Brain, intellect, IQ

A growing body of research suggests that the brain clears waste during sleep via the glymphatic system. How does this work and what are the implications for preventing neurodegenerative diseases?

Researchers tracked brain activity before and after arm amputation and found that hand and lip maps in the cortex remained remarkably stable for up to five years. This challenges decades-old assumptions of large-scale remapping and supports the idea of a resilient internal body model.

Miniature models of the brain have revealed a "previously unappreciated" role of microglia, a type of cell found within the organ. The finding could help unpack how disorders such as autism arise.

Researchers uncovered that hypothalamic neurons safeguard blood sugar overnight by directing fat breakdown, preventing hypoglycemia during early sleep. This subtle control system may explain abnormal metabolism in prediabetes.

Researchers discovered that bees use flight movements to sharpen brain signals, enabling them to recognize patterns with remarkable accuracy. A digital model of their brain shows that this movement-based perception could revolutionize AI and robotics by emphasizing efficiency over massive computing power.

Too much salt may inflame the brain, triggering hormones that push blood pressure higher. Scientists found this pathway could explain why many patients resist current hypertension drugs, pointing toward the brain as a new treatment target.

The brain’s body map doesn’t reorganize itself after limb amputation, a study found, challenging a textbook idea in neuroscience

Did you know the same protein that gives blood its red color and carries oxygen throughout the body is also present inside brain cells? Hemoglobin, long celebrated for ferrying oxygen in red blood cells, has now been revealed to play an overlooked - and potentially game-changing - antioxidant role in the brain.

A new survey of 312 neuroscientists reveals strong support for synaptic connectivity as the basis of long-term memory, but deep divides remain over memory extraction and brain emulation feasibility. The findings highlight both emerging consensus and sharp uncertainty in how memories are physically stored.

The 44-year-old man had severe treatment-resistant depression and had tried over 20 treatments.

Studying the process of brain formation illuminates just how much of development is a series of tiny miracles. Only a few weeks after a human egg is fertilized, a sheet of cells called the neural plate widens, stretches and rolls up to create a tube. This delicate dance of cells forms what will become our brain and spinal cord, the basis for our thoughts, feelings and actions.

Hypervascular tumors of the brain and spinal cord pose serious challenges for neurosurgeons due to their dense blood vessel networks, which can lead to heavy bleeding and increased surgical risk.

While rare, Naegleria fowleri infections have a 98% mortality rate.

For much of the 20th century it was thought that the adult brain was incapable of regeneration. This view has since shifted dramatically and neurogenesis – the birth of new neurons – is now a widely accepted phenomenon in the adult brain, offering promising avenues for treating many neurological conditions.

A friend offhandedly told me recently, "It's so easy to get my daughter to behave after her birthday—there are so many new toys to take away when she's bad!"

Scientists have finally uncovered the missing link in how our bodies absorb queuosine, a rare micronutrient crucial for brain health, memory, stress response, and cancer defense. For decades, researchers suspected a transporter had to exist, but it remained elusive—until now.

New research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Cambridge University upends a long-standing belief about brain plasticity.

The Apple Watch’s health features have once again played a part in flagging a potential health problem. A 57-year-old woman from Brighton, East Sussex says her Apple Watch alerted her to an issue that ultimately led doctors to uncover a brain tumor. more…

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

Previous research in macaques suggests that part of the brain reorganises itself when a limb is removed, but now a study in people has turned that idea on its head

It started with a high school typing course. Wanda Woods enrolled because her father advised that typing proficiency would lead to jobs. Sure enough, the federal Environmental Protection Agency hired her as an after-school worker while she was still a junior.

A new study finds that a high-salt diet triggers brain inflammation that drives up blood pressure.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 — Exposure to a common pesticide during pregnancy can impair children’s brain development and motor function for years to come, a new study says. The widely used pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) is linked to altered...

Researchers found that post-learning music changes emotional arousal, which in turn shapes memory differently across individuals. Moderate arousal boosted detailed memory, while extremes favored gist, showing music’s unique but variable impact on consolidation.

