Weekly Neuroscience Update

*HoliAtlas Project Brain Images. Credit: Instituto de Aplicaciones de las Tecnologías de la Información y de las Comunicaciones Avanzadas (ITACA), Universitat Politècnica de València*

An international team has developed one of the most comprehensive and detailed structural atlases of the human brain to date. Known as HoliAtlas, it will be particularly useful for the study and early diagnosis of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

A large-scale study found that severe, hospital-treated infections are linked to an increased risk of dementia.

Scientists have uncovered a strategy that the brain uses for chemical signalling. In a new study, researchers found that in the striatum, a brain region central to learning and movement, one signalling system can seize control of another, promoting the coordinated release of both.

A meta-analysis has confirmed that exposure to nature—real, virtual, or imagined—reduces negative emotions and boosts brain health.

A massive study of over 2.2 million individuals has fundamentally redefined how we understand the genetics of addiction. The research reveals that most genetic risk for substance use disorders (SUD) isn’t about how the body reacts to a specific drug, but how the brain is “wired” for behavioural disinhibition.

A meta-analysis found no link between hormonal contraception and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), a serious condition marked by increased pressure around the brain, potentially causing chronic headaches and vision loss.

A machine-learning analysis of brain waves recorded during sleep may help identify people at high risk of developing dementia, according to a recent study. The study found that when a person’s “brain age,” estimated from sleep signals using EEG, exceeded their actual age, the risk of dementia increased.

A major study has found that treating ADHD with stimulant medication during childhood may actually lower the long-term risk of developing serious psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.

New research shows that the long-term neurological impact of childhood trauma is not permanently etched onto the brain. An analysis of brain communication patterns in individuals with childhood adversity indicates that lifetime physical activity can reshape neural connectivity, strengthening internal communication and optimizing stress response. The findings from the study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging highlight physical activity as a modifiable lifestyle factor linked to neurobiological adaptation.

An international team has completed a massive “blueprint” of the human neocortex, the brain’s outer layer responsible for high-level thinking, decision-making, and sensory processing.

A clinical decision support tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze scans after a stroke alongside treatment recommendations is associated with better quality care and long-term outcomes for patients compared with usual care, finds a recent study published in The BMJ.

Can a stroke make part of your brain younger? New research using deep learning reveals that undamaged brain regions reorganise and show “youthful” structural patterns to compensate for severe stroke damage.

New research identifies a leaky blood-brain barrier as the primary link between repetitive head injuries and long-term cognitive decline in retired athletes. MRI scans compared with post-mortem tissue from athletes with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy reveal that this barrier remains compromised even years after retirement.

Scientists have identified a new genetic disease characterised by premature ageing and deficits in brain function.

Consciousness and its impairment from brain injuries are not well understood, making disorders of consciousness (DOC), like coma and vegetative states, challenging to treat. A new study published in Nature Neuroscience suggests that AI may help researchers tackle this issue. The research team developed an adversarial AI framework to better understand states of reduced consciousness and explore potential solutions.

Finally this week, new research shows that periodontal tissue status, peripheral immune response, and cognitive functions are closely interconnected.

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Researchers have identified a major genetic risk factor for a rare form of frontotemporal dementia. The discovery, published in Nature Genetics, provides a biological entry point for a disease subtype that has been difficult to study. It could not only help to improve diagnosis and patient stratification, but also opens up new avenues toward targeted treatments.

A new study suggests that merely engaging in physical activity isn’t sufficient; the structure of workouts, including session spacing and organization, may be more crucial for healthy brain aging than the total activity amount.

MIT neuroscientists have discovered how the brain focuses on a single voice amid many, addressing the “cocktail party problem.” This focus is crucial in crowded settings like cocktail parties, where multiple conversations occur. The brain can follow the voice of the person you’re talking to despite background noise. Using a computational model of the auditory system, the MIT team found that enhancing neural processing units that respond to specific voice features, like pitch, helps bring that voice to the forefront of attention.

Higher maternal physical activity is associated with early child neurodevelopment, according to a recent study.

The stress hormone cortisol disrupts the brain’s navigational system by impairing the function of grid cells essential for spatial orientation. Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, verified this in an imaging study with 40 individuals who completed a virtual navigation experiment in an MRI scanner. Subjects who received cortisol prior to the experiment performed worse, with indistinct grid cell activity patterns.

The recreational drugs cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines significantly increase the risk of stroke—including among younger users—Cambridge researchers have concluded after analysing data from more than 100 million people.

Scientists have identified a coordinated “gene expression program” that drives neurotransmission in the living human brain by integrating real-time intracranial recordings from neurosurgical patients with molecular profiling. This study reveals specific genes associated with active signalling, offering new insights into human cognition and psychiatric disorders.

