Brain, intellect, IQ

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that lower bone mineral density in the spine was associated with faster cognitive decline and accelerated age-related white matter injury, according to a new study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

This technology introduces an advanced neural network model and specialized hardware architecture designed to analyze and identify synaptic dysfunctions related to Autism Spectrum Disorders and similar complex neurological conditions.

Researchers have developed an organoid-on-a-chip technology that verifies the efficacy of Parkinson's disease treatments in real time. The technology combines a stem cell–derived "mini-brain" with a nanoplasmonic sensor engineered to maximize light–matter interaction.

Scientists are developing imaging techniques and blood tests that one day may enable doctors to identify the disease definitively in living patients.

Scientists are developing imaging techniques and blood tests that one day may enable doctors to identify the disease definitively in living patients.

With Western Australia projected to record the nation's fastest growth in dementia cases, a new Curtin University-led resource aims to help people protect their brain health and reduce their risk.

A large ABCD study of 10,838 children found that prenatal cannabis exposure was associated with small differences in resting-state brain connectivity, higher behavioral and emotional problem scores, and lower performance on several cognitive measures in late childhood. PCE-related connectivity patterns partly overlapped with those linked to psychopathology and cognition, although the cross-sectional observational design cannot establish causality or mediation.

Researchers have found evidence that long COVID may damage dopamine releasing neurons in the brain, potentially explaining persistent fatigue, low motivation, slowed movement, and memory difficulties. The discovery could lead to new treatments that target the brain's dopamine system.

For many autistic children, everyday sensations such as the feel of scratchy fabric or a loud car alarm can be intensely distressing.

Engaging core muscles - through movement, exercise, or even coughing - may be a key regulator of blood flow in the brain.

Researchers identified genes that enable the regeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in planarians. This provides a roadmap for investigating whether similar pathways can be activated in humans and potentially leveraged to treat traumatic brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. The post Genes Involved in Flatworm Brain Regeneration Identified appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Some children have a condition that makes them persistently struggle with math problem solving (developmental dyscalculia), yet behavioral and mechanistic details about this condition are lacking.

Our survival depends on brains that constantly search for danger and, if found, stay alert until it has passed.

Some children have a condition that causes them to persistently struggle with math problem-solving (developmental dyscalculia), yet behavioral and mechanistic details about this condition are lacking.

The human brain is terrible at healing itself from injury or disease. But some animals can harness their own cellular abilities to not only repair injuries but also to regrow their brains entirely.

Scientists have found that the human brain develops from two distinct cellular systems, suggesting that evolution fused together two ancient nervous systems with very different jobs. The discovery also allowed researchers to grow human hindbrain neurons in the lab, opening new possibilities for studying ALS, spinal muscular atrophy, and other brainstem diseases.

A new needle-thin brain implant can record neural activity, deliver drugs, and stimulate multiple brain regions using a single flexible fiber. Successful tests in mice suggest it could give scientists a more precise, less invasive way to study the brain and may eventually help treat neurological disorders such as epilepsy.

It is sometimes called "momnesia," "mommy brain," "pregnancy brain" or "baby brain" — the forgetfulness, mental fogginess and cognitive changes that many women may...

Every tissue in the body exchanges signals with every other tissue. Every tissue is dependent on specialized functions that are conducted elsewhere in the body. Thus in the matter of neurodegenerative disease, it is possible to focus too much on the brain, where the damage is taking place. Other organs and biological systems in the body do make a contribution to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative conditions. The brain requires a functioning circulatory system, a kidney to clear out metabolic waste, a lymphatic system to drain cerebrospinal fluid, and so forth. The functions of the brain are disrupted by chronic inflammatory signaling originating in other parts of the body, or by unwanted metabolites originating in the gut microbiota. The list continues; it is a […]

The human brain is terrible at healing itself from injury or disease. But some animals can harness their own cellular abilities not only to repair injuries but also to regrow their brains entirely. Researchers from the University of Georgia have pinpointed several of the genes that make brain regeneration possible in one type of flatworm.

The human brain uses about the same amount of wattage as a lightbulb

A new study reveals insights into populations of neurons affected by Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia, addiction, and other disorders.

