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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

·December 16, 2025·9 min read

Why Consciousness Evolved

New work explores why consciousness evolved and what observing birds can teach us about its biological purpose. The findings outline three distinct forms of consciousness—basic arousal, general alertness, and reflexive self-awareness—each providing unique adaptive advantages.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 15, 2025·4 min read

Exercise Supercharges Hormone Transport to the Brain

Physical exercise triggers extracellular vesicles (EVs)—tiny particles in the blood—to act as temporary transport shuttles for key hormone precursors. During vigorous exercise, levels of the hormone precursor POMC attaching to EVs increase fourfold, suggesting a newly uncovered mechanism for how stress, energy balance, and mood may shift after movement.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 15, 2025·5 min read

Neurons Use a Fast Structural Signal to Stabilize Communication

Neurons can rapidly rebalance their communication using a structural signal rather than electrical activity, overturning long-held assumptions about how synapses maintain stability. When receptors on the receiving side of a synapse were blocked, they physically reorganized, triggering the sending neuron to increase neurotransmitter release and preserve steady signaling.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 15, 2025·5 min read

Cancer Disrupts the Brain’s Internal Clock

Breast cancer can rapidly derail the brain’s day-night regulation of stress hormones, even before tumors are detectable. In mice, the disease flattens normal corticosterone rhythms by altering hypothalamic neuron activity, which may worsen outcomes and mimic symptoms often seen in cancer patients, such as insomnia and anxiety.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 15, 2025·7 min read

Second-Hand Gifts Are Becoming the New Status Symbol

New research shows that buying second-hand gifts is typically a thoughtful, intentional decision rather than an impulsive one. Consumers are motivated by fair prices, the thrill of finding rare items, and the desire to shop sustainably. Survey results from a major online marketplace reveal that intentions often translate directly into purchases—especially for items that are easy to evaluate, such as books.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 15, 2025·7 min read

Tiny Gut Imposters Could Be Driving Multiple Sclerosis

New research reveals that when gut bacteria closely resemble the myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers, the immune system can become confused and attack both — accelerating multiple sclerosis. In mouse experiments, bacteria engineered to mimic myelin triggered faster disease progression by activating aggressive immune cells that infiltrated the nervous system.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 14, 2025·5 min read

Study Challenges Myths About Self-Centeredness

A large international study of more than 45,000 people shows that narcissism is a universal personality trait—not one concentrated in any single country. Although nations differed somewhat, the five highest-scoring countries were Germany, Iraq, China, Nepal, and South Korea, with the United States ranking 16th.

Neuroscience

·December 14, 2025·7 min read

Balanced Brain Inhibition Found Essential for Recognition Memory

A new study shows that balanced neural inhibition in the hippocampus is crucial for recognition memory, the ability to remember objects we’ve recently encountered. Using a rat model, researchers altered GABA-mediated inhibition in either the hippocampus or prefrontal cortex to see how each region contributed to memory.

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Featured Neuroscience

·December 13, 2025·6 min read

Blood Sugar Patterns Strongly Linked to Sleep Quality

Blood sugar patterns and dietary choices play a significant role in how well adults sleep. Individuals with diabetes were more likely to experience sleep disorders, poor sleep quality, and irregular sleep duration, with people who have prediabetes showing similar but milder trends.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 12, 2025·6 min read

AI Brain Model Reveals How Fear Works in Real Life

Researchers have developed an AI-driven brain model that can track fear as it unfolds in real-world situations, offering a major shift from traditional lab-based approaches. Classic fear studies often rely on static images, but these do not reflect how the brain processes fear in dynamic contexts.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 12, 2025·7 min read

Blood Transfusions May Accelerate Alzheimer’s Progression

New research shows that blood from older animals can speed up Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain, while young blood may slow them down. In a long-term experiment, mice engineered to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms received weekly blood infusions from either young or old donors.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 11, 2025·5 min read

Boosting Sleep Ripples Helps Preserve Memories Normally Forgotten

A new study shows that precisely manipulating brain activity during sleep can help mice retain memories that would normally fade, offering a potential pathway for treating memory loss conditions. Researchers identified a specific sleep-related pattern—large sharp-wave ripples—that signals when new experiences are being transferred from the hippocampus to the neocortex for long-term storage. By boosting these ripples at just the right moment using optogenetics, scientists enabled mice to remember brief encounters they would typically forget.

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