Summary: Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have identified a signaling pathway that allows cells to repel one another by internalizing membrane-bound protein complexes. Source: Max Planck Institute Researchers identify signaling pathway that drives cell repulsion by trans-endocytosis Cells frequently make brief, physical contacts during development, tissue maintenance, wound repair and disease progression. These encounters … Read more

Summary: Long-term patterns of physical activity at specific intensities are linked to different types of memory and to distinct aspects of mental health. Source: Dartmouth College Exercise benefits both cognition and mental well-being, but not all exercise affects the brain in the same way. A new Dartmouth study shows that the intensity and pattern of … Read more

How our brains react to other people’s good fortune appears linked to self-reported empathy, new research led by UCL finds. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience and supported by the Medical Research Council, the study identifies the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a brain region that is particularly sensitive to rewards experienced by others. Crucially, … Read more

Researchers at McMaster University have solved a long-standing puzzle in Huntington’s disease (HD). Huntington’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that typically appears in mid-life and affects roughly one person in every 7,000. It is characterized by the gradual loss of neurons, especially in deep brain regions that control movement and cognition. Although the precise … Read more

Summary: New research from the University of Bath shows that people with higher IQ scores are substantially better at predicting future outcomes, which supports more accurate decision-making. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), researchers evaluated how well adults over 50 could estimate their own life expectancy and found that higher cognitive … Read more

Summary: New research shows that a group of immune cells essential for gut health is directly regulated by the brain’s circadian clock, linking sleep patterns and light exposure to intestinal immunity and metabolism. Source: Champalimaud Center for the Unknown Night-shift work, frequent travel across time zones, and chronic sleep disruption are known risk factors for … Read more

Summary: A new JAMA study examined the brains of 202 former American football players who were donated for research and found a high frequency of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The research team evaluated brain tissue in the laboratory and collected detailed histories from next of kin about head injuries, football participation and related factors. Of … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a previously undescribed neuron in the hippocampus that becomes active during the formation of new memories. Source: Aarhus University The hippocampus has long been known as a key brain structure where memories are encoded and stored through coordinated changes in neuronal activity. A well-known hallmark of memory-related activity in the hippocampus … Read more

Memories are difficult to form, often fragile, and influenced by many factors—including changes in different classes of nerve cells. In the common fruit fly, a widely used model for studying human memory, these changes occur across multiple regions of the brain. Researchers at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a … Read more

Infant Brain Development Shows Early Differences Linked to APOE ε4, a Gene Associated with Alzheimer’s Risk Researchers at Brown University and the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute used a specialized MRI method to examine how a common genetic variant associated with late‑onset Alzheimer’s disease relates to early brain development. Their study, published in JAMA Neurology, found measurable … Read more