Research suggests that the brain is two distinct organs that evolved independently and comprise two ancient nervous systems packaged together; a hindbrain that regulates essential functions, and a forebrain that handles higher level thinking. The post Two-Organ View of the Human Brain Emerges appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Why do food cravings become so strong during pregnancy? Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with colleagues, have identified a brain mechanism that may help explain how pregnancy changes the motivation to seek certain highly palatable foods.

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that individuals with bulimia nervosa have structural differences in brain regions involved in reward and motivation, as well as social and sensory processing, and that more frequent binge eating is associated with more widespread differences in brain structure, according to research published today in JAMA Psychiatry.

For centuries, scientists have thought of the brain as a single, unified organ. But new research led by Stanford Medicine reveals that what we call the brain is two distinct organs that evolved independently over hundreds of millions of years.

Virtually all high-grade, aggressive gliomas in adults accumulate massive amounts of a metabolite called guanidinoacetate (GAA) that overstimulates nearby neurons and promotes tumor growth, according to new research from scientists at Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) published in Cell.

Hot or affectively driven suicidal ideation is associated with reduced thalamo-pallidal volumes in patients with major depressive disorder, whereas deliberate or cold ideation is not.

Scientists found that declining levels of the brain protein Menin may help drive aging, with lower levels in mice linked to inflammation, cognitive decline, weaker bones, and thinner skin. Restoring Menin reversed several age-related changes, while the amino acid D-serine improved cognition, hinting at a potentially intriguing new target for healthy aging.

Debby Ryan reveals a fifth concussion left her with a 'life-altering brain injury', six months out of commission and undergoing neurological rehabilitation.

A North Carolina teenager's death highlights the early symptoms, rapid progression, transmission risks and extreme rarity of Naegleria fowleri infection.

Researchers studying 353 cognitively unimpaired adults aged 60 to 94 found that higher muscular capacity was associated with lower basal ganglia perivascular space volume, while greater aerobic fitness was associated with greater gray matter volume and medial temporal lobe thickness. Fitness was not directly associated with global cognition or episodic memory, and evidence for cognitive reserve was limited, although VO₂max explained additional variation in delayed verbal memory beyond tau burden.

Human Cortex Grown Inside Mice Stanford University researchers removed most of the cortex from developing mice and let

Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have discovered a previously unknown cellular defense system that protects the brain from abnormal glycogen accumulation, which is linked to severe neurological disorders.

The technique opens new possibilities for investigating neurological conditions, from autism to dementia

The brains of people who are deaf from an early age re-wire to see more of what is happening in their visual periphery, new research has revealed.

Psychologist John Garrison said footage of Mitch McConnell returning to the Senate raised concerns about the senator's responsiveness and understanding of legislation.

THURSDAY, Sept. 17, 2026 — Combat explosions appear to be increasing veterans’ long-term risk of seizures, nerve pain and stroke, a new study says.Vets exposed to high-level blasts from explosive devices or land mines are more likely to wind up...

Scientists discovered that brain-cell axons may not be smooth tubes as textbooks have shown for more than a century, but instead naturally resemble strings of tiny pearls. Those pearl-like structures can change with neural activity and may help control how quickly electrical signals travel through the brain.

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Meet a mouse whose brain cortex is made up of human cells Multiple cameras tracked a mouse as it wandered around a small arena. A computer charted its position and speed,…

Scientists discovered a hidden “immune organ” inside the skull that acts as a rapid first responder against brain cancer in mice. Strengthening this local immune defense improved tumor rejection and survival, raising the possibility of new treatments that target the skull directly.

Many women usually say the same thing during pregnancy: they walk into a room and forget why, misplace their keys or struggle to follow a conversation.

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that individuals with bulimia nervosa have structural differences in brain regions involved in reward and motivation, as well as social and sensory processing, and that more frequent binge eating is associated with more widespread differences in brain structure, according to research published today in JAMA Psychiatry.

Researchers identified a brain protein, NSF, that is important for maintaining dopamine-related cells and normal development, providing new insights into ADHD and potential therapeutic strategies. The post Brain Protein in Mice Offers Insights Into Brain Development and ADHD appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

When we tell a dog "no" and it resists temptation, what happens in its brain? New research from the Department of Ethology at ELTE and the HUN-REN Research Centre of Natural Sciences suggests that dogs may do more than respond automatically: When they restrain their behavior, their brains show a pattern of activity resembling the human neural signature of self-control. The study is published in the journal Animal Cognition.

