https://medicalxpress.com/neurology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Neurology A team of experimental oncology researchers at the University of Alberta is shedding light on how the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma spreads. In newly published research, they identify a potential treatment target to slow or even stop it. Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of cancer that affects 4 in 100,000 people, according to Brain Tumor Canada, with an average survival of 12 to 18 months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-inhibit-brain-cancer-infiltration-mechanism.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:00:05 EDT news699866873 Researchers at Kanazawa University and the Japanese Stroke & Physical Activity Multiple Center Research Team have identified distinct sedentary behavior patterns among patients with stroke undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-patients-sedentary-profiles-inpatient-rehab.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 09:30:01 EDT news699872936 In 2025, the European Medicines Agency approved two antibodies for Alzheimer's disease: lecanemab (LeqembiTM, from Biogen) and donanemab (Kisunla, from Eli Lilly and Co.), both based on immunotherapy (the use of molecules from the immune system to treat diseases). These antibodies, obtained in the laboratory, act against the Aβ peptide, a protein fragment that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Elimination of this protein by the immune system helps slow the characteristic cognitive decline of the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-antibody-fragment-hemorrhages-alzheimer-treatments.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:40:01 EDT news699875268 A suburban Chicago woman who feared she might never have another child is now celebrating a growing family after brain surgery at Northwestern Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-surgery-pituitary-tumor-illinois.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:40:02 EDT news699881442 How we sleep may have lasting impacts on our brain health as we age. A new University of Arizona study has found that several common sleep behaviors may be linked to signs of brain aging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-struggle-common-habits-brain-aging.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:40:01 EDT news699887521 With dementia cases expected to nearly triple worldwide by 2050, researchers are increasingly focused on identifying ways to prevent or delay the disease. While lifestyle and health-related factors, such as blood pressure control and physical activity, influence dementia risk, genetics also play a major role. Currently, it is unclear whether maintaining a favorable lifestyle reduces dementia risk equally across different genetic backgrounds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-favorable-lifestyle-health-linked-dementia.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:05 EDT news699881524 Inside the brain is a dense network of neurons that receive, process, and relay information. The synapse, where neurons meet, is the epicenter of this communication. Neurons that send information, called presynaptic neurons, hold tiny packages of neurotransmitters—waiting for a chemical signal from the brain to be released. How this system is regulated by the brain during periods of learning has, until now, been out of reach. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-cellular-3d-reveal-synapses.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:01 EDT news699880261 Working with mouse models, research led by the University of Michigan has revealed previously hidden biology of how touch-sensitive hairs create itching sensations. This fundamental discovery opens new avenues to better understand and potentially address human health conditions characterized by persistent itchiness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-peach-fuzz-clues-chronic-treatments.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:20:02 EDT news699879601 An irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, leads to inefficient pumping of blood by the heart, which then prevents blood and oxygen from getting to the body's other organs. When blood and oxygen flow poorly to the brain, the risk of stroke and cognitive decline increases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-triggered-arrhythmia-reveals-rapid-brain.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:40:06 EDT news699877621 A class of flu drugs may reduce cognitive decline and premature aging in people living with chronic viral infection, reports a new study led by Northwestern University that began with blood samples from people with HIV and extended into preclinical drug trials. The findings point to a potential new therapy for cognitive problems in people with HIV, with broader implications for other aging-related diseases, such as dementia. The study is published in Med. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-flu-drugs-cognitive-decline.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:03 EDT news699781862 A drug widely used to combat intestinal worms has shown promise in treating brain tumors, with scientists calling for more trials to confirm it works in humans. A systematic review published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and co-authored by Bond University researchers found mebendazole (MBZ) consistently slowed tumor growth in laboratory and animal tests. It doubled survival rates in mice, and in one study, MBZ combined with radiotherapy left more than half of mice tumor-free over the long term. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-worm-tablet-repurposed-brain-cancer.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:40:02 EDT news699864542 Infants exposed to the Zika virus during pregnancy may face hidden developmental challenges, even if they appear healthy at birth. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison highlights the need for better developmental screening during a child's first year of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-prenatal-zika-exposure-trigger-vision.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:20:01 EDT news699795479 Cerebral palsy is the most common disability that starts in childhood, affecting about 50 million people worldwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-exoskeletons-people-cerebral-palsy-reality.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:20:06 EDT news699797523 You have gone without food for days, and the temperature drops to near freezing. What do you do? For some animals, the answer is influenced by the brain's circadian clock. Hummingbirds, bats, and mice are among the animals that can enter torpor, which reduces body temperature and metabolism. Scientists suspected that the brain's circadian clock controls the timing of torpor, but until now the exact mechanism was not known. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-circuit-state-metabolism-implications.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:20:05 EDT news699804241 Epilepsy isn't always easy to diagnose. Seizures often don't occur during routine brain-wave recordings (EEGs), leaving doctors without the direct observation they need to make a clear diagnosis. University of Delaware researchers and collaborators are working to close that gap, using artificial intelligence to detect early warning signs hidden in the brain's electrical rhythms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-decodes-epilepsy-brain-seizures.