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Neurology

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·April 29, 2025·6 min read

Negative Expectations Worsen Pain More Than Positive Ones Ease It

New research shows that negative expectations, known as nocebo effects, exert a stronger and longer-lasting impact on pain perception than positive expectations, or placebo effects. In a two-session study, participants consistently reported more intense pain when they expected worse outcomes, while the benefits of expecting relief were weaker.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 29, 2025·3 min read

New Biomarker Predicts MS Progression

Researchers have identified a new biomarker in multiple sclerosis (MS): the thickness of the inflammatory rim surrounding brain lesions predicts how quickly and severely the disease progresses. By combining PET imaging and post-mortem brain analysis, the study showed that thicker rims lead to more aggressive brain damage.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·April 29, 2025·5 min read

Brain Lesions Heighten Impulsivity and Social Influence

New research shows that damage to specific regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) increases both impulsivity and susceptibility to the impulsive behavior of others. Participants with mPFC lesions were more likely to choose immediate rewards and to be influenced by others who made impulsive decisions.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 29, 2025·7 min read

Brain’s Switching Mechanism Revealed: How We Rapidly Change Actions

New research shows that switching between actions is not simply stopping and starting again, but a unique brain mechanism that suppresses the previous action to initiate a new one. Using computational models, behavioral tasks, and clinical data from Parkinson’s patients, researchers found that stopping and switching are distinct cognitive motor processes.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 29, 2025·4 min read

AI Model Detects MS Progression Earlier

A new AI model can detect the transition from relapsing-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS much earlier than traditional clinical diagnosis. Using data from over 22,000 patients, the model analyzes routine healthcare information and even indicates its confidence level for each assessment.

This illustration shows a head and glowing lights down the spine.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 28, 2025·5 min read

Noninvasive Brain-Spine Interface May Help Restore Movement After Injury

Researchers have developed a noninvasive brain-spine interface that detects movement intentions and cues spinal cord stimulation to aid rehabilitation. Using EEG caps, they trained a decoder to recognize when volunteers either moved or imagined moving their legs.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 28, 2025·3 min read

Immune Dysfunction May Drive Alzheimer’s Progression

A new study highlights a potential role for immune system dysfunction in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that neuroinflammation, trained innate immune memory, and cellular reprogramming may interact with amyloid and tau proteins to drive disease pathology.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·April 27, 2025·4 min read

New Biomarker Enables Early, Accurate Diagnosis of Parkinson’s

Researchers have identified a biomarker in spinal fluid that can detect Parkinson’s disease in its early stages with over 90% accuracy. Using a patented immuno-infrared sensor (iRS) technology, they measured the misfolding of the alpha-synuclein (αSyn) protein, a key driver of the disease.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·April 25, 2025·7 min read

AI Uncovers New Cause of Alzheimer’s

Researchers have discovered that a gene previously seen as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease, PHGDH, actually plays a causal role by disrupting gene regulation in the brain. Using AI, the team revealed that PHGDH has a hidden DNA-binding function unrelated to its known enzymatic activity. This malfunction triggers early Alzheimer’s development, offering a new target for prevention.

This shows an older lady exercising and a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 25, 2025·9 min read

Low and Moderate Exercise May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Decline

New findings from the EXERT study reveal that both low and moderate-high intensity exercise may help preserve cognitive function in older adults with mild memory problems, a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Over 12 months, participants who engaged in either form of exercise showed significantly less cognitive decline and reduced brain volume loss, especially in the prefrontal cortex, compared to a usual-care group.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·April 25, 2025·6 min read

Autistic Traits Don’t Increase Memory Decline in Older Adults

A large longitudinal study found that older adults with high levels of autistic traits experience no greater decline in spatial working memory than their neurotypical peers. Researchers tracked cognitive performance over seven years in more than 10,000 UK adults aged 50 and older.

Neuroscience

·April 25, 2025·5 min read

Blue Brain Marker Peaks in Midlife, May Predict Cognitive Aging

Researchers have mapped age-related changes in the brain’s locus coeruleus (LC), a region linked to cognition and Alzheimer’s risk, by tracking neuromelanin, a pigment that gives it its signature blue hue. In a diverse group of participants aged 19 to 86, they found an inverted U-shaped pattern: LC signal peaked in late middle age, then declined.