Weekly Neuroscience Update

*Credit: Gibson Digital / Glasgow Caledonian University / PA*

A “unique” AI-powered headset that can predict epileptic seizures minutes before they occur has been developed by scientists

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, reveals how rhythmic brain waves known as alpha oscillations help us distinguish between our own body and the external world. The findings offer new insights into how the brain integrates sensory signals to create a coherent sense of bodily self.

Scientists have discovered that a part of the brain may be behind high blood pressure.

Women are more than twice as likely as men to develop stress-related conditions like PTSD, yet the biological mechanisms behind this risk are not well understood. Recent research provides evidence that the ovarian hormone estradiol influences the brain’s response to perceived threats after trauma.

A new study investigated both gene expression and regulation at single cell levels to reveal disruptions in gene function in three brain regions of patients with sporadic early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers mapped the brain connectivity of 960 individuals to uncover how fast and slow neural processes support complex behaviour. They found that intrinsic neural timescales—regions’ characteristic processing windows—are shaped by white-matter pathways distributing signals across the brain. Individuals with a closer match between their wiring and regional timescale demands showed more efficient transitions between behaviour-linked brain states.

An international study that pooled brain scans and memory tests from thousands of adults has shed new light on how structural brain changes are tied to memory decline as people age.

A new machine-learning-based approach to mapping real-time tumour metabolism in brain cancer patients could help doctors discover which treatment strategies are most likely to be effective against individual cases of glioma. The team verified the accuracy of the model by comparing it against human patient data and running mouse experiments.

A new international study has developed the first practical, five-year dementia risk prediction tool for stroke survivors—using only information that’s routinely collected in hospitals and clinics.

Clinician-scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that significantly improves diagnostic accuracy for functional seizures—a condition often misdiagnosed as epilepsy.

A real world study has shown that higher daytime light exposure positively influences different aspects of cognition.

There are indications that a simple finger-prick blood test could, in the future, detect Alzheimer’s disease long before the first clinical symptoms become apparent. This approach could offer a more accessible and less burdensome alternative to the current, complex diagnostic methods.

Finally this week, a new study suggests that a little-known region deep in the brain could be crucial for preserving physical strength as we age.

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Autistic adults show reduced availability of a key glutamate receptor, mGlu5, across widespread brain regions. This difference supports the theory that an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory signaling may contribute to autism-related traits.

Using marijuana just once or twice a month was associated with worse school performance and emotional distress for teens, according to a large study of adolescents.

A possible new treatment for impaired brain blood flow and related dementias is on the horizon. Recent research provides novel insights into the mechanisms that regulate brain blood flow and highlights a potential therapeutic strategy to correct vascular dysfunction.

A major review of prior research has found no evidence that menopause hormone therapy either increases or decreases dementia risk in postmenopausal women.

New research has provided the first direct evidence that schizophrenia is associated with a greater release of serotonin in the frontal cortex, and demonstrates its link to a greater severity of some of the most disabling symptoms of the disorder.

A new study has uncovered how children’s play styles differ depending on whether they are playing alone or with someone else, and how these differences relate to their social skills and brain activity.

The secret to a healthier and “younger” heart lies in the vagus nerve. A recent study has shown that preserving bilateral cardiac vagal innervation is an anti-aging factor. In particular, the right cardiac vagus nerve emerges as a true guardian of cardiomyocyte health, helping to preserve the longevity of the heart independently of heart rate.

AI, using a simple blood test combined with standard brain images has, for the first time, been able to identify two biologically distinct types of multiple sclerosis (MS).

A new study comparing stroke survivors with healthy adults reveals that post-stroke language disorders stem not from slower hearing but from weaker integration of speech sounds. While patients detected sounds as quickly as controls, their brains processed speech features with far less strength, especially when words were unclear.

New research reveals that numbers in our visual field can subtly distort how we judge spatial positions, showing that perception is shaped by both numerical magnitude and object-based processing.