Psychiatric medicine hasn't changed much since the 1960s. Could blocking the effects of chronic inflammation on the brain be the step change we need?

For decades, scientists believed animals on islands evolved smaller brains relative to body size to save energy. But most Channel Islands foxes—tiny predators no bigger than a house cat—defied that rule, evolving larger brains than their mainland cousins.

In a new study led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), researchers found that mitochondrial dysfunction in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may lead to neuropsychiatric disease in some patients with 22qDS.

Blocking brain damage triggered by a glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, may slow the growth of the cancer and allow the brain to keep working better for longer, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

Researchers discovered two brain regions that work as a “neural compass,” keeping people oriented in virtual city navigation. These areas tracked direction consistently, hinting at new ways to detect and monitor neurological disorders that cause disorientation.

Scientists at UCSF have uncovered a surprising culprit behind brain aging: a protein called FTL1. In mice, too much FTL1 caused memory loss, weaker brain connections, and sluggish cells. But when researchers blocked it, the animals regained youthful brain function and sharp memory. The discovery suggests that one protein could be the master switch for aging in the brain — and targeting it may one day allow us to actually reverse cognitive decline, not just slow it down.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 — Exposure to a common pesticide during pregnancy can impair children’s brain development and motor function for years to come, a new study says.The widely used pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) is linked to altered brain fun...

Despite improvements in medical and surgical management strategies, brain abscess continues to cause disability and mortality in affected individuals.

A man in the U.S. reported worsening migraine symptoms. It turned out that a pork tapeworm had invaded his brain.

MSU researchers discovered that microbes begin shaping the brain while still in the womb, influencing neurons in a region critical for stress and social behavior. Their findings suggest modern birth practices that alter the microbiome may have hidden impacts on brain development.

Extreme weather events are increasingly recognized as adverse childhood experiences (E-ACEs) that disrupt brain development, stress regulation, and long-term health. Researchers warn that children, especially in low- and middle-income countries, face lifelong mental and physical health risks without urgent resilience-building interventions.

A device that has been likened to a pacemaker for the brain has given a man with severe depression great relief

TUESDAY, Aug. 19, 2025 — Want to keep your brain healthy as you age?Regularly volunteer some of your time to your community, neighborhood, friends or family, a new study suggests.People who regularly lend a hand slow their rate of aging-related b...

A new brain-computer interface can decode a person's inner speech, which could help people with paralysis communicate.

Brain health supplements promise sharper memory and slowed cognitive decline. Do they deliver? Explore the shaky science behind the products, potential risks, and safer ways to maintain brain health.

Higher prenatal exposure to the common pesticide chlorpyrifos is linked to significant changes in brain structure and function and poorer motor function in children.

Long dismissed as impossible, nerve regrowth is offering new hope for healing injuries and treating neurodegeneration

Washing waste from the brain is an essential function of sleep—and it could help ward off dementia

Cerebrovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and stroke remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

Aging is particularly harsh on the hippocampus - the brain region responsible for learning and memory.

Researchers at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have developed a new class of programmable nanofluidic memristors that mimic

Zhengang Lu and Russell Epstein, from the University of Pennsylvania, led a study to explore how people maintain their sense of direction while navigating naturalistic, virtual reality cities.

Three classes of medication used to treat cardiovascular health risks could slow cognitive decline when taken simultaneously, according to a large analysis.

A new study reports evidence of a link between prenatal exposure to the widely used insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and structural abnormalities in the brain and poorer motor function in New York City children and adolescents.

A research group led by The University of Osaka has discovered that the DNA repair enzyme Polβ plays a crucial role in protecting the developing brain from harmful mutations.

Thoughts are translated into speech in real time—with a passcode to prevent broadcasting private musings. The post New Brain Implant Decodes ‘Inner Monologue’ of People With Paralysis appeared first on SingularityHub.

A new study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), identified tiny pieces of messenger RNA that are missing in pediatric high-grade glioma tumors but not in normal brain tissues.

