All articles tagged with #brain
Stanford scientists replaced much of a mouse cortex with human brain organoid cells; grafts integrated in most animals and produced human cortical neurons with long-range connections, but lacked proper layering, yielding only intermediate behavioral and memory improvements—not yet a reliable human brain model; more work is needed to understand the cells’ roles.
Researchers created mice whose brains contain millions of human neurons, a breakthrough for studying brain disorders outside the human body, but it also spurs ethical debates and calls for new guidelines as scientists monitor behavior and function.
A Nature Aging study mapped more than 4,300 brain microproteins in post-mortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex samples, validating 1,067 with high confidence through deep learning; 3,217 microproteins were previously uncharacterized. Several microproteins show altered expression in Alzheimer's, creating a comprehensive atlas that could reveal new aging and neurodegeneration mechanisms and guide future validation.
New research from Concordia University suggests a 30-minute pre-bed cycling workout can protect memory consolidation during sleep when total sleep is shortened, making recall after 4.5 hours of sleep as good as after 8.5 hours and potentially offering added benefits like reduced stress and better circadian alignment.
A MIT-led study in 14 healthy volunteers showed that 50-millisecond bursts of pink noise timed to slow-wave peaks during deep sleep increased slow-wave activity and CSF waves, boosting brain waste clearance via the glymphatic system and hinting at wearable, sleep-based brain-cleaning tech.
AI-augmented MRI analysis shows the brain’s glymphatic waste-clearing system works at two speeds: fluid moves quickly (microns per second) in open areas near the skull and much slower—about 50 times slower—in dense brain tissue during deep sleep, offering insight into Alzheimer’s risk and brain injury where slow circulation may impair waste removal.
A Nature Communications study followed 1,095 brains from the UK Biobank and other datasets to map gray matter changes across puberty, pregnancy and menopause. It found gray matter loss occurs during puberty and pregnancy, but during the menopause transition that age-related decline pauses, then resumes in postmenopause. Scientists say the pause may reflect neural fine-tuning rather than cognitive decline, with timing varying among individuals; hormone therapy and parity did not substantially alter the results, and limitations remain due to observational data.
A small 24-person study found that just 10 minutes of very slow treadmill running (about 2–4 mph) improved participants' mood and reduced Stroop interference, indicating better cognitive control and processing speed. Brain scans showed increased activity in prefrontal regions linked to executive function and mood regulation, and a gentle head movement during running may engage the glymphatic system that clears brain waste. The findings suggest that short, light-intensity exercise can benefit those with low fitness or who struggle with traditional workouts, echoing other research showing a brain boost from brief activity, though extremely strenuous exercise can have adverse effects.
BuzzFeed’s list compiles 24 mind‑blowing science facts—from the brain flipping an upside‑down image to the Birthday Paradox, the Sun and Jupiter dominating solar‑system mass, all organisms emitting light, most of a tree’s mass coming from air and water, to neutron‑star material weighing about a billion tons—delivered with quick explanations and reader anecdotes.
In a preclinical rat study, repeated alcohol exposure during adolescence disrupted astrocyte–synapse communication in the hippocampus, causing enduring brain changes and altered fear-related behavior into adulthood, persisting after abstinence; astrocytes may be a therapeutic target.
A study of postmortem hippocampus tissue from 40 adults suggests that after about age 50 the brain’s resident immune cells (microglia) are increasingly replaced by blood-derived immune cells carrying stronger inflammatory signals, potentially driving neuroinflammation and dementia risk. The researchers also reported deterioration of blood-brain barrier–related cells and DNA/gene activity changes. While the findings hint at new therapeutic directions, the study’s small sample size and postmortem design mean it cannot establish causation or guide lifestyle changes.
A Washington Post Well+Being report suggests that a brief, easy 10‑minute run can improve thinking skills and mood, indicating that short, low‑effort workouts may still benefit brain health without feeling taxing.
A study of 878 former NFL players who died from 2016–2021 found 235 brains were donated, with 215 showing CTE—roughly one in four—highlighting that most head trauma occurred before NFL play and urging broader prevention and evaluation for cognitive symptoms across all levels of football.
Prominent neuroscientist Christof Koch argues that consciousness may be a fundamental aspect of reality rather than solely produced by the brain, challenging the long-held brain-centric view. In an unpublished ScienceAlert essay, he calls for rethinking baseline assumptions, exploring a mind-at-large, and translating these ideas into empirically testable hypotheses about consciousness.
Scientists have created long-lived brain-like organoids that can sense the passage of time and preserve a cellular memory of their developmental age. These organoids remain alive for nearly six years—the longest observed—showing ongoing maturation across cell types and even retaining developmental history when older and younger cells are reassembled into chimeroids. Using epigenetic clocks, researchers demonstrated aging patterns similar to real brains, suggesting a cell-intrinsic clock. The work, published in Nature by Faravelli and Bolaños, offers a new platform to study human brain maturation and neoteny in vitro.