Researchers recently carried out a study investigating the possible connection between gut microbiota and the depressive episodes experienced by people diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Their findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that the microorganisms in the digestive system can directly influence connections between specific brain regions known to be affected by BD depression.

New research has found that high risk of obstructive sleep apnea is linked to poorer mental health in adults over 45.

New research following children for more than a decade links high screen exposure before age two to accelerated brain maturation, slower decision-making, and increased anxiety by adolescence. Infants with more screen time showed premature specialization in brain networks involved in visual processing and cognitive control, which later reduced flexibility during thinking tasks.

A research group has uncovered a key mechanism in the development of Alzheimer’s. The mechanism in question identifies toxic proteins and disposes of them.

Researchers mapped the brain connectivity of 960 individuals to uncover how neural processes support complex behavior. They found that intrinsic neural timescales—each region’s processing window—are shaped by white-matter pathways that distribute signals. Individuals with a closer match between their wiring and regional timescale demands showed more efficient transitions between behavior-linked brain states.

Finally this week, a new study revealed that visual awareness acts as a “conductor” refining the speed and precision of attentional rhythmic sampling.

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Persistent effects of air pollutants (main effects) from a multi-pollutant model. Credit: *Environmental Research* (2026)

Scientists warn that exposure to air pollution may have serious implications for a child’s developing brain.

A new study shows that merely imagining a positive encounter with someone can make you like them better by engaging brain regions involved with learning and preference. The findings could have implications for psychotherapy, sports performance and more.

For the first time, a team of researchers has reconstructed how the cerebellum establishes its connections with the rest of the brain during the earliest stages of life.

Social isolation directly causes cognitive function to decline more quickly in later life, independent of whether someone feels lonely. By analysing more than 137,000 cognitive tests from over 30,000 older adults, a new study found that reduced social contact consistently predicted faster cognitive decline across all demographic groups.

Researchers have developed an AI-driven brain model that can track fear as it unfolds in real-world situations, offering a major shift from traditional lab-based approaches.

A new study is challenging a popular theory about how dopamine drives movement, a discovery that could shift how scientists think about Parkinson’s disease treatments. Published in Nature Neuroscience, the research found dopamine does not set the speed or force of each movement, as had been thought. Instead, it appears to serve as the underlying support system that enables movement.

Improvising music could help to improve older people’s cognitive skills, such as learning and memory, according to a new study.

Depression and anxiety may heighten cardiovascular disease risk through chronic stress pathways in the brain and body. In a large analysis of more than 85,000 adults, those with depression or anxiety — especially both — were significantly more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.

A new study has found that people who microdose psychedelics feel better on the days they take them—but those boosts don’t seem to last.

A team of researchers has uncovered, for the first time, how genes linked to autism and intellectual disability may influence early brain development. Their work helps clarify how differences in early brain development contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders and could identify more targeted therapies for these conditions.

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*Credit: Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry (2025)*

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.

Researchers have mapped how brain networks differ in individuals at Clinical High Risk (CHR) for psychosis, providing a new perspective on the mechanisms underlying the disease onset.

A new study found that variations in the brain’s insulin receptor network affect how women respond to early-life adversity. This effect has a lesser impact in men, suggesting there is a sex-specific process at play.

Dopamine neurons—the cells that drive reward and motivation while we’re awake—become surprisingly active during nonrapid eye movement sleep right after we learn something new.

The human brain processes spoken language in a step-by-step sequence that closely matches how large language models transform text. Using electrocorticography recordings from people listening to a podcast, researchers found that early brain responses aligned with early AI layers, while deeper layers corresponded to later neural activity in regions such as Broca’s area.

In a new leap for neurobiology and bioelectronics, scientists have developed a wireless device that uses light to send information directly to the brain—bypassing the body’s natural sensory pathways.

Young children exposed to unusually high temperatures are less likely to reach basic developmental milestones in literacy and numeracy. Analyzing data from over 19,000 children across multiple countries, the study found that average maximum temperatures above 86 °F were associated with measurable declines in early learning outcomes.

