Latest

WUSTL

·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.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 19, 2024·6 min read

Brain Models Reveal How We Process Life’s Small Surprises

Researchers trained computer models to predict everyday events, revealing that responding to uncertainty, rather than just prediction errors, improved understanding. This challenges the idea that surprises alone drive event comprehension and suggests the brain may use dual mechanisms.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·November 16, 2024·8 min read

Alzheimer’s Linked to Key Proteins via Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis

Using cerebrospinal fluid from living patients, researchers have identified specific proteins and genetic pathways involved in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This proteomic analysis revealed 38 proteins likely to play causal roles in Alzheimer’s, 15 of which are potential drug targets.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·October 17, 2024·8 min read

Genetic Influences on Youth Behavior and Mental Health

Researchers have used an innovative approach to explore genetic links to mental health issues in youth, identifying associations with behaviors such as screen time and caffeine consumption. By focusing on polygenic scores that reflect genetic predispositions, the study highlights a range of potentially modifiable factors that may contribute to psychiatric risk.

1 2 3 4 … 16

WUSTL

Calm Your Mind: Choose Mindfulness by Anxiety Type

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

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

Noninvasive Brain-Spine Interface May Help Restore Movement After Injury

Brain Circuit Discovery Links Cancer Fatigue to Inflammation

Targeting Brain’s Drainage Pathways Rejuvenates Memory

How the Brain Ignores Distractions to Stay Focused

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

Glioblastoma Syncs With the Body’s Internal Clock

Brain Models Reveal How We Process Life’s Small Surprises

Alzheimer’s Linked to Key Proteins via Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis

Genetic Influences on Youth Behavior and Mental Health

Losing Smell Triggers Severe Clinical Depression

Trauma Therapy Reverses PTSD in Psychosis Patients

Why We Are Misjudging How Childhood Trauma Changes the Body

Everyday Habit Changes Lowers Dementia Risk

Subscribe