https://medicalxpress.com/neurology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Neurology Our hands may do more than complement what we say. They can also help our brains process grammar. In a new neuroimaging study published in PNAS, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (MPI) in Nijmegen show that gestures can make it easier to process negative sentences ("I did not sleep"), providing the first neurocognitive evidence that gestures influence grammatical processing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-gestures-brains-grammar.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:20:06 EDT news708882301 Researchers from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed a new, noninvasive way to examine how blood flow and cellular organization align across the layers of the living human brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-mri-reveals-blood-brain-cells.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:00:05 EDT news708868067 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with more than 1,200 risk genes, raising a fundamental question: Do these diverse genetic changes affect the brain in entirely different ways, or do they converge on shared biological mechanisms? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-autism-mutations-reveal-opposing-patterns.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:20:07 EDT news708879661 Deep in the brainstem sits a small but important cluster of neurons known as the locus coeruleus (LC), Latin for "blue place." It makes up a tiny fraction of the brain's cells but plays an important role by releasing the chemical messenger norepinephrine (NE). NE activates the body's response to stress or excitement, affects attention and learning, and affects heart rate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-scientists-brain-mysterious-blue-longest.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:00:27 EDT news708877321 The eyes are more than lenses to the outside world; they can also be windows that offer a glimpse into what's happening inside our bodies. What if the eyes could help us understand how attention shifts from one moment to the next? Scientists are now testing whether tiny changes in pupil size can serve as a physiological marker of these fluctuations in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-children-pupils-reveal-shifting-attention.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:10:01 EDT news708875735 A new clinical trial led by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience has found that exercise has a significant effect on mood and lab-based measures of new brain cell formation in healthy middle-aged participants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-clinical-physical-trial-mood-neuron.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:40:03 EDT news708870541 Most research on the diagnosis of dementia focuses on people who are never diagnosed. But in a new study, Yale researchers look at the other side: people who have been diagnosed but do not know it or do not acknowledge it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-dementia-patients-dont-diagnosis.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:40:15 EDT news708866762 Researchers have completed the largest study to date of TCF7L2-related neurodevelopmental disorder (TRND), a rare genetic condition caused by changes in the TCF7L2 gene, which plays an important role in brain development. By analyzing 76 patients from around the world in collaboration with sites across 14 countries and several U.S. cities, including Philadelphia and Boston, the team found that the most common identifying features were speech delay, autism, developmental delays, vision problems such as nearsightedness, and orthopedic issues affecting the muscles and skeleton. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rare-newly-tcf7l2-neurodevelopmental-disorder.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:20:12 EDT news708866402 Dizziness, fatigue, brain fog and a racing heart. They're commonly associated with long COVID, but new Adelaide University research suggests that for some people, these symptoms may also be indications of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a debilitating and difficult-to-diagnose condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-heart-reveal-overlap-covid-pots.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:40:25 EDT news708865621 The aging brain is often viewed through a lens of cognitive decline, with older adults seen as compensating for their fading memory. New research in Perspectives on Psychological Science challenges that view. Drawing evidence from molecular biology and neuroimaging, researchers at the University of Arizona argue that late-life cognition is a natural phase of human development, one that prioritizes wisdom over details. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-aging-brain-declining.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:40:01 EDT news708865802 Chronic pain, including arthritis pain, affects more than one-third of U.K. adults. Current painkillers such as methotrexate and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) work by damping down the immune system, which is overproducing inflammatory agents that cause pain, but relief is often short-lived and incomplete, and they can leave patients more vulnerable to infection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-body-warmth-sensor-secretly-pain.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:20:07 EDT news708863822 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have identified candidate treatment targets and potential prognostic markers for high-grade glioma, an aggressive brain cancer, in children, adolescents and young adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-tumor-profiling-reveals-enzyme-candidate.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:00:15 EDT news708794762 The foundations of brain development are laid during a crucial period of pregnancy, and a common household plasticizer called DEHP may be quietly interfering with this process. Scientists have now found that prenatal exposure to DEHP is linked to higher autism spectrum disorder (ASD)- and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms at ages 2 and 4. The effects could be traced back to changes in gene networks that play a key role in brain development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-plasticizer-exposure-pregnancy-linked-autism.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:00:02 EDT news708856331 An existing anti-seizure drug slows the growth of a devastating group of childhood cancers, new Stanford Medicine-led research has shown. The tumors, called diffuse midline gliomas, strike the brain and spinal cord. They affect 300 to 400 U.S. children per year and have a five-year survival rate of about 1%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-anti-seizure-drug-aggressive-childhood.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 05:00:03 EDT news708794221 A simple change in when people eat may offer a promising new approach for Huntington's disease, according to research led by Oregon Health & Science University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-intermittent-fasting-huntington-disease.