A single session of physical exercise can spawn a boost of neural activity in brain networks that underlie learning and memory, according to a new study.

A team of Spanish researchers investigated whether individuals with high psychopathic traits exhibit brain structure anomalies that prevent feelings of regret and contribute to manipulation and antisocial behaviour by interviewing men convicted of intimate partner violence and a control group, followed by brain scans. The results showed that men with thinner cortex in certain brain regions—particularly fronto-temporo-parietal areas—tended to display higher antisocial tendencies, regardless of their history of violence.

Scientists have identified seven specific types of hyperarousal, creating a new roadmap for treating the underlying tension of mental disorders.

Researchers conducted a study on the link between responses to SSRIs and SNRIs and brain connections. Their findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that a specific link between the frontal lobe, a region in the brain’s outer layer involved in decision-making, and the amygdala, which is central to the processing of emotions, differs in patients that respond better to SSRIs and those who find SNRIs more beneficial.

New research reveals that our brain’s internal map of the world is updated by a 94% accurate prediction of our own eye movements.

Alzheimer’s research has faced criticism for its lack of diversity, with a primary focus on participants of European ancestry. A groundbreaking study has revealed significant variations in Alzheimer’s pathology, specifically tau protein tangles and amyloid plaques, among different racial and ethnic groups. This suggests the disease’s biological timeline varies across populations, indicating a need to adjust current diagnostic tools and future treatments for broader effectiveness.

A new study offers a single explanation for two major symptoms of schizophrenia.

New research has found no evidence that the transitional symptoms of menopause such as brain fog and memory problems have a lasting impact on cognitive performance. The research, published in npj Women’s Health, found that while brain fog is a real symptom commonly experienced by peri- and postmenopausal women, there is no evidence that it has an ongoing impact on a person’s cognitive abilities.

The largest-ever Parkinson’s study shows how symptoms differ between men and women.

A recent study published in NeuroImage reveals that neuroticism is linked to altered communication between different brain networks rather than isolated brain activity. Researchers discovered that people with higher levels of this personality trait show increased connectivity between brain regions responsible for processing emotions, regulating memory, and detecting threats. These findings suggest that emotional instability arises from how the brain’s emotional hubs synchronize with other areas.

New research indicates that storytelling may be linked to the evolution of human memory and could enhance everyday retention.

Having type 1 diabetes is linked to a higher risk of dementia, according to a recent study published in Neurology. Type 2 diabetes also carries a higher risk compared to those without diabetes. However, this study shows an association and does not prove that diabetes causes dementia. Type 1 diabetes is rare, representing about 5% of diabetes cases.

Finally, new research shows that harmonically consonant musical chord progressions during face-to-face interactions enhance brain circuits linked to social connection and emotional processing.

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*Segmented and labelled images of a normal brain. Credit: Worcester Polytechnic Institute*

Researchers utilised AI to examine anatomical brain changes, achieving a 93% accuracy in predicting Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings indicate that these changes, including brain volume loss, vary by age and sex.

Lithium—a decades-old treatment for bipolar disorder—may hold potential neuroprotective benefits beyond mood stabilisation. An exploratory clinical trial suggests that low-dose oral lithium may help slow the decline of verbal memory, or ability to remember and recall words and sentences, in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, particularly among those with evidence of amyloid beta—one of the hallmark biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists have discovered new diagnostic markers for multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects 3 million people worldwide.

A study published in Nature Communications, has identified specific DNA-level changes in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using advanced biological analysis, the team mapped alterations in the brain’s regulatory landscape that may help explain why Alzheimer’s presents and progresses differently from person to person. The findings could also open new avenues for understanding other neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers have demonstrated through Magnetoencephalography (MEG) that memories can be reactivated in the brain without reaching conscious awareness, indicating these memories persist even when believed forgotten.

Could the deepest parts of the brain hold some of the secrets of sleep that still remain elusive to science? An in-depth study that penetrates into the brain, finding that during the deepest sleep, breathing patterns and brain activity become more independent of one another—unlike in lighter sleep or quiet wakefulness.

New research objectively quantifies multisensory losses in patients with COVID-19. The study, published in BMC Medicine, follows long COVID patients reporting issues in smell, taste, balance, hearing, and brain fog.

Researchers may have found a reason why young adults with autism are about six times more likely to get Parkinson’s disease as they age. Some young adults with autism have issues with dopamine transporters—small molecules in the brain that recycle dopamine—on brain scans usually used to diagnose older adults with Parkinson’s disease.

Why do people with compulsive traits—seen in OCD, addiction, and eating disorders—rely on repetitive habits? A recent study reveals it’s not due to an inability to plan for the future, but rather a paralysis by uncertainty.

