Blocking a Key Protein Greatly Reduces Alzheimer’s Damage
Summary: New findings show that removing Centaurin-α1, a protein elevated in Alzheimer’s disease, significantly reduces inflammation, plaque buildup, and cognitive deficits in a well-established mouse model. Eliminating this protein normalized several brain pathways, protected neural connections in the hippocampus, and improved spatial learning. Although plaque reduction varied across brain regions, the overall improvements point to […]
Why Memories Change: How the Brain Rewrites the Past
Summary: A new review explores how episodic memories are formed, stored, and reshaped over time, revealing why our recollections of past events often change. Rather than functioning like fixed files, memories consist of multiple components that can lie dormant until triggered by environmental cues. When retrieved, these components blend with general knowledge, past experiences, and […]
Astrocytes Found to Drive Key Brain Changes in Nicotine Addiction
Summary: New research shows that astrocytes play an active role in nicotine-induced brain changes, challenging the long-held neuron-centered view of addiction. Nicotine stimulates receptors on astrocytes, triggering signaling cascades that boost glutamine synthetase activity and amplify glutamate-related pathways. These molecular shifts strengthen locomotor sensitization, a hallmark of addiction-like neural adaptation. By blocking a critical astrocytic […]
Warmth and Hugging Strengthen the Feeling of Being You
Summary: Changes in skin temperature play a key role in how strongly we experience our bodies as our own. Thermoception influences emotion, identity, and mental health by acting as a direct “skin-to-brain” pathway supporting bodily self-awareness. Disruptions in thermal perception are linked to altered body ownership in conditions such as stroke, anorexia, depression, and trauma-related […]
Microplastics Accelerate Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Damage
Summary: A new review highlights five major ways microplastics can harm the brain, raising concerns that they may worsen neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. These tiny particles can trigger inflammation, disrupt the blood–brain barrier, generate oxidative stress, impair mitochondria, and damage neurons. Evidence shows microplastics accumulate in brain tissue, where they interact with disease […]
Growing Fear of Nature: Study Reveals Causes of Rising Biophobia
Summary: An increasing number of people experience fear, discomfort, or disgust toward nature—a phenomenon known as biophobia. The findings reveal that negative emotions form through both external factors such as urban environments and media portrayals, and internal factors like health and emotional traits. Limited contact with nature can reinforce avoidance, reducing exposure to well-known mental […]
Mutation in Key Enzyme Triggers Ferroptosis and Childhood Dementia
Summary: Researchers have identified how a single mutation in the GPX4 enzyme causes neurons to undergo ferroptosis, leading to severe early-onset dementia. The study provides the first molecular evidence that ferroptosis can directly drive neurodegeneration in the human brain. By disrupting a small “fin-like” loop that anchors GPX4 to neuronal membranes, the mutation prevents detoxification […]
Fungal Molecule Shows Promise Against Brain Cancer
Summary: For the first time, chemists have fully synthesized verticillin A, a notoriously complex fungal molecule with striking anticancer potential. The molecule’s fragile structure required a complete rethinking of its synthetic sequence, enabling researchers to not only recreate it but design more stable and potent derivatives. Early tests in human cancer cells show particular promise […]
Your Next Breath Could Decide What You Remember
Summary: The simple act of breathing shapes how and when memories are successfully retrieved. Participants recalled learned word-image pairs more accurately when reminder cues were presented during or just before inhalation, while the brain’s actual reconstruction of the memory occurred during exhalation. Brainwave recordings revealed that successful remembering involved reduced alpha and beta activity alongside […]
Strong Marriages May Rewire Brain–Gut Signals
Summary: Strong emotional support within marriage may help protect against obesity by altering how the brain and gut communicate. People in highly supportive marriages showed better control of food cravings, healthier gut metabolism, and higher levels of oxytocin, a hormone linked to bonding and appetite regulation. These biological changes were not seen in unmarried individuals […]