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inflammation

·July 2, 2025·5 min read

Aging May Not Equal Chronic Inflammation

A new global study challenges the long-held belief that chronic inflammation is a universal marker of aging. Researchers compared industrialized populations with Indigenous groups and found that "inflammaging" is strongly tied to lifestyle and environmental exposures.

This shows an older person walking in a street and a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 26, 2025·3 min read

Neighborhood Disadvantage Linked to Alzheimer’s Biomarkers and Inflammation

Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by elevating biomarkers associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration. A long-term study of 334 older adults found higher levels of tau and YKL-40, biomarkers linked to Alzheimer’s and brain inflammation, in people from less advantaged areas.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 25, 2025·4 min read

Autoimmune Disease Doubles Risk of Depression and Anxiety

People living with autoimmune diseases face nearly twice the risk of developing persistent mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, according to a massive UK-based study. Researchers suggest chronic inflammation may play a key role in this connection, especially in women who showed significantly higher risk levels than men.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 24, 2025·3 min read

PET Imaging Maps Brain Inflammation in Progressive Speech Disorder

A novel PET imaging study has identified unique patterns of neuroinflammation in patients with progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS), a rare disorder that impairs the brain’s ability to plan speech. Using TSPO PET scans, researchers found elevated inflammation in brain regions involved in movement and speech, particularly in patients who also showed signs of Parkinson-plus syndromes.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 24, 2025·5 min read

Rare Mutation Shields Brain from Alzheimer’s by Silencing Inflammation

A rare genetic mutation known as APOE3-R136S, or the “Christchurch mutation,” appears to protect against Alzheimer’s disease by suppressing inflammatory signaling in the brain’s immune cells. Researchers found that this mutation dampens the cGAS-STING pathway, a key innate immune mechanism that is abnormally activated in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.

This shows the outline of a child and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 12, 2025·6 min read

Childhood Trauma Rewires the Brain Through Inflammation

Childhood trauma doesn't just leave psychological scars—it biologically reshapes the brain through chronic neuroinflammation and structural changes, increasing vulnerability to psychiatric disorders later in life. New research shows that early adversity can reprogram immune responses, altering lifelong mental health outcomes.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 2, 2025·6 min read

Blocking Brain Inflammation Molecule May Halt Alzheimer’s

A new study has uncovered a surprising culprit in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease: the immune molecule STING. Scientists found that STING, normally involved in defending the brain, becomes hyperactive with age, causing harmful inflammation and accelerating brain damage.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 1, 2025·7 min read

T Cells Found Living in Healthy Brains

Contrary to long-standing beliefs, T cells—key immune cells—have been discovered in the healthy brains of both mice and humans. These cells, previously thought to only enter the brain during disease, were most concentrated in a region that regulates hunger and thirst.

This shows the outline of a person and neurons.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 19, 2025·4 min read

Inflammation Triggers Repetitive Behaviors in ASD and OCD

New research reveals that chronic brain inflammation can directly lead to repetitive behaviors, often seen in conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In mice with a mutated NLRP3 gene, inflammation activated microglia to release IL-1β, overstimulating NMDA glutamate receptors responsible for excitatory brain signals.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 17, 2025·5 min read

Inflammation Tied to Motivation Loss in Schizophrenia

A new study has uncovered a biological link between inflammation and motivational deficits in people with schizophrenia, identifying a promising treatment target for symptoms that current medications fail to address. Higher levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein were associated with reduced activity in brain regions involved in reward and motivation, such as the ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 17, 2025·6 min read

Babies Fight COVID Differently Than Anyone Else

Infants hospitalized with severe COVID-19 mount an immune response that looks entirely different from that of adults or older children. Researchers found both interferon responses and inflammation were elevated simultaneously—something never before observed in other viral infections.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 15, 2025·4 min read

Long COVID Brain Fog Linked to Inflammation and Stress Markers

A new study comparing long COVID patients with fully recovered individuals has found that those with persistent cognitive symptoms, like brain fog, show higher brain inflammation and reduced capacity to handle stress. The study revealed lower levels of nerve growth factor and elevated inflammatory markers in the long COVID group.