Neuroscience News Science Magazine - Research Articles

Neuroscience News Home

Neuroscience News is an independent open access science magazine. Since 2001, we have featured neuroscience research news from labs, universities, hospitals and news departments around the world. Topics include brain research, AI, psychology, neuroscience, mental health and neurotech.

Latest Neuroscience News

Science news articles cover neuroscience, neurology, psychology, AI, mental health, robotics, neurotechnology and cognitive sciences.

HIV Drugs Linked to Lower Alzheimer’s Risk

New research shows that HIV drugs called NRTIs may significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Analyzing two large health databases, scientists found that patients on NRTIs had a 6% to 13% annual decrease in Alzheimer’s risk.

Bigger Brains and Strong Immunity Linked to Longer Lifespans

New research reveals that mammals with larger brains and more robust immune systems tend to live longer lives. By studying 46 species, scientists found a clear link between maximum lifespan and the expansion of immune-related gene families.

How Brain Signals Shape Its Protective Waste Disposal Network

The brain’s meningeal lymphatic system plays a key role in clearing waste and transporting immune cells, but until now, how it develops was unclear. Using zebrafish and advanced imaging, researchers revealed that neural activity regulates this system by influencing specialized glial cells that release Vegfc, a key growth factor.

Parental Genes Indirectly Influence Child Development

A new report reveals that parents' genes influence their children's educational and mental health outcomes, even when not directly inherited. This phenomenon, called "genetic nurture," shows that parents' genetic tendencies—such as valuing education or possessing strong non-cognitive skills—shape the home environment and positively impact child development.

This is a drawing of a cannabis pharmacy.

Legal Cannabis Linked to Less Problematic Use, Better Mental Health

The Weed Care study in Switzerland is investigating how legal access to cannabis affects users' consumption and mental health. In the first randomized trial of its kind, participants buying cannabis legally showed a slight decline in problematic use, especially among those who also used other drugs.

Neurology News Articles

Neurology news articles cover neurology, brain cancer, traumatic brain injuries, neurosurgery, neuroanatomy, brain research and neurological disorders.

Curiosity May Hold Key to Healthy Brain Aging

New research suggests that while general curiosity tends to decline with age, specific curiosity, or "state curiosity", actually increases later in life, potentially protecting against cognitive decline. Older adults showed heightened interest in learning new information, especially topics related to personal interests, which may help keep the brain sharp.

Heart’s Rhythm May Help Forecast Cognitive Longevity

Healthy hearts show complex, adaptive rhythms that reflect resilience to internal and external changes. Researchers applied a novel method to analyze heart rate complexity using wearable pulse oximeters and found that greater complexity predicted slower cognitive decline in older adults.

This shows processed foods and the outline of a person.

Ultra Processed Foods May Accelerate Parkinson’s Brain Changes

A large new study shows that consuming high amounts of ultra processed foods may be linked to early indicators of Parkinson’s disease. Researchers tracked over 42,000 adults for up to 26 years, finding that those eating 11 or more daily servings of ultra processed foods were 2.5 times more likely to show multiple prodromal Parkinson’s symptoms.

Knowing Alzheimer’s Risk Lowers Anxiety, But Motivation Fades

A new study shows that learning about amyloid beta buildup — a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease — does not increase emotional distress, but motivation to maintain healthy habits declines over time. Healthy adults who learned they had no amyloid buildup reported reduced depression, anxiety, and memory concerns, yet also lost motivation to continue positive lifestyle changes.

Gut Microbiome Reveals Chronic Pain Risk, AI Study Finds

New research shows that AI can identify complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) with over 90% accuracy by analyzing gut microbiome patterns. Despite differences in geography and diet, a shared "microbiome signature" was detected across patients from Israel and Canada.

AI News Articles

AI news articles cover science articles about artificial intelligence including ChatGPT, Bard, Dalle, neural networks, machine learning, LLMs, AGI and other AI related topics.

Neural Processing Gaps Explain Other-Race Face Blindness

Researchers have combined artificial intelligence and EEG brain activity data to better understand the Other-Race Effect (ORE), where people recognize faces of their own race more accurately than others. Studies revealed that participants processed other-race faces with less neural detail, seeing them as more average, younger, and more expressive.

This shows the outline of people and chat bubbles.

AI Companion Chatbots Linked to Rising Reports of Harassment and Harm

A new study reveals disturbing trends in AI companion chatbot use, with increasing reports of inappropriate behavior and harassment. Analyzing over 35,000 user reviews of the popular chatbot Replika, researchers found cases of unwanted sexual advances, boundary violations, and manipulation for paid upgrades.

