Summary: New research from the University of Cambridge reveals a specialized metabolic pathway in neurons and glial cells that controls mTORC1 signaling through leucine-derived acetyl-coenzyme A (AcCoA) and p300-mediated acetylation of Raptor. This neuronal-specific sensor diverges from canonical amino-acid sensing models and provides promising upstream targets to prevent chronic mTORC1 hyperactivation, restore autophagy, and address … Read more

Summary: A precision neuropsychology and clinical neurology study has revealed a previously hidden bio-physiological rhythm deep in the human midbrain that reliably signals active states of consciousness. The research identifies a rapid oscillation in the central thalamus that appears exclusively during wakefulness and REM sleep but is absent during non-REM sleep. Using direct intracranial electrical … Read more

Summary: New research from Mount Sinai indicates that autoimmunity is the main biological driver of debilitating long COVID symptoms for a defined subset of patients. Investigators demonstrated a direct causal relationship by isolating antibodies from people with long COVID and transferring them into healthy mice, which then developed measurable physical and physiological changes consistent with … Read more

Summary: This neurobiological review maps the structural, developmental, and environmental forces that underlie the contemporary crisis of human attention. It explains how smartphones and communication platforms exploit the brain’s dopamine-reward circuitry, replacing effortful, sustained focus with frequent, low-effort rewards. The authors argue that improving cognitive resilience requires structural changes in daily routines—shifting from reactive resistance … Read more

Summary: A team of researchers has received a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms in the amygdala that create long-lasting biological memories of trauma. The goal is to understand how these molecular changes drive exaggerated fear responses seen in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and … Read more

Summary: A landmark neuroregenerative study overturns a long-held assumption by showing that damage to the connections between the human brain and spinal cord—once thought irreversible—can be reversed. The researchers used patient-derived three-dimensional stem cell organoids grown in the lab for over a year to recreate human corticospinal development and to test strategies that restore axon … Read more

Summary: A new international study resolves long-standing clinical uncertainty by demonstrating that autism can be divided into at least two biologically distinct subtypes based on patterns of brain connectivity measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This work represents the first systematic cross-species effort to translate fMRI connectivity signatures into specific molecular mechanisms using genetically … Read more

Summary: Stress experienced by a father before conception can change signals carried in his sperm and thereby influence the physical growth of his children. New research shows that prolonged preconception stress raises levels of a tiny, stress-responsive non-coding RNA called let-7f-5p in sperm, and that this molecular change can subtly alter early embryonic development to … Read more

Summary: Researchers overturned decade-old assumptions about how the brain clears metabolic debris by developing a non-disruptive tracking method. They engineered neurons to secrete a traceable fluorescent protein, ZsGreen, and used it to map the exact exit routes for brain-derived proteins. This approach revealed that proteins do not drain uniformly across the brain. Instead, drainage follows … Read more

Summary: Researchers have outlined a clear, multi-component strategy for using stem cell–based therapies to repair the cascading damage caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI). This work reframes treatment goals from mere stabilization toward active tissue regeneration and functional recovery. By integrating recent advances in neural stem cells, cell-free exosomes, and engineered biomaterial scaffolds, investigators propose … Read more