A new study shows that dance can be beneficial in halting the cognitive decline associated with Parkinson’s disease and, for some participants, they even showed signs of improvement.

A research team has developed a new AI foundation model that creatively solved the problem of the “label data shortage,” regarded as the biggest challenge in deep learning-based brain signal analysis. This technology is designed to self-learn brain signals and is gaining attention for its ability to deliver high accuracy with very small amounts of labels.

Semaglutide medications like Ozempic and Wegovy can help lower the risk of heart and metabolic diseases in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, according to a new study.

A newly discovered biological signal in the blood could help health care teams and researchers better understand how children respond to brain injuries at the cellular level, according to research in the Journal of Neurotrauma.

Neuroscientists have developed a first-of-its-kind method to rapidly produce synchronized, human brain wave-like activity in lab-grown neural networks that can communicate over long distances.

A new analysis shows that anti-inflammatory medications may help reduce symptoms for a subset of people with depression who also have chronic, low-grade inflammation. By reviewing randomized controlled trials that specifically enrolled individuals with elevated inflammatory markers, researchers found that anti-inflammatory treatments significantly reduced both overall depressive symptoms and anhedonia.

An international study has found that wearable technology could help detect Parkinson’s disease (PD) up to nine years before clinical diagnosis simply by monitoring how people turn when they walk.

Researchers have identified a distinct immuno-inflammatory biomarker across major psychiatric disorders that can be detected using noninvasive brain imaging. Patients exhibiting this brain signature showed systemic inflammation and poorer response to standard treatments.

A preliminary study of people with diabetes suggests that use of glucose-lowering GLP-1 drugs may be linked to a lower risk of developing epilepsy.

A new study proposes that autism arises when genetic vulnerability, an early environmental trigger, and prolonged activation of the cellular stress response align during critical developmental windows. This “three-hit” metabolic model reframes autism as a disorder of disrupted cellular communication and energy metabolism rather than an inevitable genetic outcome.

Finally this week, researchers have discovered how a neural circuit drives relapse after opioid use, a finding that could lead to more effective treatments for opioid use disorders.

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*Illustration depicting a model of how DA and serotonin cotransmission shapes behaviour through frequency-dependent filtering of D1-MSN axons. Credit: Science Advances (2025)*

Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which dopamine, a key brain chemical vital for movement and motivation, can affect brain activity indirectly by boosting serotonin.

New brain imaging research shows that structural damage in schizophrenia spectrum disorders may begin in specific “epicenter” regions before spreading across connected brain networks. Individuals with the condition showed widespread reductions in structural similarity between key cognitive and emotional brain regions.

Researchers have uncovered new insights into how brain wiring differs in children and young adults with autism, offering more precise ways to understand the condition.

There is new hope for people who have lost their smell. Scientists have successfully tested a breakthrough device that lets people detect the presence of certain odors. This innovative system helps them “smell” again by translating odors into feelings (like touch) inside the nose.

Lockdown and social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with increased developmental concerns about young children in Scotland, research suggests.

Researchers have identified two receptors in the brain that control the breakdown of amyloid beta, a substance that accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease. The study could pave the way for future drugs that are both safer and cheaper than current antibody treatments.

Patients with major depressive disorder, including non-responders to first-line antidepressants, may benefit from short-term nitrous oxide treatment.

A new study has achieved a long-standing goal in neuroscience: showing how the brain’s smallest components build the systems that shape thought, emotion and behaviour. The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, could transform how scientists understand cognition and aging, as well as mental health disorders like depression and schizophrenia.

Neuroscientists have identified five “major epochs” of brain structure over the course of a human life, as our brains rewire to support different ways of thinking.

New longitudinal research shows that Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers rise up to 95 percent faster in people with obesity than in those without. While baseline tests initially appeared lower due to blood dilution, long-term tracking revealed a significantly accelerated build-up of neurodegeneration and amyloid pathology.

Using in-vehicle driving data may be a new way to identify people who are at risk of cognitive decline, according to a study published on November 26, 2025, in Neurology.