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16, 2026 — An 18-year-old from central Pennsylvania has died of a rare complication of measles that attacks the brain and spinal cord, the fourth death tied to the state's growing outbreak.The Mifflin County coroner's office...

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect attention, activity levels, and impulse control, with symptoms often beginning in childhood and sometimes continuing into adulthood.

NEC is one of the most common and lethal gastrointestinal emergencies in preterm infants, with mortality rates ranging from 15% to 30%.

Multiple cameras tracked a mouse as it wandered around a small arena. A computer charted its position and speed, leaving Pong-like traces on a monitor.  The reason to watch this rodent so carefully? Nearly half its brain volume had been replaced with human cells. The effort to mix the brain tissues of distant species is…

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Scientists have devised a new way to incorporate human brain tissue into living mice, opening the door to new research.

The studies may help reveal the causes of brain disease in people and point the way to treatments. But researchers already are calling for new ethical guidelines.

Scientists reconstructed videos from the brain activity of mice, producing 10-second clips based only on signals from neurons in the visual cortex. The breakthrough could help reveal how the brain reshapes what we see before it becomes our perception of reality.

The closer two people grow, the more alike their brains work – or so the assumption goes. Two

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Researchers showed that a single high-density ECoG implant could decode attempted speech and upper-body gestures in parallel in people with severe paralysis, allowing two participants to control a personalized full-body avatar. Training the decoders on both isolated and concurrent behaviors improved performance across contexts and reduced false activations, offering proof-of-concept evidence for more expressive multimodal BCIs.

Built from transcriptomic and mass spectrometry data, the atlas uncovered more than 1,000 previously uncharacterized microproteins and pointed to a potential connection between one microprotein and microglial dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. The post Microprotein Atlas Links Brain Immune Cell Dysfunction to Alzheimer’s appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

In a 28-day controlled study of 22 healthy adults, 15 days of complete fasting produced a glucose-to-ketone metabolic shift and selectively affected attention and implicit learning while time perception remained relatively stable. Moderate-intensity exercise during early fasting was associated with poorer performance on some learning measures, while fasting also increased sleepiness and reduced calmness at some time points.

But models of the insect’s nervous system have been trained to solve a Rubik’s Cube, play video games and even parallel park a car.

But models of the insect’s nervous system have been trained to solve a Rubik’s Cube, play video games and even parallel park a car.

In a study analyzing nearly 3,000 brain MRI exams, researchers found that living in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods was associated with adverse brain health.

Every year, an estimated 20 million people worldwide sustain a concussion or other traumatic brain injury (TBI), which leads to a two- to four-fold increase in the risk of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Every day, your brain runs the same calculation: take a risk or play it safe? Your gas tank might be low, but there's just enough to make it to work on time.

Scientists have uncovered sweeping changes in how the human brain controls and organizes its genome beginning in midlife, offering new clues to why aging sharply increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. One of the biggest shifts occurred between about ages 50 and 75, when many of the brain’s original immune cells declined and were replaced by cells with more inflammatory characteristics. Researchers also found weakening of cells that help maintain the blood-brain barrier, along with widespread deterioration in the genome’s three-dimensional organization.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded scientific team has shown that a new brain-computer interface (BCI) can allow people with vocal tract and bodily paralysis to convey both speech and upper-body gestures simultaneously.

Jimmy Fallon mocked Donald Trump's claim that artificial intelligence only needs a strong, high-IQ president, joking about the president's cognitive abilities and AI-generated images

Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate after 92 days away, appearing thinner and using a wheelchair, as Laura Loomer made unsubstantiated claims about his health.

Only 21% of adults with closed head injury have mTBI diagnosed or clinically suspected in the ED, despite 41% meeting diagnostic criteria, with missed diagnoses most common among middle-aged adults.

Early cranial stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) administered with first-line osimertinib was associated with improved intracranial control and survival outcomes in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and limited brain metastases, according to research presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC).

