Summary: A new AI system identifies neurons in brain microscope images more accurately and efficiently than previous methods. By teaching the model to recognize distinct neuronal parts and using topological priors, the approach improves automated neuron tracing and supports large-scale brain mapping efforts. Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a CRISPR-based technology that transports RNA to specific locations inside neurons, enabling local repair and regrowth. Unlike conventional CRISPR approaches that edit DNA, this system repurposes CRISPR-Cas13 to act as a targeted carrier, using molecular “zip codes” to deliver therapeutic RNA precisely where it is needed. This advance, named CRISPR-TO, could … Read more

Summary: Grooming and play behaviours among chimpanzees spread through observation, strengthening social bonds and supporting group harmony. A study at a wildlife orphanage demonstrates that watching others engage in friendly actions encourages similar behaviour, with grooming most common between close partners and play contagion especially strong among younger individuals. These results suggest positive social contagion … Read more

Summary: Testosterone’s influence on brain mechanisms that control emotion changes across development. Higher testosterone enhances anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) involvement in emotion control during adolescence, but by young adulthood that relationship reverses. A longitudinal brain imaging study tracked the same individuals through middle adolescence, late adolescence, and into young adulthood to map how testosterone interacts … Read more

Summary: Rat R222 was born with severe hydrocephalus that compressed and flattened much of its brain as fluid filled the skull. Neuroimaging and behavioral testing showed that, despite dramatic anatomical loss, R222 retained sight, hearing, smell, touch, normal movement, and spatial memory. The case reveals extreme neuroplasticity—how the nervous system reorganizes to preserve function—and suggests … Read more

New insights into a critical cellular pathway point to promising therapeutic targets for ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes and the University of Michigan have identified a cellular mechanism that can be leveraged to protect neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). By increasing levels of a single regulatory protein, the team was … Read more

High-resolution BrainSpan Atlas reveals where genes are active in the prenatal brain, highlights molecular roots of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and pinpoints features that make the human brain unique. Scientists at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have produced a detailed molecular blueprint of the developing human brain, mapping gene expression across anatomical structures … Read more

Summary: A new study finds that the brain switches rapidly between different operational modes depending on immediate task demands, and that what is replayed predicts task performance. Source: UCL Researchers report that the brain can switch modes in seconds: replaying experiences to support planning while engaged in a task, then shifting to consolidation when resting. … Read more

Summary: Researchers at Arizona State University are investigating transdermal electrical neuromodulation as a noninvasive way to enhance learning, memory and cognitive performance. Source: Arizona State University Arizona State University researchers explore electrical brain stimulation to improve learning and performance Researchers at Arizona State University are developing noninvasive electrical stimulation techniques intended to improve learning speed, … Read more

Summary: New research reveals how nerve cells in the gut are organised during development, shedding light on mechanisms that may underlie common gastrointestinal disorders. Source: Francis Crick Institute Scientists have identified developmental rules that shape the organisation of nerve cells within the gut’s enteric nervous system — a discovery that could help explain the origins … Read more