Alzheimer’s Research Shifts Toward Immune System BalanceAlzheimer’s disease affects over 55 million people worldwide and has long been linked to toxic protein buildup and chronic inflammation in the brain. A new review shows that adaptive immune cells—T and B cells—also play a crucial role, sometimes worsening brain damage, sometimes offering protection.Read More
When Brain Cancer Cells Stick Together, They’re Less DangerousA groundbreaking study has revealed that glioblastoma cells behave differently depending on whether they cluster or disperse. Cells that remain in clusters are less aggressive, while dispersed cells are more plastic, meaning they can adapt and resist treatments more easily.Read More
Speeding Up Speech Doesn’t Speed Up Brain ProcessingNew research shows that when people listen to speech at different speeds, the auditory cortex does not adjust its timing but instead processes sound in a fixed time window. This discovery challenges the long-standing idea that the brain flexibly adapts its processing pace to match speech rhythms.Read More
Fetal Movements Boost Maternal AttachmentA new study shows that fetal movement frequency in late pregnancy is directly tied to stronger maternal-fetal attachment. Using an actocardiograph, researchers objectively measured movements and found that higher activity was associated with greater emotional bonding, even when controlling for other factors like maternal mood or gestational age.Read More
Gut Problems in Autism Linked to Sleep, Behavior, and Sensory ChallengesA long-term study tracking 475 children found that autistic children are far more likely to experience persistent gastrointestinal issues than their peers. These symptoms often co-occur, persist across childhood, and strongly relate to challenges with sleep, communication, behavior, and sensory processing.Read More
Psychedelics Show Promise for Healing Concussions and Brain InjuriesTraumatic brain injuries, including concussions, affect nearly 69 million people worldwide each year, yet treatments remain scarce. A new review highlights the potential of psychedelics such as psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT to reduce harmful inflammation and enhance neuroplasticity after brain injury.Read More
Early Brain Damage From Sports Hits Seen Long Before CTENew research shows that repetitive head impacts from contact sports trigger early and lasting brain changes in athletes years before chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is detectable. The study found neuron loss, microglial activation, and blood vessel changes in athletes under 51, even in those without tau buildup, the usual CTE marker.Read More
Lifestyle Changes Show Power to Prevent Alzheimer’sA growing body of research underscores that Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline are not inevitable parts of aging. Lifestyle interventions targeting exercise, diet, social engagement, and cognitive stimulation have been shown in large clinical trials to improve brain function and slow decline.Read More
Green Mediterranean Diet Slows Brain AgingA large-scale dietary trial has shown that a green-Mediterranean diet can slow brain aging by altering key blood proteins linked to neurodegeneration. Using MRI scans and proteomic profiling, researchers tracked nearly 300 participants over 18 months and found that diet significantly shaped the brain age gap.Read More
PET Tracer Maps Synapse Loss After Spinal Cord InjuryResearchers developed a new PET tracer capable of measuring synapse loss after spinal cord injury, offering insights into both spinal and brain changes. In rat models, the tracer revealed significant synaptic reductions at the injury site and in distant brain regions, highlighting how widespread the effects of injury can be.Read More
When Machines Become Our Moral LoopholeA large study across 13 experiments with over 8,000 participants shows that people are far more likely to act dishonestly when they can delegate tasks to AI rather than do them themselves. Dishonesty rose most when participants only had to set broad goals, rather than explicit instructions, allowing them to distance themselves from the unethical act.Read More
AI Spots Subtle Facial Cues Linked to Early Depression RiskDepression’s earliest signs can be hard to spot, but a new study shows AI can detect them in subtle facial movements. Japanese students with subthreshold depression were perceived as less friendly and expressive by peers, despite not seeming nervous or fake.Read More
Why Humans Adapt Faster Than AIHumans excel at adapting to new situations, while machines often stumble. A new interdisciplinary study reveals that the root lies in how humans and AI approach “generalization,” the process of transferring knowledge to new problems.Read More
Your Words May Reveal More Than You Think: AI Shows HowPsychologists are turning to artificial intelligence to uncover hidden psychological cues in speech, from word choice to tone and pacing.Read More
AI Matches Human Social PerceptionResearchers found that ChatGPT could assess social interactions in videos and images almost as accurately as humans. The AI’s evaluations of social features like cooperation, hostility, and body movements were even more consistent than those of a single person.Read More
Brain Circuits Show Why Friends’ Lies Are Easier to BelieveResearchers explored how people process deception from friends versus strangers, using brain imaging to study decision-making in gain and loss contexts. Volunteers were more likely to believe lies in situations promising rewards, with brain activity highlighting circuits for risk, reward, and intention.Read More
Simple Hair Test May Spot Mental Health Risks in KidsLong-term stress, measured through hair cortisol, may help predict mental health risks in children living with chronic physical illnesses. In a four-year study of 244 children, researchers found that persistently high cortisol levels were strongly linked to anxiety, depression, and behavioral difficulties.Read More
Loneliness Drives Teens to Seek RewardsA new study reveals that adolescents are highly sensitive to even brief periods of social isolation, showing a sharp increase in motivation to seek rewards after just a few hours alone. This heightened drive can encourage reconnection but may also lead to risky behaviors if social contact isn’t available.Read More
Aggression Is Contagious: Observing Violence Primes the Brain for AggressionA new study shows that observing violence can make individuals more likely to act aggressively later, but the effect depends on familiarity. Male mice who watched familiar peers attack others became more violent afterward, driven by amygdala neurons that “prime” aggression.Read More
Brain Structure Differences in Children with ADHD DiscoveredResearchers tested a new MRI correction method, called the traveling-subject (TS) approach, to resolve inconsistencies in ADHD brain imaging results. By scanning the same healthy subjects across multiple MRI machines, they identified and corrected for measurement biases, producing more reliable data.Read More
Study Links Thumb Length to Brain Size and CognitionNew research reveals that primates with longer thumbs tend to have larger brains, suggesting that manual dexterity and brain evolution developed together. The study analyzed 94 living and extinct primate species and found a consistent link between thumb length and brain size.Read More
Evolution of Human Brain May Explain High Autism RatesA new study suggests that autism may be linked to the rapid evolution of brain cell types unique to humans. Researchers found that outer-layer neurons in the human brain evolved far more quickly than in other apes, with significant changes in autism-associated genes.Read More
Elderly Positivity Bias May Signal Early Cognitive DeclineNew research suggests that the tendency of older adults to misinterpret neutral or negative emotions as positive may be a warning sign of cognitive decline. In a study of 665 participants, positivity bias was associated with poorer cognitive performance but not with emotional decline such as depression.Read More
Experimental Drugs Reverse Autism SymptomsResearchers have identified hyperactivity in the reticular thalamic nucleus as a driver of autism-like behaviors in mice. This brain region, which gates sensory information, was found to be overactive during stimuli and social interactions, leading to seizures, repetitive behaviors, and social withdrawal.Read More
Your Red Is My Red: Shared Brain Codes for ColorHuman brains share common patterns of activity when perceiving colors, suggesting universal neural coding of color. Researchers compared brain responses from one group of participants to predict what colors another group was viewing, finding high accuracy in decoding both color and brightness.Read More
