Summary: Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have identified a direct neuro-immune pathway in the gut in which enteric neurons produce the neuropeptide adrenomedullin 2 (ADM2). ADM2 stimulates group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) to release amphiregulin, a factor that promotes tissue repair. In preclinical models, ADM2 expanded protective ILC2 populations and improved recovery from intestinal … Read more

Summary: Researchers have found that the human retina actively synchronizes visual signals before they reach the brain. By varying the diameter of retinal nerve fibers, longer axons conduct impulses faster so that signals from distant photoreceptors arrive nearly in sync with those from closer ones. This intrinsic retinal mechanism reduces timing differences to a few … Read more

Summary: Researchers have created a computational framework that explains how the striosomal compartment of the striatum shapes everyday decision-making. By combining biological data, decision theory, and mathematical modeling, the study shows that different levels of striosomal activity bias people toward impulsive, balanced, or overly deliberative choices. High striosomal activity steers decisions toward quick, reward-driven options, … Read more

Summary: Researchers in Japan used genetic engineering to make one species of fruit fly display a courtship ritual normally seen only in another species. By activating the sex-determination “fruitless” gene in insulin-producing neurons, they rewired the brain of Drosophila melanogaster so males offered regurgitated food to potential mates — a nuptial gift behavior characteristic of … Read more

Summary: A decade-long investigation indicates that naturally occurring lithium in the brain helps protect against Alzheimer’s disease by preserving normal function across major brain cell types. Researchers report that lithium loss is among the earliest measurable brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s and often precedes clear symptoms. In mouse models, lowering brain lithium produced core features … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a genetic element called HAR123 that may help explain features that make the human brain distinct. Functioning as a transcriptional enhancer, HAR123 influences the formation and behavior of neural progenitor cells—the precursors that produce neurons and glial cells—and affects the balance between these two cell types. This regulatory effect appears to … Read more

Summary: A large U.S. cohort analysis shows that adults recovering from alcohol or other drug addictions are significantly more likely to maintain long-term remission when they also stop smoking cigarettes. Using data from 2,652 participants in the ongoing PATH Study, researchers found that a change from current to former smoking was associated with substantially higher … Read more

Summary: An international research team working at Ledi-Geraru in Ethiopia has uncovered fossil evidence showing that early members of the genus Homo and a previously unrecognized species of Australopithecus lived side-by-side in the same place between about 2.6 and 2.8 million years ago. The discovery includes 13 australopith teeth that differ from Australopithecus afarensis (famously … Read more

Summary: A large-scale, multi-site study challenges the widely held belief that formal musical training improves the brain’s earliest stages of sound processing. Using a sample size more than four times larger than earlier reports, researchers found no reliable difference between musicians and non-musicians in subcortical auditory responses measured by the Frequency Following Response (FFR), nor … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a specialized group of spinal cord interneurons that help regulate breathing when the body faces physiological stress such as elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels. When these cells were blocked in experimental models, the ability to adapt breathing to high CO₂ was impaired, indicating these neurons play an essential role in respiratory … Read more