Articles tagged with Human Brain
A team of researchers has developed a novel model of the Blood-Brain Barrier, which mimics the complex structure of cerebral blood vessels. This breakthrough enables scientists to study neuroinflammation and develop new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Researchers have found alarmingly high levels of microplastics in human brains, with concentrations increasing by 50% over eight years. The plastic accumulation appears to be linked to food consumption and agricultural practices.
New research suggests lycopene treatment reverses depressive-like traits in mice by promoting synaptic plasticity via the BDNF-TrkB pathway. Lycopene also increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, a protein essential for brain function.
A recent study investigated hybrid diffuse optics to monitor changes in blood flow and oxygen levels noninvasively. The technology provided detailed insights into how oxygen is delivered and utilized in the body, suggesting improved outcomes for critically ill patients undergoing red blood cell transfusions.
Researchers used single-cell sequencing to characterize different cell types in brain lesions and identify subpopulations involved in disease progression. The study provides a cellular view of focal cortical dysplasia, a malformation leading to drug-resistant epilepsy.
A new study finds that adding higher-intensity walking to standard physical therapy significantly improves mobility and quality of life in stroke survivors. The protocol, which aims for 2,000 steps with moderate intensity, was successfully integrated into standard-of-care practice in stroke units.
Researchers developed an AI model that analyzes electrocardiogram (ECG) data to predict biological age and potential cognitive decline. The study, based on UK Biobank data, found a link between higher ECG-age and poorer cognitive performance.
A study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association found that frequent social activity may help prevent or delay dementia in old age, with socially active individuals showing reduced rates of cognitive decline over a five-year period. Social activity strengthens neural circuits and activates areas o...
A preliminary study found that regular dental flossing may lower the risk of stroke caused by blood clots and irregular heartbeats. The study, which followed over 6,000 participants for 25 years, found a significant reduction in irregular heartbeats among those who flossed regularly.
A Mediterranean-style diet was associated with improved brain health in Hispanic/Latino adults, showing enhanced communication between brain regions and reduced white matter atrophy. The study used specialized imaging techniques to investigate the effects of diet on brain integrity.
A preliminary study found that shorter protective caps at the end of chromosomes (telomeres) may be more likely to develop age-related brain diseases such as stroke, dementia, and late-life depression. Adopting healthier lifestyles could lower the negative effects of shorter telomeres.
Researchers have developed a blood test that can rapidly distinguish between brain bleeds and clot-caused strokes, even before patients arrive at the hospital. This test uses glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels to differentiate between hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes, which can lead to opposite treatments.
A University of Oklahoma researcher is exploring alternate strategies for identifying and targeting Alzheimer's and related diseases using a $2.2 million federal grant. The study aims to understand the mechanisms linking aging to cognitive decline, potentially leading to new treatments for dementia.
A study found that changing cholesterol levels over time is associated with a higher risk of dementia in older adults. The study suggests that fluctuating cholesterol may be a new biomarker for identifying people at risk of dementia.
A recent study by Rei Akaishi at RIKEN CBS found that larger groups can actually promote greater cooperation. Participants in the 'prisoner's dilemma' game cooperated more frequently as group size grew, with brain scans showing increased activity in regions involved in prosocial behavior and memory processing. This challenges conventio...
Researchers at Rice University's Synthesis X Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center are developing a light-induced brain delivery platform to improve drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier for treating brain metastasis. The goal is to enhance survival rates and transform the standard of care for this deadly form of cancer.
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that heavy cannabis users exhibited reduced brain activity during working memory tasks, associated with worse performance. Abstaining from cannabis before cognitive tasks may help improve performance.
Tobias Ackels' research reveals that mammals can differentiate between odor sources at lightning speed, using a temporal dimension to orient themselves in space. This ability is encoded in the output of the olfactory bulb and could be used for early detection of dementia.
A study by cognitive neuroscientists found that the relationship between space and time processing varies across different brain regions. In posterior areas, space and time are processed together, while in anterior areas, they are processed independently. The study highlights a functional hierarchy with distinct neural populations resp...
Researchers at McGill University discovered a novel brain mechanism that explains why bipolar patients alternate between mania and depression. A dopamine-based 'second brain clock' controls mood shifts, operating in tandem with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle.
