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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.

Reprogrammed Brain Cells Could Restore Damaged Circuits

Scientists have successfully reprogrammed astroglia, a type of brain support cell, into neurons that mimic specific interneurons critical for brain function. By modifying the Ascl1 protein, they increased its efficiency in converting astroglia to neuron-like cells, opening new possibilities for regenerative treatments for brain disorders such as epilepsy.

This shows a woman on an exercise bike and a brain.

Single Bouts of HIIT Exercise Boost Brain Power

New research finds that even single bouts of intense exercise can improve cognitive performance in young adults, particularly in memory, attention, and executive functioning. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and cycling yielded the most substantial cognitive benefits, especially when lasting under 30 minutes. While the cognitive boost was modest, it suggests that brief, vigorous exercise may have a more immediate effect on brain function than previously thought.

Cells Beyond the Brain Show Surprising Memory Abilities

New research reveals that cells outside the brain can store and process memories, challenging the view that memory is limited to neurons. Scientists found that non-brain cells, when exposed to spaced chemical signals, activated a "memory gene" similarly to neurons.

Neurology News Articles

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

AI Tool Reveals Long COVID May Affect 23% of People

A new AI tool identified long COVID in 22.8% of patients, a much higher rate than previously diagnosed. By analyzing extensive health records from nearly 300,000 patients, the algorithm identifies long COVID by distinguishing symptoms linked specifically to SARS-CoV-2 infection rather than pre-existing conditions. This AI approach, known as "precision phenotyping," helps clinicians differentiate long COVID symptoms from other health issues and may improve diagnostic accuracy by about 3%.

Pathway Identified for Early Intervention in ALS Progression

Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that may trigger ALS’s earliest stages, identifying proteins that mislocalize, causing neuron degeneration. By targeting the RNA-binding protein SmD1, scientists were able to prevent key ALS proteins from leaving their protective cellular zones, preserving neuron function. The findings may lead to ALS therapies capable of halting progression before significant neurodegeneration occurs, offering potential new strategies against the disease.

This shows a doctor looking at brain scans.

Novel Vaccine Targets Deadly Brain Tumors with Precision

A novel vaccine can mobilize the immune system to precisely target and attack cancerous brain tumors, specifically gliomas, one of the deadliest brain tumor types. This groundbreaking work demonstrates that the body’s immune system can be directed to target proteins with cancer-driving mutations in tumors, marking a significant advance in immunotherapy.

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.

Can Language Models Really Understand? Study Uncovers Limits in AI Logic

A recent study questions if large language models (LLMs) truly form coherent world models, despite their accurate outputs in complex tasks like generating directions or playing games. Researchers found that while LLMs provide nearly flawless driving directions, they fail with unexpected changes, suggesting the models don't grasp underlying rules.

Building Better Brain Imaging Models for Broader Clinical Use

New research shows that predictive models linking brain activity and behavior need to generalize across diverse datasets to be useful in clinical settings. By training models on varied brain imaging datasets, researchers found that effective models can still perform accurately when tested on different datasets with unique demographic and regional characteristics.

This shows computers and people in an office.

When Human-AI Teams Thrive and When They Don’t

A new study reveals that while human-AI collaboration can be powerful, it depends on the task. Analysis of hundreds of studies found that AI outperformed human-AI teams in decision-making tasks, while collaborative teams excelled in creative tasks like content generation. This research suggests organizations may overestimate the benefits of human-AI synergy. Instead, strategic use of AI’s strengths in data processing and humans’ creativity may yield the best results.

Psychology News Articles

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

Why Human Culture Never Stops Evolving

A new study proposes that human culture’s unique power lies not in its ability to accumulate knowledge, as once thought, but in its "open-endedness." Unlike animal cultures that reach limits in evolution, human culture continuously expands, adapting without bounds.

Childhood Stress Disrupts Attention, Sleep, and Dopamine Balance in Adults

New research links childhood adversity with later attention deficits, sleep disruptions, and specific dopamine imbalances in the brain. Focusing on critical developmental windows, scientists found that disrupted care early in life affected males more than females.

Brain Struggles with Conflicting Information in Schizophrenia

Researchers have developed a potential diagnostic tool for schizophrenia by observing how patients process conflicting information. By analyzing neural activity between the cortex and thalamus, they found distinct patterns that make schizophrenia patients more sensitive to uncertainty.

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Key Brain Protein Tied to Motivation and Mood Identified

A new study has identified a brain protein, vesicular nucleotide transporter (Vnut), as essential for regulating mood and motivation in mice. When Vnut was removed from brain cells called astrocytes, the mice displayed higher anxiety, depression-like behavior, and decreased motivation, especially in females.

Toddlers Learn Best After Experiencing Impossible Events

Young children grasp possibilities and distinctions between improbable and impossible events well before they can explain them in words. In a new study, two- and three-year-olds were found to learn more effectively after witnessing impossible events, which seem to trigger an intense curiosity.

This shows a child thinking about a traumatic event.

Child Trauma Recovery Tied to Thoughts, Not Event Severity

A new study reveals that how children mentally process traumatic events is the most significant factor in predicting their mental health outcomes, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Cognitive factors—like how children remember the event and view themselves afterward—play a more critical role than the event’s objective severity. Researchers found that children with more negative self-perceptions or distorted memories were at higher risk for long-term psychological impacts.

Cannabis Leaves Molecular Marks on DNA Linked to Psychosis

Frequent use of high-potency cannabis leaves unique molecular marks on DNA, particularly affecting genes related to energy and immune function. Researchers found that DNA methylation—an epigenetic modification—differed between frequent cannabis users who had experienced psychosis and those who had not, suggesting a possible genetic link to psychosis risk.

This shows a woman looking at brain scans.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy’s Effects on Brain Health

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) has nuanced effects on brain health, influenced by factors like age, treatment duration, and past surgical history. The study found that current MHT users had higher brain age gaps and smaller hippocampal volumes, while past users showed no significant differences compared to non-users.