AI Writing Tools May Erase Cultural Nuances

New research shows that AI writing assistants can unintentionally homogenize global writing styles, pushing non-Western users to sound more American. In a study comparing Indian and American users, AI suggestions often promoted Western topics and writing patterns, diminishing Indian cultural expressions.

AI Model Detects MS Progression Earlier

A new AI model can detect the transition from relapsing-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS much earlier than traditional clinical diagnosis. Using data from over 22,000 patients, the model analyzes routine healthcare information and even indicates its confidence level for each assessment.

AI Enhances Detection of Child Abuse Cases

A new study found that artificial intelligence can better identify instances of physical child abuse in emergency rooms compared to traditional diagnostic coding methods. Researchers developed a machine-learning model that more accurately estimated abuse prevalence based on high-risk injuries and physical abuse indicators.

Psychology News Articles

Science research articles cover psychology, depression, mental health, schizophrenia, mental disorders, happiness, stress, PTSD, autism, psychiatry and therapy.

This shows a group of people and a person on their own.

People Prefer to Empathize With Groups Over Individuals

People are more likely to choose to empathize with groups rather than individuals, even though they find empathizing equally difficult in both scenarios. Using a card-based empathy selection task, participants opted to empathize 53% of the time when shown groups, versus just 34% for individuals. Researchers suggest that groups provide more contextual information, making empathizing feel more intuitive or meaningful.

New Relief for Panic Disorders

A focused four-day treatment for panic disorder has shown impressive and lasting results, according to new research. Originally developed in Bergen and called Bergen 4-Day Treatment (B4DT), this method delivers rapid relief, with nearly 90% of patients reporting major improvement one week after therapy.

Genetics, Not Parenting, Shapes Personality

New research challenges many widely held beliefs in psychology, revealing that genetics may play a greater role in shaping personality than parenting. The findings also dispute common assumptions about gender-based personality differences, the power of subliminal messaging, and the effectiveness of brain training.

Dopamine’s Hidden Role in Anxiety Revealed

Dopamine receptors in the ventral hippocampus play a critical role in balancing approach and avoidance behaviors, expanding understanding beyond dopamine’s known functions in reward and motivation. By studying D1 and D2 receptor-expressing neurons in mice, researchers found these receptors govern opposing emotional responses under stress.

SSRI Exposure in the Womb May Rewire Brain Circuits

New research suggests that prenatal exposure to SSRIs may alter brain development in ways that increase the risk of depression and anxiety later in life. Using mice and human data, scientists found that early-life SSRI exposure heightened activity in brain fear circuits, a pattern not observed in offspring of depressed mothers who did not take SSRIs.

Trending Neuroscience News

These are the most viewed Neuroscience News articles of the month.

Sugar Substitute May Harm Brain, Blood Vessel Health

New research suggests that erythritol, a popular low-calorie sweetener, may impair blood vessel health by disrupting the brain’s production of nitric oxide. Cells exposed to typical erythritol levels showed increased oxidative stress and reduced nitric oxide, potentially impairing blood flow.

Early Maternal Affection Shapes Key Personality Traits for Life

Affectionate mothering in early childhood may play a lasting role in shaping personality traits that influence educational, professional, and health outcomes. A study of over 2,200 identical twins found that maternal warmth between ages 5 and 10 predicted higher levels of openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness at age 18.

Why Belly Fat Expands With Age, and How to Target It

New research uncovers that aging activates a new type of stem cell that rapidly produces fat cells, explaining why belly fat often expands in middle age. Scientists found that aging triggers adipocyte progenitor cells (APCs) to evolve into committed preadipocytes, age-specific (CP-As), which actively generate new fat.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Erases PTSD

A pioneering clinical study found that pairing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with traditional therapy eliminated PTSD diagnoses in all participants up to six months post-treatment. The trial combined prolonged exposure therapy with brief bursts of VNS via an implanted device, enhancing neuroplasticity and sustaining remission.

Gut Microbiome Shifts Rapidly After Alcohol Use

A new study shows that combining heavy alcohol use with burn trauma causes severe disruptions in the gut microbiome, leading to inflammation and a weakened gut barrier. Within a day of injury, beneficial bacteria plummet, harmful microbes rise, and levels of butyrate—a key anti-inflammatory compound—drop significantly.

Trending Neuroscience News

Subscribe