A new study has identified two biomarkers, corticomotor excitability and peak alpha frequency, that can accurately distinguish high- and low-pain sensitive individuals. This finding has the potential to transform the way chronic pain is understood and managed, allowing for more effective treatment strategies.
Neuromorphic computing is poised to emerge into full-scale commercial use, driven by the need for energy-efficient solutions. The review article proposes strategies for building large-scale neuromorphic systems that can tackle complex real-world challenges.
Researchers at MIT develop CuRVE technology, enabling uniform labeling of proteins across millions of individual cells in intact 3D tissues. This breakthrough allows for unprecedented insights into cellular functions and behaviors, overcoming limitations of existing labeling methods.
A new study from the University of Southern Denmark reveals that the brain's self-healing abilities are hindered by inflammation after a stroke. The researchers mapped specific cells that play a central role in rebuilding myelin, but found gender differences in how men and women respond to injuries.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered a promising drug candidate that accelerates the brain's natural repair mechanisms and improves vision-related brain functions. The treatment, LL-341070, enhances myelin repair, which is crucial for preventing vision loss in diseases like MS.
London taxi drivers use cognitive resources efficiently by prioritizing challenging areas first and filling in the rest of the route around them. This flexible planning strategy can help improve future AI navigation technologies.
Researchers analyzed London taxi drivers' route-planning behavior and found they prioritize high-complexity parts of the city space during offline thinking time. This contradicts previous hypotheses about their decision-making process.
Researchers used EEG to map brain activity in response to hot and cold temperatures, finding that both invoke similar activity patterns in overlapping brain regions. The study could lead to more objective methods for evaluating thermal comfort and reducing health risks due to ambiguous subjective evaluations.
Researchers identify key brain signals prediction error and expected value to predict recovery potential in depression. They found unique brain activity patterns that could inform tailored therapy strategies, targeting specific symptoms of depression.
UCSF researchers found that when brain cells of female mice express only a maternal X chromosome, their memory and cognitive skills deteriorate faster. This study could explain the variation in brain aging between the sexes and individual women.
Researchers found that individuals with childhood epilepsy have an increased accumulation of brain amyloid later in life, which may lead to late-onset brain amyloid disorders like Alzheimer's disease. The study also showed that these individuals performed worse in cognitive tests compared to controls.
Researchers have created a detailed structural map of GABA A receptors in the human brain, revealing how they assemble and interact with drugs. The study provides new insights into treating epilepsy, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and paves the way for customized therapies.
A large population-based analysis found that genetic variants in the GLP1R gene are associated with cardiometabolic traits and behavioral changes, such as risk-taking behavior and anxiety. These findings suggest that any observed behavioral changes with GLP1RA medications are unlikely to be a direct result of the medication.
Researchers found that biotin supplementation reverses neurotoxicity in human nerve cells, improving mitochondrial function and reducing cell loss. Biotin metabolism was identified as a modifier of manganese-induced neurodegeneration, offering potential therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease
Professors Scott Acton and Mathews Jacob of UVA's Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering were named to the IEEE Signal Processing Society's 2025 Class of Distinguished Lecturers for their groundbreaking work in signal processing, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging.
The Advanced Research + Invention Agency has awarded $84.2 million to Rice researchers to explore and unlock new methods for interfacing with the human brain at the circuit level. The project involves developing a distributed network of minimally invasive implants to stimulate neural circuits with cell-type precision.
Researchers found subtle brain changes in people with Huntington's disease 20 years before symptoms appear, offering hope for earlier interventions. The study identified early markers of neurodegeneration through advanced imaging and biomarkers.
A study analyzing the brains of women during pregnancy for the first time reveals that 94% of grey matter undergoes changes, particularly in social cognition regions. The research shows a reduction and partial recovery of brain volume, associated with steroid hormone fluctuations and maternal well-being.
Neuroscientists at WashU develop a novel method to create personalized brain models, shedding light on individual variations in brain dynamics and their impact on cognition and behavior. The study reveals new insights into the mechanisms underlying person-specific differences in brain electrophysiology.
The study provides insights into the roles of microglia in neurodegenerative diseases, revealing nine transcriptionally distinct subpopulations. The GPNMB-high Lipo.DAM signature is associated with Alzheimer's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, and may hold relevance for immune-based therapies.
