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Neuroscience news

Health

Five ways microplastics may harm your brain

Microplastics could be fueling neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, with a new study highlighting five ways microplastics can trigger inflammation and damage in the brain.

Psychology & Psychiatry

Memories are not static: How the brain stores and reshapes personal experiences over time

A study from the University of East Anglia is helping scientists better understand how our brains remember past events—and how those memories can change over time.

Neuroscience

Tricking the brain to make exercise feel easier

Why do some people find a short jog exhausting, while others seem to run effortlessly? Of course, part of the answer lies in training and muscle strength. But the brain also plays a role, particularly in how we perceive effort.

Neuroscience

Single enzyme failure found to drive neuron loss in dementia

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich and the LMU University Hospital Munich uncovered a mechanism that protects nerve cells from premature cell death, known as ferroptosis. The study provides ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Breathe in, breathe out: How respiration shapes remembering

First and foremost, we breathe in order to absorb oxygen—but this vital rhythm could also have other functions. Over the past few years, a range of studies have shown that respiration influences neural processes, including ...

Neuroscience

Recent trial reveals promising therapy for aggressive brain cancer

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) participated in a clinical trial that found that a new combination treatment plan helped people with recurring grade 3 astrocytoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

How the brain prioritizes bodily signals in conscious awareness

A new study shows that visual and tactile impressions that are related to our own body are prioritized for reaching conscious awareness. This helps us understand how we develop the feeling that the body is our own—through ...

Genetics

Hidden cellular layers revealed in brain's memory center

Researchers at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a previously unknown pattern of organization in one of the brain's most important ...

Medical research

CaMKIIα redox mechanism revealed as key to learning and memory

A research team led by Prof. Chen Chang from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Huang Zhangjian of China Pharmaceutical University, has uncovered a previously unknown ...

Neuroscience

What happens in the brain when it learns something new

Memories of significant learning experiences—like the first time a driver gets a speeding ticket—are sharp, compared to the recollection of everyday events—like what someone ate for dinner two weeks ago. That's because ...

Neuroscience

Researchers reverse autism symptoms in mice with epilepsy drugs

Stanford Medicine scientists investigating the neurological underpinnings of autism spectrum disorder have found that hyperactivity in a specific brain region could drive behaviors commonly associated with the disorder.

Psychology & Psychiatry

Changing how we understand, and potentially treat, misophonia

Throughout her career, Laurie Heller has listened closely—not just to words, but to sound itself. In the Auditory Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, the psychology professor explores how the brain interprets everything ...

Oncology & Cancer

Blocking brain damage may slow glioblastoma growth

Blocking brain damage triggered by a glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, may slow the growth of the cancer and allow the brain to keep working better for longer, according to a new study led by UCL (University College ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Study explores impacts of acute and chronic stress on mental health

It is well established that stress can increase susceptibility to various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, which are highly prevalent worldwide and represent a significant economic burden and public ...

Neuroscience

Radio waves amp up smell without surgery or chemicals

Our sense of smell is more important than we often realize. It helps us enjoy food, detect danger like smoke or gas leaks, and even affects our memory and emotions. Many people—especially after COVID-19, aging, or brain ...

Neuroscience

3D-printed brain vessels replicate human blood flow patterns

Cerebrovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and stroke remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A common feature of these diseases is vascular stenosis, i.e., the narrowing of blood vessels, which disrupts ...

Oncology & Cancer

New options are advancing rare brain cancer treatment

Art Sullivan, a 38-year-old Ironman athlete, and Josh Lehman, 48, who works at the University of Rochester, are connected by an unlikely foe: a type of brain tumor called an astrocytoma that tends to afflict younger adults. ...

Neuroscience

An alphabet for hand actions in the human brain

Using a corkscrew, writing a letter with a pen or unlocking a door by turning a key are actions that seem simple but actually require a complex orchestration of precise movements. So, how does the brain do it?