AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeurosciencePsychology·July 25, 2025·5 min readCould Mental Illness Begin Before You’re Born?A groundbreaking study has revealed that genes linked to mental and neurodegenerative disorders, such as autism, depression, and Parkinson’s, begin influencing brain development during the earliest fetal stages. These genes are already active in neural stem cells—the progenitors that form the brain—long before symptoms arise.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·July 25, 2025·6 min readDiscovering Life’s Meaning Through Emotion and ExplorationA new philosophical theory proposes that the meaning of life isn’t something static, but something we feel out as we move through life with different emotional stances. Dubbed the "Geographic Model of Meaning in Life," this concept likens our search for meaning to a blind person probing space with a cane—meaning emerges through that very exploration.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePainPsychology·July 25, 2025·5 min readOld Injuries Rewire the Brain to Feel Fear and Pain ForeverA new study reveals that even after healing, injuries can leave behind a hypersensitive nervous system that overreacts to future stress. Mice previously injured showed intense fear and renewed pain when exposed to a predator scent, despite no new harm.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·July 25, 2025·3 min readMicroglia May Hold Key to Slowing Alzheimer’s ProgressionAlzheimer’s disease is marked by toxic amyloid-beta protein clumps, but some people seem naturally protected. A new study reveals that a receptor called ADGRG1 enables immune cells called microglia to effectively clear these harmful plaques.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·July 25, 2025·3 min readFace-Like Objects Hijack Our Attention More Than Real GazesSeeing faces in objects—known as face pareidolia—triggers a powerful attentional response, according to a new study. Researchers compared how people react to real averted gazes versus imagined gazes from face-like objects and found both draw attention, but through different mechanisms.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·July 25, 2025·6 min readBrain Decodes Visual Memories by Timing, Not Just Firing NeuronsA new study has uncovered how the brain efficiently encodes and recalls visual memories—by organizing them into categories and using the precise timing of neuronal activity.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·July 25, 2025·6 min readIntense Grief Can Raise Your Risk of Death by Nearly 90%Summary: While grief is a natural part of loss, some people experience persistently high levels that can have long-term health...Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·July 24, 2025·4 min readImmune Cells Ignore Retinal Damage While Microglia Step InUnlike most tissues, the retina doesn’t summon neutrophils—the body’s typical first responders—when injured. Instead, microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, handle photoreceptor damage without calling for backup.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·July 24, 2025·6 min readMath Models Reveal Why Alzheimer’s Damages Some Brain Areas MoreAlzheimer’s disease spreads unevenly through the brain, and new mathematical modeling may help explain why. Researchers developed a network diffusion model that simulates how tau protein accumulates and spreads, identifying genes that either increase or reduce vulnerability.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·July 23, 2025·6 min readWhat Drives Women to Kill? Emotion & Threat, Not PsychopathyWomen who commit lethal violence rarely display psychopathy, instead acting out of provocation and perceived threats. A 15-year Swedish study of 175 cases found that about half of the women had a severe mental disorder, and these women showed slightly more short-term planning but still high emotional arousal.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·July 23, 2025·4 min read“Neurobiotic Sense” Tells Brain When You’ve Had EnoughScientists have discovered a “neurobiotic sense” — a newly identified system where the gut sends real-time signals from microbes to the brain to help regulate appetite. Specialized cells called neuropods in the colon detect a bacterial protein, flagellin, and signal the brain via the vagus nerve to suppress eating.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·July 23, 2025·4 min readEmotional Pain Brain Circuit Drives Cocaine RelapseA new study reveals that a brain circuit driving negative emotions during cocaine withdrawal plays a key role in relapse. Researchers found that this “anti-reward” network becomes hyperactive during abstinence, amplifying distress and pushing users back toward the drug.Read More
