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science

·October 31, 2025·6 min read

Rotating Brain Waves Help the Mind Refocus After Distraction

Neuroscientists have discovered that when the brain is distracted, coordinated “rotating” waves of neural activity help it steer back to focus. Using electrical recordings in animals, the team found that neurons in the prefrontal cortex synchronize in circular patterns—like starlings in flight—to recover from cognitive interruptions.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·October 31, 2025·7 min read

How “Frazzled” Keeps the Brain Wired for Lightning-Fast Communication

Scientists have uncovered a key role for the protein “Frazzled” in building and maintaining the rapid neural connections that allow fruit flies to react in milliseconds. When Frazzled is missing, neurons lose vital gap junctions, slowing communication and weakening muscle responses.

This shows a person looking at an oversized head.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 31, 2025·5 min read

Human Mind Prefers Simple Explanations Over Complex Truths

New research shows that people tend to prefer simple explanations even when complex ones are more accurate. The study found that individuals focus mainly on visible or known causes while neglecting hidden or absent ones, leading to oversimplified reasoning.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 30, 2025·7 min read

Newly Mapped Brain Circuit Reveals How Memories Stay Stable During Learning

A new study reveals how brain circuits between the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus stabilize memories during learning. Researchers found that synchronized signals between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in these regions help strengthen “place maps,” ensuring memories remain consistent even as new information is learned.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 30, 2025·6 min read

Common Antidepressant Eases Core Symptoms Within Two Weeks

A new analysis of the PANDA clinical trial reveals that sertraline, one of the most prescribed antidepressants, improves key emotional symptoms of depression—such as sadness, self-loathing, and suicidal thoughts—within just two weeks of treatment. Using network analysis to assess individual symptoms, researchers found that the drug also eased anxiety early on, while somatic effects like fatigue and low libido appeared but later stabilized.

This shows a child surrounded by bacteria.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 30, 2025·6 min read

Toddler Gut Bacteria Linked to Childhood Anxiety and Depression

A new study suggests that a child’s gut microbiome at age 2 may influence their emotional health years later. Researchers found that higher levels of bacteria from the Clostridiales order and Lachnospiraceae family were linked to stronger connectivity across emotion-related brain networks and a higher risk of anxiety and depression symptoms by age 7½.

This shows a cell phone, neurons and a sensor.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·October 29, 2025·8 min read

$2 Saliva Test Could Help Detect Depression and Schizophrenia

Scientists have developed a portable biosensor that can detect levels of BDNF, a protein linked to mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The flexible, low-cost device analyzes a drop of saliva in under three minutes, offering a fast, affordable, and noninvasive diagnostic tool.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 29, 2025·6 min read

How Chemotherapy Triggers Nerve Damage, and How to Stop It

A new study reveals that chemotherapy-induced nerve pain arises from a stress response in immune cells that triggers inflammation and neurotoxicity. Researchers found that activating a cellular stress sensor called IRE1α causes nerve damage and pain during chemotherapy, but blocking it prevents both in mice.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·October 29, 2025·5 min read

Epigenetic Switch to Turn Memories On and Off Created

Researchers have shown for the first time that flipping an epigenetic “switch” in specific memory-holding neurons can directly alter memory strength. By targeting the gene Arc—which helps neurons adjust their connections—scientists used CRISPR-based tools to either boost or silence its activity in engram cells within the hippocampus.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 29, 2025·7 min read

How Neurons Feel Force: Uncovering the Physics of Touch

A groundbreaking study reveals how neurons sense and transmit mechanical forces across their membranes—a key to understanding touch, movement, and development. Using precision laser-based optical tweezers, researchers discovered that tension travels faster in touch-sensing neurons than in movement-sensing ones.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 29, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain’s Ion Gates Open and Close

New research reveals how tiny electrical gates in the brain, known as NMDA receptors, control learning, memory, and neuron survival. Using cryo-electron microscopy, scientists captured atomic-level images showing how a natural neurosteroid, 24S-HC, holds these channels wide open, while a synthetic compound locks them partially shut.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 29, 2025·8 min read

Your Brain “Zones Out” After Poor Sleep To Clean Itself

New research shows that during moments of lost focus after poor sleep, the brain releases a wave of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)—the same cleansing process that normally occurs during deep sleep. Using simultaneous EEG and fMRI scans, scientists found that these fluid pulses occur precisely when attention lapses, suggesting the brain is attempting to catch up on missed “housekeeping.”

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