The brain is a plastic organ throughout life, neural networks adapting to use and experience. Many of the changes that occur with age are taking place in response to patterns of use, not just in response to damage and dysfunction. It isn't entirely straightforward to determine which is which. The research noted here doesn't give any particular insight into how to address undesirable changes in the aging brain, but does provide an interesting view into how the brain strives and succeeds to retain function in capacities that receive constant use. The human cerebral cortex is only a few millimetres thick and arranged in numerous folds. This tissue usually becomes thinner with age. "This is a hallmark of aging. It is attributed, among other things, to […]

Having a prior diabetes diagnosis is linked to poorer cognitive recovery up to 1 year after traumatic brain injury than not having diabetes, a new study shows.

It has long been understood that experiencing two senses simultaneously, like seeing and hearing, can lead to improved responses relative to those seen when only one sensory input is experienced by itself.

FRIDAY, Aug. 15, 2025 — For the first time, scientists have created a brain implant that can “hear” and vocalize words a person is only imagining in their head.The device, developed at Stanford University in California, could help people with sever...

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Irish fashion designer Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra's death remains under investigation as detectives question whether she had brain cancer, with toxicology tests and a second autopsy underway in the US.

People who have similar neural responses to movie clips are more likely to become friends, indicating bonds form based off shared thought processes

Researchers developed a virtual brain twin framework that integrates imaging and stimulation data to improve diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.

A Cell Metabolism study reveals that GIPR signaling in oligodendrocytes enhances brain access and weight-loss efficacy of GLP-1R agonists by increasing vascular permeability and targeting appetite-regulating neurons. This mechanism may explain why GIPR/GLP-1R co-agonists outperform single-agent therapies.

Scientists have pinpointed brain activity related to inner speech-the silent monologue in people's heads-and successfully decoded it on command with up to 74% accuracy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in older people, affecting up to 1 in 20 individuals aged 65 and above. In addition to environmental and lifestyle factors, genetic mutations can predispose an individual to AD and some rare forms of inherited "familial" AD (fAD) are caused by known genetic mutations, with these affected individuals developing AD with high probability and at relatively young age.

A new brain prosthesis can read out inner thoughts in real time, helping people with ALS and brain stem stroke communicate fast and comfortably

Researchers isolated signals from a brain implant so people with movement disorders could voice thoughts without trying to speak

Scientists decoded the silent inner thoughts of four people with paralysis, a breakthrough that could transform assistive speech.

Cornell engineers have built the first fully integrated “microwave brain” — a silicon microchip that can process ultrafast data and wireless signals at the same time, while using less than 200 milliwatts of power. Instead of digital steps, it uses analog microwave physics for real-time computations like radar tracking, signal decoding, and anomaly detection. This unique neural network design bypasses traditional processing bottlenecks, achieving high accuracy without the extra circuitry or energy demands of digital systems.

THURSDAY, Aug. 14, 2025 — It’s a time-honored and somewhat romantic tale: The young fighter who rises from poverty to make a name for themselves.But reality might take some shine off such stories, a new study says.Participants in combat sports like...

Kate Douglas discovers plans for a "nature revolution" in Marc Berman's fascinating and ambitious new book Nature and the Mind

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UC Berkeley scientists found oxytocin is key for quickly forming strong friendships, but less critical for mate bonds. In prairie voles, a lack of oxytocin receptors delayed bonding and reduced partner selectivity, changing how the brain releases oxytocin and affecting social behavior.

New research from Michigan State University finds that microbes play an important role in shaping early brain development, specifically in a key brain region that controls stress, social behavior, and vital body functions.

Adolescents assessed after COVID-19 lockdowns showed lower daily cortisol, higher inflammation, and reduced prefrontal cortex activity compared to matched pre-pandemic peers, suggesting widespread stress-related biological changes. These alterations mirror patterns seen after prolonged early-life stress, raising concerns about long-term health risks.

Research from scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shed new light on an age-old question: what makes the human brain unique?

Open AI Sam Altman predicts brain implants will lead to humans and tech merging.

