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WUSTL

·June 29, 2025·8 min read

Brain Criticality May Hold Key to Learning, Memory, and Alzheimer’s

New research proposes a unified theory of brain function based on criticality—a state where the brain teeters between order and chaos, allowing it to learn, adapt, and process information optimally. When the brain strays from this delicate balance, cognitive performance weakens, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s may begin to take hold.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 24, 2025·7 min read

Could This Molecule Prevent Vision Loss in AMD?

A new study reveals that increasing levels of apolipoprotein M (ApoM) may slow or prevent the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of blindness in older adults. Researchers found that low ApoM impairs cholesterol metabolism in the retina, contributing to inflammation and vision loss—especially in advanced forms like geographic atrophy.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 29, 2025·6 min read

Sleep Aid May Protect Brain from Alzheimer’s Damage

A common sleep medication, lemborexant, may do more than promote rest—it appears to reduce harmful tau buildup and protect the brain from neurodegeneration in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that this orexin receptor antagonist not only restored healthier sleep patterns but also preserved brain structure and reduced inflammation.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 17, 2025·6 min read

Calm Your Mind: Choose Mindfulness by Anxiety Type

Mindfulness is well known for its calming effects, but researchers now propose that different types of mindfulness practices may be more effective for specific types of anxiety. A new framework suggests that focused attention meditation may benefit those who worry chronically, while open monitoring may help individuals with hypervigilance and physical symptoms.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 16, 2025·4 min read

Astrocytes, Not Neurons, Drive Brain’s Attention and Alertness

For nearly a century, scientists believed that neuromodulators like norepinephrine adjusted brain communication by acting directly on neurons. A new study overturns this long-held view, revealing that astrocytes—support cells long considered secondary—are the key intermediaries.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 7, 2025·9 min read

Want to Know Your Alzheimer’s Risk? Many Change Their Minds

New research reveals a striking gap between people’s theoretical desire to know their Alzheimer’s disease risk and their real-life decisions when results are actually offered. In a study of cognitively normal volunteers, only 60% chose to learn their estimated risk when given the chance, despite 81% expressing prior interest.

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.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 10, 2025·8 min read

Brain Circuit Discovery Links Cancer Fatigue to Inflammation

New research shows that apathy and fatigue in advanced cancer are driven not by physical decline, but by inflammation-sensing neurons that suppress motivation. Scientists discovered that inflammation triggers a brainstem-to-reward-center pathway that reduces dopamine, the brain’s key motivation chemical.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 21, 2025·6 min read

Targeting Brain’s Drainage Pathways Rejuvenates Memory

Rejuvenating the brain's lymphatic vessels can enhance memory in aging mice by improving the removal of waste products from the brain. This research suggests that targeting the meningeal lymphatics—vessels outside the brain—could be a novel approach to treating age-related cognitive decline without directly crossing the blood-brain barrier.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 20, 2025·4 min read

How the Brain Ignores Distractions to Stay Focused

When focusing in noisy environments, the brain adjusts not by concentrating harder but by ignoring distractions that were previously disruptive. Researchers developed a neural network model showing that people fine-tune their attention based on past experiences with distractions.

This shows the outline of a person and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 20, 2025·6 min read

GLP-1 Drugs Offer Brain Benefits but May Pose Other Health Risks

A study analyzing data from over 2 million veterans found that GLP-1 receptor agonists, popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, provide significant neurological and behavioral health benefits, including reduced risks of addiction, Alzheimer’s, and dementia. However, they also pose risks for pancreatitis and kidney conditions, emphasizing the need for careful monitoring.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 12, 2024·8 min read

Glioblastoma Syncs With the Body’s Internal Clock

Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, syncs its internal clock to the host’s circadian rhythms, leveraging daily hormone cycles for growth. Blocking these signals slowed tumor progression in mice and revealed that the timing of treatments like dexamethasone (DEX) critically influences outcomes.