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a unique method for encoding natural touch sensations via specific microstimulation patterns in implantable electrodes. This allows individuals with spinal cord injuries to feel tactile edges, shapes, curvatures and movements, enabling them to control a bionic arm with the...
A new study reveals that the inherited genetic mutation in Huntington’s disease doesn't harm cells immediately, but slowly morphs into a highly toxic form that kills the cell. The findings suggest potential ways to delay or even prevent the disease by stopping or slowing CAG-repeat expansion in the HTT gene.
Researchers at UTEP aim to understand how drugs impact decision-making processes and drive costly behaviors. The study will use animal models and computational neurobiology to simulate neural activity and test hypotheses about the relationship between drug use, decision-making, and brain activity.
Researchers investigated how individuals with anorexia and eating disorders perceive body weight, finding they underestimate the weight of smaller hands and overestimate the weight of larger hands. This study suggests two different mechanisms for weight perception in body parts versus objects.
A study led by University of Cincinnati researcher Jun-Ming Zhang investigates the link between blood vessel movement and neuropathic spontaneous pain. The research aims to understand how blood vessel movement triggers cluster firing of neurons, a key mechanism in neuropathic pain.
Researchers at University of the Basque Country discover molecule that protects brain and reverses initial cognitive damage caused by dementia; increases activity of cannabinoid and cholinergic systems, improving memory. Further studies needed to identify similar molecules for clinical trials.
The Brain Health Navigator program aims to provide resources for patients and providers at six US sites, promoting intuitive care navigation. The initiative supports healthcare providers across multiple settings, including frontline interactions and diagnosis, with educational components on brain health and post-diagnostic care.
The study found three psychological profiles associated with different patterns of cognitive and brain decline in ageing. A 'well-balanced' profile is linked to better cognitive and mental health, while low levels of protective characteristics are linked to poorer cognition and brain atrophy.
Researchers developed an AI model to detect brain cancer spread in surrounding tissue using MRI scans, showing 85-per-cent accuracy. This non-surgical method offers insights into patients' cancer without aggressive surgery, potentially improving treatment and survival.
Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed a new training technique for highly efficient AI methods, inspired by biological neurons that use short voltage pulses to communicate. This approach enables spiking neural networks to be trained using conventional methods, resulting in improved accuracy and reduced energy consumption.
A team led by University of Rochester professor Edmund Lalor aims to understand how the brain processes audiovisual information to improve speech comprehension for individuals with cochlear implants. They will use noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) brainwave measurements to study how people respond to multisensory speech.
Researchers discovered a brain functional connectome phenotype related to multiple cerebrovascular disease markers that contributes additively to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration alongside Alzheimer's disease. The study highlights the role of cerebrovascular disease in reshaping our understanding of dementia.
A study of 23-year-olds in Europe found over half exhibit restrictive, emotional, or uncontrolled eating behaviors. Structural brain differences play a role in the development of these habits.
A new analysis of US mortality data shows men are most likely to die from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), with rates over three times higher than women. Older adults and specific racial and ethnic groups, such as American Indian or Alaska Native people, also face a higher risk of fatal TBI-related deaths.
Researchers at the University of Parma and Sant'Anna School in Pisa developed a new approach to understand how the brain controls spontaneous movements in natural situations. The study used telemetric devices to record hundreds of neurons from the brains of monkeys, revealing complex synergies between individual neurons that allow for ...
A study published in Cell describes the synchronized oscillations that occur during non-REM sleep, including norepinephrine, cerebral blood volume, and CSF flow. The research highlights the critical role of these oscillations in powering the glymphatic system, which removes protein waste associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers found neurotransmitters in the human brain are released during emotional language processing, providing insights into how words shape our choices and mental health. The study bridges biology and symbolism, linking neural processes to human communication and emotion.
The Neuron special issue sheds light on the science of aging, focusing on how age-related changes impact the brain's ability to clear waste and transport energy. The collection also explores the link between the immune system and brain health.
Researchers at UCSF have discovered a new type of stem cell in the young brain that can form cells found in tumors, shedding light on how adult brain cells grow and develop into deadly brain cancers. The study provides a comprehensive roadmap for understanding healthy brain development, which could lead to better treatments for conditi...
Researchers at Delft University of Technology have developed durable neural implants that can withstand chronic use, enabling safe and effective brain-computer interfaces. The study found that PDMS coating significantly enhances the longevity of implantable chips.