Sam Altman has quietly begun assembling his next big venture. The OpenAI CEO is co-founding Merge Labs, a

Healthy brain function relies on a steady supply of blood. Disruptions in blood flow are linked to major neurological conditions like stroke, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and traumatic brain injuries. But understanding how the brain fine-tunes this flow – especially across its smallest blood vessels – remains a challenge.

A new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago reveals how the blood-brain barrier gets leakier with age, contributing to memory deficits.

Scientists have discovered a direct cause-and-effect link between faulty mitochondria and the memory loss seen in neurodegenerative diseases. By creating a novel tool to boost mitochondrial activity in mouse models, researchers restored memory performance, suggesting mitochondria could be a powerful new target for treatments. The findings not only shed light on the early drivers of brain cell degeneration but also open possibilities for slowing or even preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Researchers have discovered that parts of the human brain age more slowly than previously thought—particularly in the region that processes touch. By using ultra-high-resolution brain scans, they found that while some layers of the cerebral cortex thin with age, others remain stable or even grow thicker, suggesting remarkable adaptability. This layered resilience could explain why certain skills endure into old age, while others fade, and even reveals built-in compensatory mechanisms that help preserve function.

Cats with dementia have brain changes similar to those of people with Alzheimer's disease, offering a valuable model for studying the condition in humans, a study says.

Researchers have demonstrated that brain cells learn faster and carry out complex networking more effectively than machine learning by comparing how both a Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI) system known as 'DishBrain' and state-of-the-art RL (reinforcement learning) algorithms react to certain stimuli.

Lavender essential oil aromatherapy improves sleep quality and reduces postoperative delirium in brain surgery patients, offering a natural aid for recovery.

Intermittent theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation coupled with language therapy slows language and functional decline in primary progressive aphasia, new research shows.

Oxytocin promotes social behaviors and helps maintain relationships. But clinical trials in patients with autism show variability in how consistently oxytocin improves these behaviors.

Scientists map how the brain integrates hormonal and neural signals from the body to control appetite, energy use, and reward pathways, revealing targets for next-generation anti-obesity drugs. This review highlights the interplay between neuroendocrine circuits, neuroplasticity, and pharmacotherapy for durable, non-aversive weight loss.

The rat basal ganglia is shown to implement two different codes, one for learned movements and another for innate behaviors. The new study offers insight into human movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s, Huntington's, and Tourette Syndrome. The post Rat Brain Reveals Code for Learned Skills, Clues into Human Movement Disorders appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

A research team from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has gained new insights into the brain processes involved in encoding and retrieving new memory content.

The human brain ages less than thought and in layers – at least in the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for the sense of touch.

Scientists have uncovered a way to promote weight loss and improve blood sugar control without the unpleasant side effects of current GLP-1 drugs. By shifting focus from neurons to brain support cells that produce appetite-suppressing molecules, they developed a modified compound, TDN, that worked in animal tests without causing nausea or vomiting.

Overuse of digital gadgets harms teenagers, research suggests. But ubiquitous technology may be helping older Americans stay sharp.

Overuse of digital gadgets harms teenagers, research suggests. But ubiquitous technology may be helping older Americans stay sharp.

Overuse of digital gadgets harms teenagers, research suggests. But ubiquitous technology may be helping older Americans stay sharp.

It's August, which means Hot Science Summer is two-thirds over. This week, NASA released an exceptionally pretty photo of Mars, a sharp panorama color altered to make the sky blue (???). California health authorities are warning hunters and trappers about contaminated game after one trapper caught a wild pig with bright blue muscle tissue. The pigs and other wildlife may have been exposed to the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone. And an international team of astronomers identified the oldest known black hole ever confirmed—the object was present 500 million years after the Big Bang.

It took Amazon several years to overcome technical hurdles as it remade its voice assistant with new artificial intelligence technology.

An international research team involving the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, the Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, and Stanford University has discovered that in the aging brain, certain proteins are lost even though their mRNA blueprints remain intact.