Researchers have developed an AI system that can reconstruct fine hand muscle activity using only standard video footage. Traditionally, this type of measurement required intrusive electrodes attached to the skin, but the new method eliminates that need entirely.

A large population analysis found that older adults who received the shingles vaccine were significantly less likely to develop dementia over the following seven years.

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.

Finally this week, a multi-institutional team of researchers report that extensive musical training can steady the body in space, both with and without guiding sounds, during a blindfolded stepping test.

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*Mesoscale neural mechanisms of binocular rivalry in humans. Credit: Zhang Peng’s group*

A research group has revealed how the human brain resolves perceptual conflicts and generates conscious perception through local inhibition in the sensory cortex and feedback integration from the parietal cortex.

A new clinical trial shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS) improved symptoms in half of adults with treatment-resistant depression, with one-third reaching remission.

A large-scale analysis of nearly 1,900 children found that those with a family history of substance use disorder show early differences in how their brains transition between activity states, long before any drug exposure. Girls with a family history showed increased transition energy in introspective networks, suggesting greater difficulty shifting out of internal, stress-linked states.

New research shows that spontaneous eye blinks naturally sync to the beat of music, revealing a hidden form of auditory-motor synchronisation that occurs even without conscious movement.

An extensive, two-year study of nearly 12,000 children found that higher screen time at ages 9–10 predicts an increase in ADHD symptoms, independent of a child’s starting symptom level. Brain imaging revealed that heavy screen use is associated with smaller cortical volume and disrupted development in regions critical for attention, cognition, and reward processing.

Researchers have identified five major phases of human brain wiring that unfold from birth to old age, marked by four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83.

A new study shows that when two people work together toward a shared goal, their brains begin to process information in increasingly similar ways. Using EEG recordings, researchers found that while all participants showed similar early responses to visual patterns, only collaborating pairs developed sustained neural alignment linked to the rules they agreed upon.

A large analysis of more than 11 million medical records found that people with untreated obstructive sleep apnea face a substantially higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease over time.

New research has revealed that Parkinson’s disease causes significant and progressive changes to blood vessels in the brain, changing our understanding of the disease which may lead to new treatment methods.

Diesel exhaust particles disrupt the function of the brain’s immune cells, a new study shows.

Researchers have developed a “virtual clinical trial” exploring a unique pharmacological treatment in patients who do not fully regain consciousness after a coma. The proposed treatment involves employing psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) that have intense, consciousness-altering effects in healthy volunteers.

A new meta-analysis shows that lithium supplementation does not significantly slow cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.

New research shows that young adults with obesity already display biological patterns associated with liver stress, chronic inflammation, and early neural injury—changes typically seen in older adults with cognitive impairment. Participants with obesity also had unusually low blood choline levels, a nutrient critical for liver function, inflammation control, and long-term brain health.

A new study demonstrates that an AI assistant can conduct psychiatric assessment interviews with greater diagnostic accuracy than widely used mental health rating scales.

New brain imaging research shows that structural damage in schizophrenia spectrum disorders may begin in specific “epicenter” regions before spreading across connected brain networks. Individuals with the condition showed widespread reductions in structural similarity between key cognitive and emotional brain regions.

Finally, this week, researchers are exploring whether a person’s genetic risk for depression can help predict how multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses.

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*A non-invasive imaging technique, 1H-MRS, can detect chemicals in different parts of the brain. Choline is represented by “Cho” in the above graph. Credit: UC Regents*

A new study shows that people with anxiety disorders tend to have lower levels of a chemical called choline in their brains compared to people without anxiety. Choline is a nutrient that plays an important role in brain function. It helps produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in memory, mood regulation, and muscle control. It’s also a component of cell membranes, helping brain cells communicate efficiently.

Researchers have developed a highly sensitive diagnostic that predicts a person’s stage of dementia based on neurovascular and metabolic changes.