In the SWOG S1827 MAVERICK phase III randomized trial, patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) who underwent regular brain MRI surveillance without prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) had significantly better cognitive failure–free survival (the primary endpoint of the trial), without an apparent difference in overall survival, according to results presented at the Presidential Symposium of the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer, hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors, which are important but difficult drug targets, interact in surprisingly varied ways with their principal regulatory proteins, according to two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings represent a major step forward in understanding these receptors and how they can be targeted effectively to potentially treat conditions such as epilepsy, depression and anxiety disorders.

For patients with small-cell lung cancer, skipping preventive cranial radiotherapy in favor of MRI monitoring may improve outcomes.

Scientists have discovered that the brain’s short-range wiring may help protect cognition even as gray matter shrinks with age. Healthier connections just beneath the brain’s surface were linked to better language skills and appeared to weaken the impact of gray matter loss.

After months of headaches and visual hallucinations, a woman was finally revealed to have brain cysts filled with tapeworm larvae

An advanced type of MRI scan could be a valuable tool for tracking Huntington’s disease and testing whether

A new study tries to map why humans can experience beauty collectively

The case for not filling up every minute of your day

When Robert Darnell, MD, PhD, was launching his research career more than thirty years ago, he became fascinated by

The immune systems of the body and brain are distinct and separate, or at least largely separate, influencing one another via signaling. The blood-brain barrier keeps the vast majority of immune cells in the body out of the brain, and vice versa. A few channels have been discovered in recent years whereby a small number of adaptive immune cells, such as T cells, enter the brain in the normal course of events. Additionally, the blood-brain barrier becomes dysfunctional and leaky with age, allowing a wide range of unwanted cells into the brain, T cells included. Increasing inflammatory activity in the innate immune cells of the brain known as microglia is a growing focus of research interest in the context of aging and neurodegenerative conditions. While […]

Johns Hopkins researchers developed CloudScope, a cloud-based microscope enabling continuous, remote brain imaging in freely moving mice, revealing disease progression, seizures, cellular changes and behavior over extended periods. The post CloudScope Enables Continuous Remote Monitoring of Brain Activity in Freely Moving Mice appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

The seemingly trivial ability to hear a regular pulse in music is a remarkable—and perhaps distinctively human—feature of the brain. In a wide-ranging critical review, Gábor Háden of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences and Henkjan Honing of the University of Amsterdam evaluate more than two decades of research into how this capacity develops and has evolved. Their paper was published this week in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

A new study looked at gray matter in the brain during puberty, pregnancy and menopause, finding distinct changes at different life stages.

Two nearly identical patterns of brain activity, two radically different blood flow responses: a discovery by UdeM researchers

A new study by neuroscientists in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows how the brain encodes information throughout the decision-making process to keep options clearly in mind and to ensure that chosen and unchosen options are remembered.

Multitasking feels like a required skill in modern life, but as anyone who has tried keeping track of multiple chat windows, an email inbox, and a stream of phone notifications during a video call can tell you, figuring out which messages are important comes at a cost.

Short-term coffee aroma exposure was followed by reductions in several negative mood measures and an increase in an EEG-derived relaxation index in 20 healthy young adults. Heart rate and HRV did not change significantly, and the uncontrolled study cannot establish that coffee aroma caused the observed responses.

Learning is often thought to require a brain. But learning is a broad concept that does not necessarily depend on neurons.

Parents often learn the hard way that to make it anywhere on time, they should calculate how much time they think they need to get ready—and double it.

Brain tumors develop within an organ that changes substantially with age. A new review in Ageing and Cancer Research & Treatment examines evidence that the aging brain microenvironment may influence brain tumor progression, treatment resistance, and cognitive outcomes.

New research has uncovered that how the brain responds to anticipated rewards plays a key role in building psychological resilience after a traumatic experience.

Billy Joel says brain shunt surgery for normal pressure hydrocephalus has improved his memory and balance, but doctors have advised him to limit live performances during recovery.

Developers are using a fruit fly's neural connectome to simulate its brain activity in games like Minecraft and Beat Saber, showcasing the potential of neuroscience data in virtual experiments.

THURSDAY, Sept. 10, 2026 — Changes in a person’s voice might be an early warning sign of brain decline and dementia.People with worsening voice quality — changes in pitch, clarity, loudness — who aren’t suffering from hearing loss have a 58%...