Why Older Fathers Pass on More Harmful Mutations to Their Kids
Summary: Groundbreaking research has revealed that as men age, harmful genetic mutations in sperm not only accumulate but are also favored during sperm production, giving them a reproductive advantage. Using ultra-accurate DNA sequencing, scientists found that sperm from older men were significantly more likely to carry disease-causing mutations, including those linked to neurodevelopmental disorders and […]
Reelin Shows Promise for Healing Both Gut and Depression
Summary: A new study reveals that the protein Reelin may hold the key to treating both “leaky gut” and major depressive disorder. Chronic stress lowers Reelin levels in the gut, weakening the intestinal barrier and allowing toxins to trigger inflammation that worsens depression. Researchers found that a single injection of Reelin restored normal levels, strengthening […]
Five Sleep Types Revealed: How Your Brain Wiring Reflects Rest
Summary: A new study has identified five distinct “sleep-biopsychosocial” profiles that connect how we sleep with our brain networks, mental health, cognition, and lifestyle. Using data from over 700 participants, researchers found that different sleep patterns—ranging from poor quality to resilience and short duration—each showed unique neural connectivity patterns. For instance, those with poor sleep […]
Tiny Peptide Shows Powerful Brain Healing After Traumatic Injury
Summary: A small peptide called CAQK, composed of just four amino acids, has shown remarkable neuroprotective effects in mouse and pig models of traumatic brain injury. When injected intravenously, CAQK travels directly to damaged brain tissue, where it binds to overexpressed proteins and reduces inflammation, cell death, and tissue damage. Treated animals displayed improved memory […]
What You Choose to Remember Shapes Memory More Than Emotion
Summary: A new study reveals that intentional memory control—deciding what to remember or forget—is more powerful than emotional influence when forming long-term memories. Participants were more likely to recall words they were told to remember than those carrying emotional weight, even though emotion sometimes strengthened recall or caused false memories. Interestingly, sleep itself did not […]
Calcium Supplements Do Not Raise Dementia Risk
Summary: A long-term study of more than 1,400 older women found no evidence that calcium supplements increase dementia risk, easing previous concerns about their safety. Conducted over 14.5 years, the research compared women taking calcium monotherapy to those given a placebo and found no difference in cognitive outcomes. Even after accounting for genetics, diet, and […]
Social Brain: Neurons That Decide Who Wins and Who Yields
Summary: Researchers have pinpointed specific brain cells that control how animals react to social defeat, offering new insight into the biology of dominance and submission. In male mice, neurons in the dorsomedial striatum—known as cholinergic interneurons—were found to regulate the “loser effect,” where past defeats lower an individual’s future social rank. When these neurons were […]
AI Builds the Most Detailed Map of the Mouse Brain Yet
Summary: Researchers have created one of the most detailed maps of the mouse brain ever made, using artificial intelligence to reveal 1,300 distinct regions and subregions. The AI model, called CellTransformer, identified new brain areas that had never been charted before, providing an unprecedented view of brain organization. Unlike traditional brain maps based on human […]
Hidden Early Signs of Diabetic Blindness Revealed
Summary: Scientists have developed a powerful new imaging method that reveals how immune cells in the eye behave long before visible damage occurs in diabetic retinopathy. Using a combination of a head-fixation device, contact lenses, and a custom objective lens, researchers were able to capture live, high-resolution images of microglia activity in diabetic mice. They […]
Brain’s Shape Could Reveal the Earliest Signs of Alzheimer’s
Summary: A groundbreaking study reveals that aging alters not just the size but the shape of the human brain, reshaping regions in ways linked to memory and reasoning decline. Researchers found that as people age, the lower and front areas of the brain expand outward, while the upper and back regions compress inward. These geometric […]