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Weill Cornell Medicine

·June 19, 2025·7 min read

Addictive Screen Use, Not Time, Tied to Teen Suicide Risk

A major new study reveals that teens who develop compulsive patterns of digital use are at higher risk of suicidal thoughts, attempts, and mental health issues. Unlike total screen time, it’s the addictive nature of use—such as distress when not online or using screens to escape—that most strongly predicts poor outcomes.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 30, 2023·6 min read

AI-Enhanced Imaging: Probing Brain’s Visual Processing

Researchers used AI to select and generate images for studying brain's visual processing. Functional MRI (fMRI) recorded heightened brain activity in response to these images, surpassing control images.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 24, 2023·4 min read

Antiviral Pathway a Potential New Target for Alzheimer’s Treatment

Inhibiting cGAS, an innate immune system enzyme allows neurons to become more resilient to tau fibrils. The new finding may serve in the development of new therapies to help treat Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, two neurodegenerative disorders associated with tau build-up in the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 18, 2020·4 min read

Ball-and-chain inactivation of ion channels visualized by cryo-electron microscopy

Ion channels use a "ball-and-chain" mechanism to help regulate ion flow. Findings confirm a long-standing hypothesis about ion channels and provide key advances in understanding the basic biological processes at work.

This shows an eye surrounded by a golden light.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·September 24, 2026·4 min read

Cell Membrane Lipid Governs Retinal Light Sensitivity

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers resolve how membrane lipid PIP2 locks CNG channels closed, revealing a therapeutic target for retinal degeneration.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 8, 2022·5 min read

Circadian Clocks Play a Key Role in Fat Cell Growth

Circadian rhythm disruption plays a critical role in weight gain, a new study reports.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 20, 2023·5 min read

Cognitive Decline May Be Triggered by Astrocyte Dysfunction

A new study reveals astrocyte dysfunction may be a driver of cognitive decline and memory loss in those with dementia. This may be caused by a protein build-up in the astrocytes that appears to trigger abnormal antiviral activity that results in memory loss.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·January 17, 2024·5 min read

COVID-19 May Infect Dopamine Neurons

A new study reveals that SARS-CoV-2 can infect dopamine neurons, potentially linking to long COVID symptoms like brain fog and depression. The research shows that these neurons enter a state of senescence, ceasing to function and causing inflammation. This discovery was unexpected, as the study initially aimed to understand how different cell types respond to the virus, but found this unique pathway only in dopamine neurons.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 11, 2018·4 min read

Early Sensory Stimulation is Critical for the Development of Sensory Networks

A new study reports sensory stimulation during the first two weeks of life is critical for establishing brain networks that help map sensation.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 24, 2019·5 min read

Gut instincts: Researchers discover first clues on how gut health influences brain health

Mice bred to be germ-free, and those treated with antibiotics showed a significant reduction in the ability to learn that a threatening danger was no longer present. Sequencing the RNA of microglia in the brains of the animals reveals altered gene expression in the immune cells, which play a role in remodeling how neurons connect during the learning process. Restoring the gut microbiota reverse the learning problems.