Summary: New research redefines the biological basis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by showing that serotonin directly reduces what the authors call “belief stickiness” — the tendency to cling to an outdated belief about the state of the world despite clear contradictory evidence. In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, researchers combined a shell-collecting game with computational … Read more

Summary: A single dose of psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic “magic” mushrooms, produced long-lasting reductions in nerve pain in a preclinical mouse model and markedly increased the effectiveness of gabapentin, a commonly prescribed nerve pain medication. Researchers at the University of Reading report that psilocybin appears to reorganize the brain’s pain-processing networks rather than … Read more

Summary: A major randomized clinical trial shows that structured, coached lifestyle interventions—combining healthy eating, regular exercise, cognitive stimulation, and social engagement—can slow biological aging by reducing frailty and protecting cognitive performance in older adults. Using data from the landmark U.S. POINTER trial, researchers compared a guided, accountability-based program with a self-guided approach. While both approaches … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a key biological mechanism linking the heart and the brain, revealing how a heart attack can directly alter brain function and contribute to depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. The team found that a highly reactive byproduct, methylglyoxal (MG), spikes in the blood after myocardial infarction and accumulates in brain regions that … Read more

Summary: A landmark study overturns a long-held assumption in neuroscience: the speed of learning is not determined only by repetition and experience but is strongly influenced by the size of the reward. Researchers show that larger rewards produce higher-amplitude, longer-lasting dopamine signals in the brain. This prolonged dopamine response increases engagement and amplifies learning from … Read more

Summary: A collaborative neurobiology study reveals how the gut senses protein deficiency and signals the brain to seek essential amino acids, identifying a coordinated gut‑brain system that shifts dietary preference toward protein while suppressing sugar intake. The research describes a dual-track signaling network in which rapid neural communication and a slower hormonal signal work together … Read more

Summary: New research suggests chronic stress, depression, cardiovascular disease, fragmented sleep, and aging may all raise dementia risk by disrupting a single sleep-dependent brain rhythm that helps clear metabolic waste. This review reframes sleep as an organized state of fluid transport essential for removing toxic proteins, and it highlights a sleep-linked biomarker—heart rate variability—that consumer … Read more

Summary: A collaborative neurobiology study has identified a cellular mechanism linked to rapid, severe progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). Using advanced spatial and molecular methods on human post-mortem brain tissue, the multidisciplinary team found that clusters of lipid‑engorged immune cells — called “foamy microglia” — become pathologically overwhelmed after ingesting large amounts of damaged myelin. … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed an innovative genomic diagnostic technique—an “RNA origami” approach—that can precisely identify and quantify dangerous repeat expansion mutations. This method targets a persistent diagnostic blind spot: repeat expansion disorders such as certain muscular dystrophies, Huntington’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These conditions are driven by simple sequence repeats that grow well … Read more

Summary: A precision neuroimaging study from the University of Turku challenges the widely held idea that persistent, widespread brain inflammation is the main cause of Long COVID symptoms. Using advanced PET and MRI techniques, researchers compared people with long COVID to healthy volunteers and to patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Their results show no sustained … Read more