimulating the intersection of two particular brain networks correlated with better patient outcomes than stimulating nearby sites for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Cognitive improvement was associated with DBS to the direct interface between the fornix and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.

SourceBrigham and Women's Hospital·JournalNature Communications·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateDec 14, 2022
Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.

Synchronized neural oscillations in the right brain induce empathic behavior

Researchers discovered that synchronized neural oscillations in the right hemisphere of the brain induce empathic behavior in mice, allowing them to perceive and share each other's fear. The study identified the causal relationship between 5-7 Hz oscillations in the cingulo-amygdala circuit and empathic responses.

SourceInstitute for Basic Science·JournalNeuron·DateDec 1, 2022

New study reveals where memory fragments are stored

A new study found that individual details of a memory are parsed and stored elsewhere, in the prefrontal cortex. This separation ensures that exposure to any cue is sufficient to activate the prefrontal cortex for recall of the whole memory.

SourceWeill Cornell Medicine·JournalNature·DateJul 15, 2022

Eating sea squirts may reverse the signs of ageing, study shows

A new study suggests that supplementing a diet with Ascidiacea, also known as sea squirts, reverses some main signs of aging in animal models. The researchers found that plasmalogens, vital to body processes, decrease with age and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

SourceXi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University·JournalFrontiers in Molecular Biosciences·TypeExperimental study·DateMay 9, 2022
Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply powers sensors, microcontrollers, and test circuits with programmable rails and stable outputs.

Brain circuit strength predicts a child’s ability to understand numbers

Research finds that brain circuit strength is linked to a child's ability to understand numbers. A four-week number sense training program targeting the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and hippocampus improved learning outcomes for elementary school-aged children across abilities.

SourceSociety for Neuroscience·JournalJNeurosci·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 11, 2022

Astrocyte networks in the mouse brain control spatial learning and memory

A study found that intact astrocyte networks are essential for neural homeostasis, synaptic plasticity, and spatial cognitive abilities in adult mice. Disrupting these networks impairs spatial learning and memory due to altered neuronal excitability and compromised synaptic transmission.

SourceUniversity of Zurich·JournalCell Reports·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 8, 2022

UCI-led team first to discover new neural circuits that regulate spatial learning and memory in the brain’s hippocampal formation

A UCI-led research team has identified novel functional roles of new circuit connections between the CA1 region and dorsal CA3 regions of the hippocampus. Genetic inactivation of this projection impairs object-related spatial learning and memory, but does not modulate anxiety-related behaviors.

SourceUniversity of California - Irvine·JournalPLOS Biology·DateJan 10, 2022

Trains in the brain -- Scientists uncover switching system used in information processing and memory

Researchers discovered a dynamic system in the brain that allows for multiple functions within a single neural circuit, enabling efficient information processing and memory recall. The study found that specific activity patterns, known as dentate spikes, play a crucial role in switching between these functions.

SourceNew York University·JournalCell Reports·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 3, 2021
Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars deliver bright, sharp views for wildlife surveys, eclipse chases, and quick star-field scans at dark sites.

Scientists find gender-distinct circuit for depression

Research found a single circuit in mice that activates during stress, controlled by testosterone, driving different behaviors in males and females. In female brains, the circuit is active under stress but quietens with testosterone introduction, making them resistant to depression-like behaviors.

SourceMichigan State University·JournalBiological Psychiatry·DateOct 9, 2019

Computer model helps make sense of human memory

A new study from OIST and RIKEN has developed a computational model that demonstrates the importance of inhibitory circuits in brain function. The model shows that inhibitory neurons play a key role in associative memory, allowing patterns to be stored in memory for longer periods.

SourceOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateOct 7, 2019

How a seahorse-shaped brain structure may help us recognize others

A new study in mice has identified an oxytocin-fueled brain circuit that regulates social recognition, revealing the seahorse-shaped hippocampus plays a key role in differentiating similar memories. The findings provide insight into how the brain computes cues to distinguish friend from foe and threat from reward.

SourceHarvard Medical School·JournalNature Communications·DateDec 8, 2017
DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) captures 4K mapping passes and environmental surveys with dual cameras, long flight time, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

How do adult brain circuits regulate new neuron production?

Researchers have discovered a long-distance brain circuit that controls the production of new neurons in the hippocampus, a critical area for learning and memory. The circuit, involving the medial septum and PV interneurons, regulates stem cell activity and maintains healthy neurogenesis.

SourceUniversity of North Carolina Health Care·JournalCell Stem Cell·DateNov 2, 2017

How we recall the past

Researchers have identified a distinct 'detour' circuit in the hippocampus that is necessary for memory recall, but not for memory formation. This circuit branches off from the original memory circuit and connects to the entorhinal cortex, enabling easier editing or updating of memories.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalCell·DateAug 17, 2017

Stopping the brain's memory circuits from overheating

Researchers found that CA2 maintains inhibition in connected networks, suppressing signaling and preventing hyperexcitability. Without CA2, mice experience epilepsy-like activity and seizures, highlighting the region's role in regulating brain balance.

SourceRIKEN·JournalNeuron·DateMay 3, 2017
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro)

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro) powers local ML workloads, large datasets, and multi-display analysis for field and lab teams.

How curiosity changes the brain to enhance learning

Research reveals that curiosity activates brain regions involved in learning and memory, leading to improved retention of information. Curiosity also recruits the reward system and interactions between the hippocampus and reward circuit enhance learning, suggesting new approaches for treating memory disorders.

SourceCell Press·JournalNeuron·DateOct 2, 2014

Eavesdropping on brain cell chatter

Astrocytes are support cells for neurons that provide nutrients and signaling molecules. A new mouse study reveals that astrocytes listen in on neuronal activity only during large bursts of activation, triggering a response with increased calcium levels.

SourceNIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke·JournalNeuron·DateApr 16, 2014

Study reveals how the brain links memories of sequential events

Researchers have identified a previously unknown circuit that suppresses the monosynaptic circuit, allowing for longer time-linked memories to be formed. This discovery sheds light on how the brain balances fear and caution in response to sequential events.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalScience·DateJan 23, 2014

Brain's reward circuit activity ebbs and flows with a woman's hormonal cycle

A study at NIMH found that brain reward circuit activity ebbs and flows with a woman's hormonal cycle. Women exhibited more active circuitry during the pre-ovulation phase dominated by estrogen compared to the post-ovulatory phase, suggesting links between hormone fluctuations and mood disorders.

SourceNIH/National Institute of Mental Health·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateFeb 2, 2007
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.