The way we speak in everyday conversation may hold important clues about brain health, according to a new study that found that subtle features of speech timing, such as pauses, fillers (‘uh,’ ‘um’) and word-finding difficulty, are strongly linked to executive function, the set of mental skills that support memory, planning and flexible thinking.

ADHD symptoms are influenced by socioeconomic factors in regions affected by conflict and resource limitations, a new study focusing on non-Western populations has found.

Infants born deaf or hard of hearing show adverse changes in how their brains organise and specialise, which can significantly affect their cognitive and linguistic development. However, recent studies indicate that timely exposure to sound and language, even in modified forms, can considerably help these children develop more normally and bridge the gap in their learning processes.

A research team has discovered extensive genetic links between neurological disorders like migraine, stroke and epilepsy, and psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression.

New research reveals that trait shyness is linked to reduced spontaneous neural activity in the cerebellum, a brain region traditionally associated with motor control but increasingly recognised for its role in emotion and social cognition.

Scientists have developed the most detailed molecular map yet of how the brain develops and reacts to inflammation, revealing that disease processes can “reawaken” genes from early life.

A new brain decoding method called mind captioning can generate accurate text descriptions of what a person is seeing or recalling—without relying on the brain’s language system. Instead, it uses semantic features from vision-related brain activity and deep learning models to translate nonverbal thoughts into structured sentences.

Researchers have found that living in a socioeconomically deprived neighbourhood can harm brain health as early as midlife.

A new study reveals that autism symptom severity correlates with shared brain-connectivity patterns in children with autism or ADHD. Stronger autistic traits are linked to increased connectivity between frontoparietal and default-mode networks, which are vital for social cognition and executive functions.

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new tool that can estimate a person’s risk of developing memory and thinking problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms appear.

Using full-genome sequencing data from more than 347,000 individuals, researchers have quantified how much genetic variation explains human traits such as height, body mass index, fertility, and disease risk. The results show that genes account for roughly 30% of the variation between individuals, with higher estimates for traits like height and lower for fertility.

Finally this week, a large-scale study of more than 86,000 Europeans found that speaking multiple languages may help slow biological and cognitive aging.

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Brain activity maps for the hand (shown in red) and lips (blue) before the amputation (Pre1 and Pre2) and after amputation (three, six and 18 months post-amputation). Credit: Tamar Makin / Hunter Schone

The brain holds a “map” of the body that remains unchanged even after a limb has been amputated, contrary to the prevailing view that it rearranges itself to compensate for the loss, according to new research.

A fading sense of smell can be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease even before cognitive impairments manifest.

Scientists have developed a computational framework that maps how the striosomal compartment of the striatum governs everyday decision-making. By integrating biology, decision theory, and mathematical modeling, different levels of striosomal activity can push individuals toward impulsive, balanced, or overly complex decisions.

A recent study has shown that the brain leaves subtle traces of creativity minutes before an “aha!” moment.

New research has raised concerns about the safety of acetaminophen use during pregnancy, linking prenatal exposure to higher risks of autism and ADHD. While the evidence does not prove causation, it highlights biological mechanisms such as oxidative stress and hormone disruption that may affect fetal brain development. Researchers recommend cautious, time-limited use under medical supervision and call for safer treatment alternatives.

A new study has found that people who lived in areas with high levels of leaded gasoline emissions in the 1960s and ’70s are more likely to report memory problems today.

A multi-institution research team reports that gaze patterns can serve as a sensitive marker of cognitive decline, with associated reductions in explorative, adaptive, and differentiated visual sampling of the environment.

New research reveals that different types of music shape the emotional tone of the memories they evoke.

A genetic study has identified more than 400 genes that drive different forms of unhealthy aging, from cognitive decline to metabolic problems. The findings show that frailty is not a single condition but multiple subtypes with distinct biological pathways.

Finally, this week, a new study suggests the brain may be a missing link in certain forms of high blood pressure or hypertension.

