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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

·September 29, 2025·4 min read

Over 99% of Heart Attacks Linked to At Least One Known Risk Factor

A massive international study shows that nearly all heart attacks, strokes, and cases of heart failure occur in people with at least one known cardiovascular risk factor. More than 9 million South Korean adults and thousands of U.S. adults were tracked, revealing that over 99% had nonoptimal blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, or tobacco use years before their first event.

This shows a woman surrounded by pollen, sneezing.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 29, 2025·6 min read

High Pollen Levels Tied to Rising Suicide Risk

A U.S. study combining pollen and suicide data from over a decade shows that high pollen days are linked to a measurable rise in suicide risk. The risk increased incrementally with pollen levels, peaking at a 7.4% rise on the highest days.

This shows a young girl sitting at a table and a shadow of her older self.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 29, 2025·6 min read

Preschool Overeating in Girls Linked to Teen Anxiety and Impulsivity

A study tracking more than 2,000 Quebec children found that girls who regularly overate in the preschool years were more likely to report anxiety, impulsivity, and hyperactivity during adolescence. The association was not found in boys, pointing to possible sociocultural influences such as closer monitoring and restrictive food environments for girls.

This shows the outline of a woman, a heart and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 28, 2025·5 min read

Every Heartbeat Shapes Thoughts and Emotions

Researchers emphasize that the heart and brain are deeply interconnected, with every heartbeat influencing cognition and emotion within milliseconds. This link helps explain why cardiovascular diseases like hypertension often coincide with mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.

This shows a person playing a guitar and a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·September 28, 2025·6 min read

Musicians’ Brains Show Remarkable Resistance to Pain

A new study finds that musicians experience pain differently than non-musicians, thanks to how their brains adapt through years of training. While pain usually shrinks the brain’s motor maps and increases discomfort, musicians showed stable motor maps and reported less pain after induced hand soreness.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 27, 2025·6 min read

Skin-to-Skin Contact Boosts Brain Development

Very preterm infants who received more skin-to-skin contact during their hospital stay showed stronger development in brain regions tied to stress and emotional regulation. Brain scans revealed that longer skin-to-skin sessions were linked to changes in white matter pathways that support attention, memory, and emotional health.

This shows a brain and a person sleeping.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·September 27, 2025·6 min read

Sleep Disorders Predict Parkinson’s or Dementia Years Ahead

Two landmark international studies show that brain biomarkers can predict whether people with REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) will develop Parkinson’s disease or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). MRI scans revealed that reduced glymphatic system function signals higher risk for Parkinson’s, while increased free water in the basal nucleus of Meynert predicts progression to DLB.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·September 26, 2025·5 min read

mRNA Vaccine Targets Vision Loss in AMD

A new mRNA vaccine developed in Japan has been shown to suppress abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina of mice, offering hope for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Current treatments require repeated injections directly into the eye, but this vaccine can be delivered intramuscularly, making it less invasive and easier to administer.

This shows the outline of a person, DNA, and a clock.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 26, 2025·4 min read

Lifelong Social Bonds Can Slow Biological Aging at the Cellular Level

A new study shows that lifelong social advantages—from early parental warmth to adult friendships and community support—can slow biological aging. Researchers analyzed over 2,100 participants and found that those with stronger, more consistent social connections had younger biological ages according to epigenetic clocks GrimAge and DunedinPACE.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 25, 2025·4 min read

Prozac May Rewire the Brain by Loosening Rigid Neural Circuits

A new study shows that fluoxetine, better known as Prozac, does more than increase serotonin—it changes how brain cells handle energy and rebuild connections. After two weeks of treatment, parvalbumin interneurons in the prefrontal cortex became less rigid, with mitochondrial energy genes reduced and plasticity genes upregulated.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·September 25, 2025·4 min read

Infant Brain Gene Regulator May Predispose Adults to Dementia

A new study reveals that the brain’s vulnerability to disorders like multiple sclerosis and dementia may begin in early life. Researchers identified a developmental “switch” in astrocytes, the brain’s support cells, governed by the NR3C1 gene.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 25, 2025·4 min read

Dopamine Links Social Isolation to Brain Myelin Damage

A new five-year study explores how dopamine may drive changes in brain myelin during social isolation. Researchers will track how dopamine interacts with oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for producing myelin and supporting neuron function.