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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

This shows an older woman, a clock and fresh foods.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·March 14, 2025·5 min read

Turn Back Your Brain’s Bioenergetic Clock to Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk

Researchers have discovered that a person's "bioenergetic age," reflecting how efficiently cells produce energy, strongly predicts Alzheimer's risk and progression. High blood levels of molecules called acylcarnitines, markers of aging metabolism, were linked to faster cognitive decline and greater Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·March 14, 2025·6 min read

Cannabis Terpenes Offer New Hope for Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia

New research has identified cannabis-derived terpenes—compounds that give plants their distinctive aroma—as effective treatments for fibromyalgia and post-surgical pain. In preclinical mouse models, terpenes such as geraniol and linalool significantly reduced chronic pain, providing promising alternatives to opioid medications and avoiding THC's psychoactive side effects.

This shows a brain in the shape of a heart.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·March 12, 2025·5 min read

Boost Brain Health by Following Your Heart: Simple Steps for Longevity

New research highlights that optimal brain health, crucial for maintaining cognitive function as we age, is strongly linked to cardiovascular wellness. The study underscores that dementia and cognitive decline share risk factors with heart disease, suggesting these conditions are largely preventable by managing diet, exercise, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 12, 2025·5 min read

Brains Use Social Shortcuts to Master Complex Group Dynamics

New research reveals that our brains simplify complex social interactions by using basic mental "building blocks" or shortcuts. Researchers scanned the brains of people playing a simple team game and observed how participants kept track of interactions with both teammates and opponents.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 12, 2025·4 min read

“Mental Booster Shots” Strengthen Resistance to Fake News

New research reveals that short, memory-focused interventions can help individuals resist misinformation more effectively and retain these skills over extended periods, acting as "psychological booster shots." The study evaluated text-based messages, videos, and interactive games that teach people how to spot and resist misleading information. Memory-focused interventions showed the greatest long-term effectiveness, suggesting regular psychological "boosters" could enhance misinformation resistance.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 11, 2025·4 min read

Poor Sleep Linked to Brain’s Waste-Removal Breakdown

A new study reveals that poor sleep in older adults disrupts the brain’s glymphatic system, responsible for clearing harmful waste and toxins. Researchers found that compromised sleep quality leads to dysfunction in this crucial system, potentially increasing risks for memory decline and cognitive impairments.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 11, 2025·5 min read

Childhood Abuse Doubles Psychiatric and Health Risks

New research finds that adults who experienced both physical and sexual abuse in childhood are about twice as likely to suffer chronic physical and mental health issues, such as depression, arthritis, asthma, and heart conditions. Even experiencing one type of abuse significantly increased the odds of adverse health outcomes in adulthood.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 11, 2025·5 min read

Eating Seafood Linked to Kinder, More Socially Skilled Young Children

Children who regularly eat seafood at age 7 exhibit more positive social behaviors—such as sharing, helping, and interacting kindly—by ages 7 and 9, compared to those who rarely consume seafood. This finding, from a large study tracking nearly 6,000 children, underscores seafood’s role in supporting behavioral and social development during childhood.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 11, 2025·5 min read

Social Media Linked to Increased Risk of Delusion-Based Disorders

New research indicates a strong link between high social media use and psychiatric disorders involving delusions, such as narcissism and body dysmorphia. Conditions like narcissistic personality disorder, anorexia, and body dysmorphic disorder thrive on social platforms, allowing users to build and maintain distorted self-perceptions without real-world checks.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 11, 2025·4 min read

Brain Circuit Discovery Reveals How Empathy Shapes Our Behavior

Researchers have discovered how specific brain circuits process empathy, showing that witnessing others in pain activates the same neural pathways as experiencing pain directly. Using advanced imaging techniques, the study pinpointed neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that respond both to personal distress and observed distress in others. The scientists further demonstrated that signals from the ACC to the brain’s periaqueductal gray (PAG) region are crucial for transforming empathy into behavioral responses, like freezing or avoidance.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·March 11, 2025·5 min read

How a Common Virus Triggers Brain Attacks in Multiple Sclerosis

New research highlights a critical link between antibodies produced against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Scientists discovered that these viral antibodies mistakenly target a protein called GlialCAM in the brain, triggering autoimmune responses associated with MS.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 10, 2025·4 min read

Prenatal Stress Timing Shapes Infant Stress Response

New research reveals that the timing of stress during pregnancy has gender-specific effects on infants, altering how boys and girls respond to stress differently. Scientists found mid-pregnancy stress has a stronger impact on girls' stress reactivity, while boys are more sensitive to stress experienced in late gestation.