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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

This shows a person listening to music in the car.

·September 3, 2025·5 min read

Cheerful Music Could Be the Cure for Carsickness

Researchers using a driving simulator found that music can significantly influence recovery from motion sickness. Participants who listened to joyful or soft music reported the greatest relief, while sad music hindered recovery.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 3, 2025·7 min read

New Brain Map Shows How Decisions Emerge Across the Brain

In a groundbreaking collaboration, scientists created the first complete brain-wide map of decision-making in mammals, charting the activity of more than 600,000 neurons across 279 regions in mice. Using steering wheel tasks and high-density electrode recordings, they found that decision-related signals are far more widely distributed across the brain than previously thought.

This shows the outline of a man and a woman.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 3, 2025·3 min read

Sex Shapes the Course of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

A large multicenter study has revealed that sex influences the course and characteristics of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Women with schizophrenia tended to begin treatment later, while men with schizophrenia had the highest rates of substance use.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·September 2, 2025·5 min read

3-Minute Brainwave Test Detects Alzheimer’s Years Before Symptoms

A team of researchers has developed a simple three-minute brainwave test called Fastball EEG that can detect early signs of memory impairment linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike traditional memory tests, it is passive and requires no active participation, making it more objective and accessible.

This shows a statue of a person holding their head. Neurons are overlayed.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 2, 2025·6 min read

Chronic Stress Sends Immune Cells to Brain, Driving Depression

A new study shows that chronic stress causes immune cells called neutrophils to leave bone marrow in the skull and collect in the brain’s protective membranes, where they contribute to depressive symptoms. In mice, blocking an immune “alarm” pathway reduced these cells and improved mood-related behaviors.

This shows a brain and an aging timeline.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 2, 2025·5 min read

Attention and Focus Abilities Peak Between Ages 27 and 36

Researchers analyzed 139 neuroimaging studies spanning ages 5 to 85 to map the brain’s activity in cognitive control. They found an inverted U-shaped lifespan trajectory, with brain activity rising through adolescence, peaking between ages 27 and 36, and then gradually declining.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·September 2, 2025·5 min read

Freezing Brain Molecules Could Halt Deadly Cancer Spread

Scientists have identified a new way to stop glioblastoma — the deadliest form of brain cancer — from spreading by altering its environment rather than targeting the tumor directly. The team showed that cancer cells depend on flexible hyaluronic acid molecules to invade surrounding brain tissue, but when these molecules were "frozen," cells became immobile and dormant.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·September 2, 2025·9 min read

Alzheimer’s Linked to Epigenomic Breakdown, Not Just Plaques

A new large-scale study shows that Alzheimer’s disease is marked by the erosion of epigenomic control, where brain cells lose the ability to maintain stable gene expression. Using a multi-region atlas of 3.5 million cells, researchers found that vulnerable cells in key memory regions such as the hippocampus suffer breakdowns in nuclear compartmentalization and lose their “epigenomic information.”

This is a drawing of a shrew and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 1, 2025·7 min read

Shrews Shrink and Regrow Brains, Offering Clues for Human Diseases

Scientists used non-invasive MRI to study shrews that seasonally shrink and regrow their brains, uncovering water loss as the key driver of this rare phenomenon. Despite losing about nine percent of their brain volume in winter, shrew brain cells remain alive, with aquaporin-4 proteins playing a key role in regulating water movement.

This shows the outline of a person with a glowing brain and a robotic arm.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 1, 2025·5 min read

Brain-AI System Translates Thoughts Into Movement

Researchers have created a noninvasive brain-computer interface enhanced with artificial intelligence, enabling users to control a robotic arm or cursor with greater accuracy and speed. The system translates brain signals from EEG recordings into movement commands, while an AI camera interprets user intent in real time.

This shows a brain with two paths leading to it.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 1, 2025·2 min read

Depression Disrupts Learning to Avoid Unpleasant Events

Depression specifically impairs the ability to learn how to actively avoid unpleasant events, though it does not affect avoidance behavior once learned. Researchers tested 465 participants across a range of depressive symptoms in a task adapted from rodent research, involving sounds and visual cues.

This shows a map, half Is red and covered in negative emojis, the other is blue and covered with positive emojis, symbolizing the effect heat has on mood.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 31, 2025·6 min read

Extreme Heat Makes People More Negative

A large-scale global study shows that extreme heat affects not just our bodies, but also our emotions. Researchers analyzed over a billion social media posts and found that when temperatures exceeded 95°F (35°C), expressed sentiments became more negative, particularly in lower-income countries where effects were three times stronger.