A meta-analysis of over 900 scientific papers has mapped the “immune signatures” that determine if our brains recover or decline post-infection. The study reveals that the immune response creates a chemical environment in the brain that can either protect or harm our memory, attention, and processing speed.

Finally, this week, a team of researchers has developed a technology capable of enabling early diagnosis of major neurological disorders, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia, using only a small amount of saliva.

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Training people to activate a part of the brain linked to reward and positive expectations may be associated with an increase in the body’s immune response to a vaccine. The findings from a study involving 85 participants, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that positive thinking might help the brain support the immune system in a noninvasive way.

A new study shows that even a short afternoon nap can help the brain recover and improve its ability to learn.

After receiving evidence-based early interventions, roughly two-thirds of non-speaking children with autism speak single words, and approximately half develop more complex language, according to a new study. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, offer vital insights into improving success rates for children who remain non-speaking or minimally speaking after therapy.

A newly developed AI computational models that predict the degeneration of neural networks in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Researchers have determined that a measure of brain complexity, derived from magnetic stimulation and EEG, can effectively evaluate the integrity of conscious processing in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The findings offer a new potential metric for tracking disease progression.

People with obesity and high blood pressure may face a higher risk of dementia, according to a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

A new doctoral dissertation shows that gambling disorder is linked to brain networks involved in self-control and brain reward functions. By combining several brain imaging methods, the research provides new biological insight into the disorder and may point to promising directions for treatment development.

Researchers have proposed a neuroscience framework explaining how different types of motivation fundamentally reshape what and how the brain remembers.

Scientists have examined episodic and semantic memory, combining task based and fMRI data and have shown that there is no difference in neural activity between successful semantic and episodic retrieval.

Research by an interdisciplinary team from McGill University and Université Laval provides new insights into the links between social factors and cognitive health among aging adults. While previous research had found positive correlations between specific measures of social connectedness and a variety of health outcomes, this study appears to have been the first to create profiles aggregating multiple social factors and to see how those correlated with cognitive health in older adults, the researchers said.

A new study finds that heart attacks involve not just the heart but also the brain and the immune system, revealing a more complex interplay between these critical bodily systems than previously understood.

UCLA Health researchers have created a comprehensive map showing how eight different genetic mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder affect early brain development, providing new insights into the ways diverse genetic causes may lead to shared features and symptoms of the disorder.

The effect of obesity on brain health may depend not only on how much fat is in the body, but also on the areas of the body where fat is stored, according to a study published in Radiology.

A new study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity has found that people who have had a stroke have fewer of a specific type of immune cell called B cells, which normally produce antibodies to fight off infections. Researchers reviewed 21 clinical trials involving more than 2,100 adults, comparing cannabis-based medicines with placebo over periods of two to 26 weeks.

A research team of has succeeded in identifying biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease in its earliest stages, before extensive brain damage has occurred. The biological processes leave measurable traces in the blood, but only for a limited period.

New research suggests that a person’s overall physical and mental abilities, known as intrinsic capacity, may help predict future cognitive decline.

Menopause is linked to reductions in gray matter volume in key brain regions as well as increased levels of anxiety and depression and difficulties with sleep, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The study, published in Psychological Medicine, found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not appear to mitigate these effects, though it can slow the decline in reaction times.

People exposed to wildfire smoke have a higher risk of suffering a stroke, according to research published in the European Heart Journal.

Researchers have characterized how cellular senescence—where aging cells change their function—is linked to human brain structure in development and late life. This intriguing connection has significant implications, revealing that senescent cells may play a role in the neurodegenerative processes associated with aging, potentially influencing cognitive decline and various age-related diseases.

Finally this week, a new study has found that for people with moderate hearing loss, being prescribed hearing aids had little impact on cognitive test scores.

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*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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*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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Credit: PLOS Mental Health (2025). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000463

A recent study explores how physiological signals can reveal cognitive arousal—the level of mental alertness and emotional activation—without relying on subjective reporting.

New research reveals that women with long COVID show distinct biological disruptions — including gut inflammation, anaemia, and abnormal hormone levels — that may explain their heightened and persistent symptoms. These findings emerged from immune, biomarker, and genetic analyses in people one year after infection.

A new software enables brain simulations which both imitate the processes in the brain in detail and can solve challenging cognitive tasks.

University of Auckland researchers report that an 8-week, twice-weekly LSD microdosing regimen for major depressive disorder was feasible and well-tolerated, with Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores reduced by 59.5% at the end of treatment and sustained to six months.