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 05:00:01 EDT news708776821 New research from the CU Anschutz Marcus Institute for Brain Health shows that irritability is strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, chronic pain and difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments among military veterans with chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-concussions-veterans-linked-ptsd-chronic.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 03:00:01 EDT news708761340 Many women say the same thing during pregnancy: They walk into a room and forget why, misplace their keys or struggle to follow a conversation. This phenomenon, often called "pregnancy brain" or "momnesia," has long lacked a clear biological explanation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-momnesia-real-scientists-biological-explanation.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:00:01 EDT news708795421 Researchers at DZNE and Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin are working on a targeted therapy for neurological autoimmune diseases. So far, they have successfully tested their approach in mouse studies involving two such conditions. Their concept is based on deliberately modified immune cells, so-called CAAR T cells, designed to eliminate only the immune cells responsible for causing disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-caar-cell-therapy-route-neurological.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:20:06 EDT news708790441 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that individuals with bulimia nervosa have structural differences in brain regions involved in reward and motivation, as well as social and sensory processing, and that more frequent binge eating is associated with more widespread differences in brain structure, according to research published today in JAMA Psychiatry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-binge-widespread-brain-differences-bulimia.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:00:08 EDT news708790201 Virtually all high-grade, aggressive gliomas in adults accumulate massive amounts of a metabolite called guanidinoacetate (GAA) that overstimulates nearby neurons and promotes tumor growth, according to new research from scientists at Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) published in Cell. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-metabolite-buildup-reveals-aggressive-brain.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:40:06 EDT news708790141 Executive function encompasses a suite of cognitive processes that enable individuals to regulate their behavior, thoughts and emotions. These skills are essential for tasks such as following instructions, controlling impulses and adapting to changing situations. Early childhood is a critical period for the development of executive function, and differences in these abilities have been linked to future academic success, social competence and long-term health and life outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-eye-window-function-prefrontal-early.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:20:04 EDT news708789241 Exposure to high-level blasts from incoming explosive devices or land mines among military veterans is associated with an increased risk of several conditions, such as seizures, neuropathy and stroke, years later, according to a study published Sept. 16, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that exposure to blasts causes these conditions; it only shows an association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-blast-exposure-military-conditions-seizures.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:00:04 EDT news708761357 Scientists at the University of Galway have taken part in a first-in-human study of stroke patients using a thin wire fitted with sensors to assess and map their clots. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-human-trial-blood-clots.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:40:06 EDT news708780661 Families caring for a loved one with young-onset dementia are facing years of uncertainty, financial strain and emotional exhaustion—with many struggling to access timely diagnosis and appropriate support—according to a new Curtin University study appearing in Health Expectations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-reveals-young-onset-dementia-impact.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:30:03 EDT news708761325 Stanford Medicine scientists have chalked up a major advance in growing human brain cells outside the human brain—and outside laboratory glassware. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-mice-human-brain-organoids-space.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:40:03 EDT news708775982 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect attention, activity levels and impulse control, with symptoms often beginning in childhood and sometimes continuing into adulthood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-reveals-brain-protein-adhd.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news708771259 Pain is a natural protective mechanism that alerts the body to actual or potential injury. But when nerves themselves are damaged, they can generate abnormal pain signals even in the absence of a new injury. This condition, known as neuropathic pain, can be persistent and difficult to treat. Medicines can sometimes provide inadequate relief or cause unwanted effects, creating a need for treatments that can reduce abnormal pain without interfering with normal pain sensation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-nav17-approach-relief-nerve-pain.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:20:09 EDT news708771248 Researchers are raising concerns about the promotion of Alzheimer's disease blood tests on social media, particularly posts making claims that do not align with current clinical recommendations. In the first published study of its kind, researchers from the University of Sydney analyzed 188 posts shared between March 2014 and May 2025 on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok about Alzheimer's blood tests, which have been allowed in Australia since July this year. Posts came from accounts with a combined audience of more than 114 million followers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-social-media-alzheimer-blood.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:20:06 EDT news708765302 Losing muscle as we age could be an important warning sign for dementia, according to new Curtin University research. Researchers analyzed more than 80 studies examining the links between body weight, body fat, muscle health and dementia, finding people with sarcopenia—the loss of muscle mass and strength—had a 42% higher risk of dementia. Sarcopenia is a condition in which people lose muscle mass, strength and physical function, often as they get older. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-dementia-muscles.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:01 EDT news708762962 A woman began walking with a more fluid gait, while another patient could suddenly eat using utensils. Both patients, in advanced stages of Parkinson's disease, experienced immediate relief from severe tremor on one side of their body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-dual-high-intensity-focused-ultrasound.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:40:01 EDT news708697700