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This shows a woman, leaves, and a brain.

·July 5, 2024·6 min read

Prenatal Cannabis Use Impacts Brain Development

A new study suggests prenatal cannabis exposure may influence long-term brain development and mental health. Researchers used data from the ABCD Study to examine neuroimaging of children exposed to cannabis in utero.

This shows a man in a facemask holding a cannabis plant.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 21, 2024·7 min read

Cannabis Use Linked to Severe COVID-19

Cannabis use increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Analyzing records of 72,501 patients, researchers discovered that cannabis users were significantly more likely to require hospitalization and intensive care. This elevated risk was comparable to that of tobacco smokers. The study challenges the perception of cannabis as a safe substance in the context of COVID-19.

This shows a doctor looking at brain scans.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 3, 2024·6 min read

Immunotherapy Shows Promise as Alzheimer’s Treatment

Researchers unveiled a novel approach to combat Alzheimer’s disease by activating microglia, the brain's immune cells, to devour amyloid beta plaques, a hallmark of the condition. This study highlights the potential of using immunotherapy to not only tackle Alzheimer’s but also other neurodegenerative diseases characterized by harmful protein accumulations.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·February 28, 2024·5 min read

Sleep Brainwaves Flush Brain of Waste

A new study unveiled a crucial role of sleep: brainwaves facilitating the cleansing of the brain by flushing out waste. This discovery not only underscores the brain's non-dormant state during sleep but also highlights a sophisticated system where neurons' synchronized activity powers the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, effectively removing metabolic waste and potentially neurodegenerative disease-causing toxins.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 20, 2024·6 min read

Decision Making: The Brain’s Blueprint for Future Insights

Researchers made a breakthrough in understanding how the brain makes decisions about future information, pinpointing the lateral habenula as a key player in this process. Their study demonstrates that humans and animals evaluate the worth of cognitive rewards, such as information about the future, using mental rules that the brain applies to both tangible rewards and the intangible satisfaction of curiosity.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 9, 2024·6 min read

Unlocking the Fountain of Youth: Brain-Fat Tissue Feedback Loop Holds Key

A new study reveals a vital brain-fat tissue feedback loop that plays a pivotal role in aging. The research identifies specific neurons in the hypothalamus that, when activated, signal the body's fat tissue to release energy, facilitating physical activity and brain function.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 8, 2024·6 min read

The Science of Sleep: Brain’s Reset Mechanism Revealed

Sleep has long been a mystery, but a new study offers fresh insights. By tracking brain activity in sleeping rats, they propose that sleep's primary function is to reset the brain's computational state to achieve "criticality."

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·December 12, 2023·6 min read

Rare Gene Mutation Shields Woman from Alzheimer’s

Researchers uncovered why a Colombian woman, despite carrying a genetic defect for Alzheimer’s, remained cognitively healthy into her 70s. The key lies in her possession of two copies of the rare Christchurch mutation in the APOE gene, which they replicated in a mouse study.

This shows a woman surrounded by Christmas ornaments.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 28, 2023·4 min read

Holiday Stress: Embracing Unpleasant Emotions for Better Health

December's festive season often brings stress and disappointment, challenging the societal expectation of only positive emotions. A new study shows how we respond to negative emotions is crucial for our mental health.

This shows bottles full of flowers and herbs.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 8, 2023·6 min read

Why Do We Like Certain Scents?

Researchers delved into understanding why certain smells appeal to us and others don't by studying locusts. Through a series of experiments, they analyzed how locusts' brains reacted to various odors and the behavior exhibited in response.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 11, 2023·4 min read

Brain’s Sugar Detectives: Uncovering Neurons that Monitor Blood Glucose

A new study uncovers a subset of neurons in the hypothalamus that sense and respond to changes in blood sugar levels, akin to insulin-secreting pancreatic cells. The research brings forth crucial insights into our understanding of the body's blood sugar regulation.

This shows the outine of two kids and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 27, 2023·8 min read

Childhood Poverty’s Impact: Reshaping the Brain’s Communication Pathways

Growing up in poverty may impact a child’s brain development, specifically in the white matter tracts which facilitate communication between different brain regions. The research, part of the large-scale Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, links neighborhood and household poverty to these crucial aspects of brain structure.

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WUSTL

Prenatal Cannabis Use Impacts Brain Development

Cannabis Use Linked to Severe COVID-19

Immunotherapy Shows Promise as Alzheimer’s Treatment

Sleep Brainwaves Flush Brain of Waste

Decision Making: The Brain’s Blueprint for Future Insights

Unlocking the Fountain of Youth: Brain-Fat Tissue Feedback Loop Holds Key

The Science of Sleep: Brain’s Reset Mechanism Revealed

Rare Gene Mutation Shields Woman from Alzheimer’s

Holiday Stress: Embracing Unpleasant Emotions for Better Health

Why Do We Like Certain Scents?

Brain’s Sugar Detectives: Uncovering Neurons that Monitor Blood Glucose

Childhood Poverty’s Impact: Reshaping the Brain’s Communication Pathways

AI Body Gap: Why Robots Need “Internal Feelings” to be Safe

Wetware AI: Living Brain Cells Trained to Run Chaos Math

Mapping the Brain’s Internal Stopwatch

Individual Cone Cells Create Our Sharpest Sight

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