5+ day, 5+ hour ago   (199+ words) A surprising immune system signal may help explain why zebrafish can regenerate damaged spinal cords so effectively. Researchers found that certain neutrophils release Il-4, which calms harmful inflammation and allows injured nerve fibers to grow again. Without these cells, healing stalled,…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago   (199+ words) Slow breathing with a prolonged exhale made people more willing to take risks by changing heart activity and increasing the brain’s sensitivity to rewards. The findings suggest that something as simple as controlling your breath can directly influence how you…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago   (557+ words) UCLA researchers have discovered two powerful influences that help guide how the human brain forms before birth. Radial glia, stem cells responsible for producing much of the cerebral cortex, change their behavior depending on how they process glucose and on…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago   (768+ words) Persistent financial hardship may speed up age-related cognitive decline, according to new research led by University College London (UCL). Published in Innovation in Aging, the study analyzed information from 2,759 people in the UK who completed questionnaires across much of their…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago   (348+ words) Brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s may begin at least seven years before amyloid plaques become detectable with current PET scans. Researchers uncovered the signal by tracking healthy older adults with repeated brain imaging over nearly 20 years. The discovery could help…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (520+ words) Microglia are the brain's most abundant immune cells. They help protect the brain from harmful invaders, clear away damaged neurons, and support normal brain development. Researchers at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute have now found for the first time that human microglia,…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (550+ words) A long-standing picture of brain evolution as newer, rational layers stacked on top of an ancient “lizard brain” may be deeply misleading. Researchers found that evolution instead appears to balance two competing styles of brain wiring, expanding one while shrinking…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (553+ words) Frequent micro-awakenings during sleep were linked to higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s in healthy middle-aged adults who had no symptoms. The discovery raises the possibility that subtle changes during sleep could offer an early warning signal years before memory problems…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (272+ words) Scientists have identified a protein that acts like a brake on the nervous system’s ability to repair damaged connections. Blocking AHR helped injured nerve fibers regrow and improved movement and sensation in mice with nerve or spinal cord injuries. The…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago   (201+ words) Early-life stress may physically alter how DNA is packaged in the brain, leaving stress-related genes primed to activate more easily years later. In mice, researchers were able to block this effect, preventing the heightened anxiety and stress sensitivity that otherwise…...