Dance styles engage the brain in different ways depending on the movements, aesthetics, and emotions associated with the dance, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

New research shows that depression beginning before age 25 has a much stronger hereditary component than depression that emerges later in life. By analysing genetic data from over 150,000 people with depression, researchers identified distinct genetic regions linked specifically to early-onset cases.

Scientists have developed an innovative, non-invasive brain stimulation therapy to significantly improve visual function in stroke patients who have suffered vision loss following a stroke.

A rare intracranial brain-recording study revealed that tirzepatide, a GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist, temporarily silences craving-related neural activity in a key reward circuit of the brain. Researchers observed that the drug initially shut down signaling in the nucleus accumbens of a patient with treatment-resistant obesity. However, after five months, both the “food noise” and the corresponding neural patterns returned, suggesting the effect was short-lived. The findings highlight how these metabolic drugs influence human brain circuits and underscore the need for more durable treatments targeting impulsivity in eating disorders.

Researchers report that ketogenic diets are associated with modest reductions in depressive symptoms in adults, while evidence for anxiety remains uncertain.

An international study has uncovered similar structural changes in the brains of young people diagnosed with anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD and conduct disorder, offering new insights into the biological roots of mental health conditions in children and young people.

A randomised, placebo-controlled trial shows that cannabis with active THC reduces immediate alcohol cravings and lowers drinking levels in heavy-drinking young adults.

New research shows that the brain distinguishes between “what an odour is” and “how it feels,” processing them at different times. After smelling, the brain sends a quick signal that identifies molecular features for differentiation.

“Drains” in the brain, responsible for clearing toxic waste in the organ, tend to get clogged up in people who show signs of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a new study shows.

Researchers have discovered how the brain keeps time for precise movements, revealing a neural “hourglass” mechanism between the motor cortex and striatum. The motor cortex sends timing signals that accumulate in the striatum until they reach a threshold that triggers action.

Finally this week, a new brain imaging study reveals that music activates the same chemical system in the brain that is responsible for the pleasure associated with food and social bonding.

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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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*Single-Cell Transcriptomic Atlas of the Human Habenula Credit: American Journal of Psychiatry (2025)*

New research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry provides new molecular insights into the role of the habenula, a pea-sized brain region that helps regulate motivation and mood, in contributing to the risk of schizophrenia.

In an article published in Brain Medicine, a European research team presents a focused review of emerging neuromodulation techniques for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

A study using wearable scanning technology has revealed how brain function differs in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first study to utilise this newly developed technology in MS, demonstrating its potential for investigating neurological diseases.

A new large-scale, open data resource helps researchers link brain development with mental health disorders.

Scientists have created one of the most comprehensive single-cell maps of the developing human brain. The atlas captures nearly every cell type, their genetic fingerprints, and how they grow and interact. It also benchmarks best-in-class laboratory methods for producing high-quality neurons, marking a significant step toward new therapies for Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders.

Creative experience might enhance brain health, potentially slowing the brain’s ageing.

For the first time, scientists have mapped the genetic architecture of the brain’s communication bridge—the corpus callosum—using AI and MRI data from over 50,000 people. The study uncovered dozens of genes that shape the size and thickness of this vital structure, many of which are active during prenatal development when the brain’s wiring is established.

Researchers have discovered that the gut’s rhythmic muscle movements may help explain how blood vessels in the brain expand and contract in coordination.

Researchers have uncovered a previously overlooked role of the hippocampus in shaping memory, revealing how social interactions can enhance the brain’s ability to convert fleeting experiences into lasting memories.

An analysis of brain scans from 572 people reveals that activity in brain regions linked to reward and social processing can predict how effective messages will be. The work is published in PNAS Nexus.

Differences between men and women in intelligence and behaviour have been proposed and disputed for decades. Now, a growing body of scientific evidence shows hundreds of genes act differently in the brains of biologically male or female humans. What this means isn’t yet clear, though some of the genes may be linked to sex-biased brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

A new study reveals that humans possess a form of “remote touch,” enabling them to detect hidden objects in sand without making direct contact.

A week-long retreat combining meditation and mind-body healing produced significant changes in brain activity and blood biology, demonstrating how consciousness-based practices can transform physical health. Participants showed reduced default-mode activity, enhanced neural connectivity, elevated natural opioids, immune activation, and metabolic shifts—effects that extended beyond the brain into the entire body.

Scientists have created an advanced visual neuroprosthesis that communicates bidirectionally with the brain, marking one of the most significant steps yet toward restoring functional vision

A new study has found that consuming unsalted, skin-roasted peanuts can significantly improve brain vascular function and memory. The findings were published online in the international, peer-reviewed journal Clinical Nutrition.

A new imagery-focused therapy called iMAPS may help people with psychosis gain control over disturbing mental images that fuel paranoia, fear, and hallucinations.

Finally, this week, 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.