Summary: Nitric oxide (NO) is typically a subtle signaling molecule in the brain, but new research shows it can trigger a damaging cascade in some forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study describes a biochemical chain reaction in which excess nitric oxide chemically modifies a protective protein, TSC2, through S-nitrosylation, marking it for degradation … Read more

Summary: Nearly two-thirds of people with Alzheimer’s disease are women, and new research points to a major reason why. A Mayo Clinic study published in JAMA Network Open found that when the Parkinson’s-related protein alpha-synuclein accumulates alongside Alzheimer’s pathology, tau-related brain changes in women progressed up to 20 times faster. This accelerating interaction was not … Read more

Summary: Specific potassium channels known as KCNQ2/3 act as critical “brakes” that prevent neurons from over-firing and keep the brain stable. New research shows a surprising dependence: these channels must already be functionally active to reach and remain at their correct location in neurons. The study demonstrates that channel function and cellular localization are tightly … Read more

Summary: When the cell’s energy generators—mitochondria—fail, tissues can degenerate, a process central to disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study from Tokyo University of Science clarifies how healthy mitochondria can be transferred into recipient cells, how cells internalize them, and how those organelles immediately restore bioenergetic function. Investigators showed that mesenchymal stromal … Read more

Summary: New research shows that differences in social tolerance among macaque species are reflected in brain anatomy. MRI comparisons across multiple species reveal that more socially tolerant macaques tend to have larger amygdalae, suggesting this structure plays a central role in processing complex social information rather than solely mediating fear and aggression. Researchers analyzed post-mortem … Read more

Summary: People with chronic back pain often report that everyday noises—like a slamming door or a loud television—feel harsher or more overwhelming. New research from the University of Colorado Anschutz shows that chronic back pain is linked to a measurable “sensory amplification” in the brain: functional MRI scans reveal that many people with chronic back … Read more

Summary: Does the brain stop “listening” to the lungs during deep sleep? A new study suggests it does. Researchers report that in the deepest stages of non-REM sleep—when slow delta waves dominate—the brain’s electrical activity becomes largely independent of the breathing rhythm. By recording activity in the substantia nigra, a deep-brain region involved in dopamine … Read more

Summary: Approximately 3% of people are born with aphantasia—the inability to form voluntary visual images in the mind. New research now shows that people can also develop aphantasia after a stroke or traumatic brain injury, and it pinpoints a single brain region that appears to be essential for visual imagination. Researchers mapped lesion locations from … Read more

Summary: Chronic pain is often described as an “invisible disability” because clinicians have lacked objective measures—until now. A recent breakthrough shows that chronic pain produces a distinct, highly individualized brain signature. This discovery points to a new path for objective assessment and personalized treatment using precision neuroimaging. Researchers used intensive longitudinal functional MRI (fMRI) sampling … Read more

Summary: When two people click, their bodies often fall into sync—literally. A new comprehensive review examines interpersonal physiological synchrony: the tendency for heart rates, heart-rate variability (HRV), electrodermal activity, and other physiological signals to align between people during social interaction. The authors argue that this alignment is not merely a byproduct of shared activity, but … Read more