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infections

·November 25, 2025·7 min read

Your Brain Has a Built-In Isolation Mode

New research uncovers the exact immune-to-brain pathway that drives the loss of social motivation during sickness. Scientists showed that when the cytokine IL-1β binds to receptors on neurons within the dorsal raphe nucleus, it activates a circuit that reduces social interaction.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 8, 2025·7 min read

Brains Rewire Themselves to Survive Deadly Infection

New research reveals how the simple nervous system of C. elegans worms can dramatically reconfigure itself to survive infection. When exposed to harmful bacteria, the worms adapted by rewiring the roles of key neurons and neuromodulators to reduce feeding and resist quiescence.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 14, 2025·6 min read

Prozac Shows Promise in Fighting Infections & Sepsis

New research suggests that fluoxetine, commonly used as an antidepressant, may also help protect against infections and sepsis. Scientists found that the drug has antimicrobial properties and helps regulate the immune response, reducing the risk of tissue and organ damage.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·July 12, 2024·6 min read

Infection Brain Inflammation Triggers Muscle Weakness

A new study reveals how brain inflammation from infections and neurodegenerative diseases causes muscle weakness by releasing the IL-6 protein. Researchers found that IL-6 travels from the brain to muscles, reducing their energy production and function. This discovery could lead to treatments for muscle wasting in diseases like Alzheimer's and long COVID. Blocking the IL-6 pathway may prevent muscle weakness associated with brain inflammation.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 20, 2023·6 min read

Brain Drain: Common Infections Tied to Cognitive Decline

CCommon infections, including the chickenpox virus and herpes simplex virus type 1, can worsen cognitive performance and increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged and older adults, a new study reports. The findings add to the growing body of evidence linking common infections to poor brain health associated with aging.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 3, 2023·5 min read

A Brain Game May Predict Your Risk of Infection

Findings reveal how a person's cognitive performance prior to viral exposure can predict the severity of symptoms once the virus develops.

This shows the outline of three heads with parkinson's, alzhiemer's and als written under each

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 15, 2022·5 min read

Repeated Infections Associated With Increased Risk of Some Neurodegenerative Diseases

Early-to-midlife infections that require hospital care are associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease later in life, a new study reports.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·March 29, 2021·4 min read

Chronic Viral Infections Can Have Lasting Effects on Human Immunity, Similar to Aging

Chronic viral infections have a profound and lasting impact on the immune system in a similar way to aging. Chronic inflammation that occurs as a result of immune system dysregulation is often seen in diseases associated with aging.

This shows young people in surgical masks

Featured Neuroscience

·March 27, 2020·7 min read

COVID-19 is making young adults sick, and is spreading through them

The misconception that young people are more immune to COVID-19 is dangerous, and ignoring social distancing measures means the virus is more likely to spread among the young.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·March 9, 2020·5 min read

5.1 days incubation period for COVID-19

Researchers report the median time from exposure to symptoms for the COVID-19 virus is 5.1 days. 97.5% of people who develop symptoms of coronavirus will do so within 11.5 days of exposure. For every 10,000 people quarantined for 14 days, an estimated 101 would develop symptoms after release.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·January 11, 2020·4 min read

How a gut infection may produce chronic symptoms

Infections in the intestine may contribute to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by damaging the gut's nervous system. Researchers explore why neurons in the gut die as a result of infection and how the immune system normally protects them. The findings could provide new avenues of treatment for IBS.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 30, 2019·3 min read

Urinary tract and other infections may trigger different kinds of stroke

Several infections have been linked to increased risk of ischemic stroke. The strongest link was found between urinary tract infections, which increased stroke risk by more than three times within 30 days of infection.