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:00:03 EDT news699803405 The age-adjusted Parkinson disease death rate among adults aged 65 years and older declined from 2021 to 2024, according to a June 4 data brief published by the National Center for Health Statistics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-parkinson-disease-death-adults-aged.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:20:04 EDT news699797028 A new statistical framework developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Kaiser Permanente Northern California offers improved understanding of how genetics and environment contribute to autism risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-autism-framework-tracks-genes-maternal.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:00:04 EDT news699802321 A new study from Bradley Hospital researchers shows that cannabis use during adolescence is associated with differences in brain regions involved in motivation and reward, which support healthy development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-teen-cannabis-disrupt-dopamine-brain.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:40:04 EDT news699802082 You sit down to start a task you care about. Nothing happens. You open your phone instead. Minutes turn into hours. You feel restless, flat, or oddly exhausted, even though you haven't done much at all. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-dopamine-menus-small-pleasures-unstuck.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:20:07 EDT news699796142 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an innate brain developmental disorder that often manifests from early childhood. While genetic factors and differences in brain development are known to be involved, a definitive cure has yet to be established. Understanding and potentially reversing the underlying neurological abnormalities is a major challenge in neuroscience. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-specific-neural-circuits-autism-behaviors.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:20:04 EDT news699795421 Researchers from VIB, KU Leuven, the UK-DRI and Muna Therapeutics have uncovered a critical biological transition that may determine whether Alzheimer's disease pathology leads to dementia. Studying brain tissue from older adults with and without cognitive decline, as well as cognitively healthy centenarians, the team identified distinct cellular programs and immune-cell states associated with disease progression and resilience. Their findings, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that changes in microglia—the brain's resident immune cells—could represent an important target for future Alzheimer's therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-alzheimer-revealed-brain-immune-cells.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:06 EDT news699793862 Short-term memories are thought to be formed deep within the brain in structures such as the hippocampus, but little is known about how and where memory-related information is kept in the brain or the process of drawing on this information. A good example is the sound of a car horn—most of us recognize it as a warning and know how to respond, even though not all horns sound the same and the circumstances in which we might hear a horn are different each time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-circuit-links-memory-revealing.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:40:03 EDT news699791102 Women are twice as likely as men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—and new research may offer a biological clue as to why. A Virginia Tech study found that the female brain forms fear memories using a molecular process not seen in the male brain. The findings suggest that treatments for PTSD may need to be tailored differently for men and women, said the study's lead researcher, Timothy Jarome, an associate professor of neurobiology in the School of Animal Sciences located within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-memories-differently-male-female-brains.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:20:09 EDT news699792241 An international collaboration of genetic researchers has identified more than 90 genetic regions associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The large-scale meta-analysis reveals new biological insights into the disease, highlighting the important roles of immune processes, beta-amyloid and tau biology, and lipid metabolism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-alzheimer-gene-loci-revealing-previously.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:20:05 EDT news699787942 Becoming a mother changes the brain not just temporarily, but for life. Pregnancy and the postpartum period trigger lasting changes in the maternal brain through the brain chemical dopamine, producing long-term benefits to learning, memory, and maternal behavior, a process disrupted by chronic postpartum stress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-motherhood-lifelong-brain-dopamine-linked.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:40:06 EDT news699787921 The brain may reuse some cells to store many different memories without mixing them up with or erasing older memories, a new study in mice suggests. Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the study revealed that about 1 in 4 memory cells in a brain area called the hippocampus acts as a shared "hub" that links incoming and outgoing signals. A report on the findings was published in the journal Nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-newfound-switchboard-brain-memories-older.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:20:03 EDT news699782701 Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are expected to more than double by 2060. As June marks Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, three University of Florida researchers are working to improve clinicians' ability to distinguish between these diseases—a critical step toward earlier diagnosis and better outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-dementia-cases-ai-tool-diagnosis.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:20:01 EDT news699775562 While E. Josie Clowney would never suggest that neuroscience is simple, a new study by her team at the University of Michigan could drastically reduce complexity in future studies. Their work focused on instinctual behaviors in fruit flies, but it has the potential to accelerate work to better understand the neurobiology that underlies behavior and decision-making in mammals, including humans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-neuron-ground-brain-behavior.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:20:02 EDT news699723961 From responding to the ping of your phone notification to reaching for a snack at the end of the day, many everyday behaviors begin as mindful choices and end up feeling almost automatic. Now a study from Johns Hopkins University, published in Nature Communications, suggests that such shifting may not always happen slowly. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-habits-faster-previously-thought.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:00:06 EDT news699723781 A new study published today in JAMA Network Open found that removing olfactory groove meningioma—a type of brain tumor located near the base of the brain—may improve blood sugar control in patients with diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-tumor-blood-sugar-diabetes.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:40:03 EDT news699719162