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Researchers at King’s College London have found that exposure to higher levels of air pollution during midlife is associated with slower processing speed, lower scores on a cognitive screening tool, and differences in brain structure later in life.

People who use psychedelic substances may think about themselves in a different way — not just psychologically, but also neurologically.

A large Danish study shows that most mental illnesses—like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression—occur in people with no close family history of the condition. Analyzing data from over 3 million individuals, researchers found that while heredity increases risk, most diagnosed individuals do not have affected relatives.

Living through the Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated brain ageing, even in people who were never infected, a new study finds.

Scientists developed a computational “aging clock” that measures the biological age of brain cells and identifies compounds with rejuvenating potential. By analyzing gene activity from healthy and neurodegenerative brain tissue, they pinpointed 453 interventions predicted to reverse cellular aging.

Adolescents who use e-cigarettes or conventional tobacco products are significantly more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety than non-users, according to a recent study.

For the first time, researchers have identified what happens in neural networks deep within the brain during obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. Using electrodes implanted in the brain, they observed how specific brain waves became active. These brain waves serve as a biomarker for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and are an important step towards more targeted treatments.

In a breakthrough that reimagines the way the gut and brain communicate, scientists have uncovered what they call a “neurobiotic sense.”

A new study reveals that a brain circuit driving negative emotions during cocaine withdrawal plays a key role in relapse. Researchers found that this “anti-reward” network becomes hyperactive during abstinence, amplifying distress and pushing users back toward the drug.

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how the human brain forms, stores and recalls visual memories.

A new study finds that inflammation affects how cannabis impacts anxiety and sleep quality. Researchers observed no significant changes in inflammation levels after 4 weeks of cannabis use, but initial inflammation influenced the results.

Finally, this week, Alzheimer’s disease spreads unevenly through the brain, and novel mathematical modelling may help explain why.

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*Overview of experimental paradigm and analysis. Credit: Science Advances*

A recent study has shown that the hippocampus sends signals to the visual cortex to predict what we are about to see.

Researchers have achieved a significant milestone in the treatment of depression, demonstrating the effectiveness of personalized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy offering a new treatment option for people who have had little success with other therapies.

A large study suggests that following the MIND diet—rich in leafy greens, berries, nuts, and olive oil—significantly reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

New research finds that patients with insomnia often retain accurate sleep-wake perception and intact regulatory systems, despite feeling as though they sleep poorly. Using serial awakenings during sleep lab monitoring, researchers found no significant difference in sleep perception between healthy individuals and those with insomnia.

A recent study has found that physical exercise helps maintain brain size as we age, regardless of body mass.

Emerging research indicates that psychedelics such as psilocybin don’t just change brain activity; they also modify the communication network between the brain and the immune system. Scientists have pinpointed a mechanism where persistent stress interferes with signals from the amygdala, setting off immune reactions that amplify feelings of fear and anxiety.

A large study suggests that following the MIND diet—rich in leafy greens, berries, nuts, and olive oil—significantly reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

By pinpointing hospitalized patients at high risk for delirium, an artificial intelligence (AI) model has quadrupled the rate at which the condition is both detected and treated. The model’s alerts prompt a dedicated team to assess these patients and implement a treatment plan if needed, leading to significantly better outcomes.

Areas of the brain that help a person differentiate between what is real and what is imaginary have been uncovered in a recent study.

A new predictive model combining genetics with developmental milestones may help forecast which autistic children are at risk of developing intellectual disabilities. In a large study of over 5,600 children, researchers were able to correctly predict 10% of such cases and differentiate between low and high-risk groups twice as well as current methods.

New research finds that elevated cortisol levels in midlife are linked to increased brain amyloid deposition—a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease—specifically in post-menopausal women.

Scientists explored the associations between telomere length—which decreases as a person ages or is exposed to unhealthy environments—and the risk for age-related brain diseases and found evidence suggesting that healthier lifestyle choices could mitigate telomere length-associated risks.

Finally this week, greater symptoms of depression are linked to less microbial diversity in the mouth, according to a recent study.