Flu vaccination linked to a substantial short-term reduction in stroke risk, new study finds A major study from the University of Lincoln, funded by the National Institute for Health Research and published in the journal Vaccine, found that receiving an influenza (flu) vaccine was associated with a significantly lower risk of suffering a first stroke … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that certain fat molecules help trigger a cellular stress response that can protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Source: UC Berkeley A newly discovered stress-response pathway uses specific lipids to support cellular health Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified a surprising link between lipid metabolism … Read more

Summary: A new multimodal study identifies a nutrient profile linked with slower brain aging in cognitively healthy older adults. By combining blood biomarker analysis, brain imaging, and cognitive testing, researchers found that a pattern of fatty acids, antioxidants, carotenoids, vitamin E, and choline—nutrients common in the Mediterranean diet—correlates with better cognitive performance and preserved brain … Read more

Summary: A novel surgical nerve-transfer procedure that reroutes healthy nerves to inactive ones is helping people with quadriplegia regain function in their arms and hands. Source: University of Montreal Plastic surgeons Dominique Tremblay and Élie Boghossian of Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital (MRH), and researchers at the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine, have developed a refined nerve … Read more

Pregnant women in Austria commonly suffer from iodine deficiency, which can negatively affect the developing brain of their unborn child. This conclusion comes from a joint study by the Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit at the University Department of Internal Medicine III, the University Department of Gynaecology at the Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna), and … Read more

University of Miami researchers develop a method to visualize protein interactions in a living organism’s brain. How proteins coordinate inside the brain remains one of neuroscience’s central puzzles. The human brain contains more than a trillion neurons, each packed with millions of proteins that carry out signaling, structural and metabolic roles. Understanding when and where … Read more

Summary: In healthy adults, normal day-to-day mood swings do not appear to alter confidence in decisions. Source: BIAL Foundation This study is the first to test whether everyday fluctuations in mood and related variables—such as stress, sleep quality, or enjoyment of food—are linked to changes in metacognitive states like confidence and response vigor. The findings … Read more

Walt Whitman’s famous line, “I am large, I contain multitudes,” has taken on new biological meaning. New research from Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital shows that as we develop, individual brain cells can carry different genomes. The study, published Oct. 2 in Science, documents substantial numbers of somatic mutations—genetic changes that arise after … Read more

Large multicenter study finds early arterial stiffness linked to subtle brain injury in middle-aged adults A major, collaborative study led by the UC Davis School of Medicine has demonstrated for the first time that arterial stiffening appears in people as young as their 40s and is associated with subtle structural brain changes linked to later … Read more

Summary: A retrospective study indicates that people treated with lithium, a medication commonly used for bipolar disorder, had a lower incidence of dementia compared with those who did not receive lithium. Source: University of Cambridge Researchers at the University of Cambridge report an association suggesting lithium use may reduce the risk of developing dementia, a … Read more