Levels of gray matter in two parts of the brain may be linked to a desire to start smoking during adolescence and the strengthening of nicotine addiction, a new study has shown.

Researchers have enabled machine learning to accurately predict Parkinson’s disease subtypes using stem cell images. This breakthrough showcases computer models classifying four Parkinson’s subtypes, with top accuracies reaching 95%. This could revolutionize personalized medicine and aid in more targeted drug research for Parkinson’s.

A large international team of medical researchers has found that the severity of COVID-19 infections in children over the course of the pandemic varied by age and viral variant.

Researchers have illuminated how our brain maintains focus amidst distractions. Their study identifies “visual-movement” neurons in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) that use coordinated activity called “beta bursts” to suppress distracting stimuli and ensure attention remains on rewarding tasks. This discovery gives a deeper understanding of cognitive focus and offers insights into disorders like ADD and OCD.

More cases of children born with abnormal brain development may have genetic explanations than previously thought, according to a recent study published in JAMA Neurology.

Hearing impairment may cause difficulties in social interactions, but new research indicates that social struggles experienced by deaf individuals are likely not due to brain alterations, but rather due to non-supportive environments.

Scientists have identified a series of processes that help the brain adapt to damage caused by breakdowns in circuits that govern movement, cognition and sensory perception.

For the first time, researchers have discovered that the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain—a key structure involved in motivation and reward appreciation—has altered connectivity patterns with specific brain regions in patients with obesity. Individuals with obesity have hyper-connectivity of the VTA with part of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex (visual processing for food images) and hypo-connectivity with the left inferior frontal gyrus (associated with cognitive control), according to a new study in Obesity.

Researchers have identified a key pathway, involved in inflammation, which appears to be activated in people with long COVID who have symptoms of “brain fog.”

Using a novel approach of precision neuroimaging and high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a team of neuroscientists and physicists have discovered previously unknown cortical networks and shed light on the anatomical organization of the human memory system.

A pioneering scientific study has shown that the effects of multiple concussions in rugby players continue to have an impact on their brain even in retirement. 

Researchers have coupled the measurements of brain waves associated with disorders of consciousness (DoC) with glucose usage in specific brain areas, identifying where in the brain the waves might be generated.

A new study shows that brains with Alzheimer’s disease have subnormal levels of important dietary antioxidants.

A breakthrough project mapping brain changes in nearly 1,300 people diagnosed with six different types of mental illness has revealed the extraordinary diversity of brain changes found in people with conditions like major depression and schizophrenia.

Researchers have unveiled a promising link between adult education and reduced dementia risk. 

Neuroscientists have shown that adversities permanently change the functioning of the brain. Furthermore, an aberrant reaction of the brain to adversities is related to anxiety symptoms. This may have predictive value for the development of psychiatric disorders.

Finally this week, a new study identifies sex differences in the brain cell types responding to stress.

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin studying the factors influencing healthy brain aging in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries find the lessons learned there, can also be applied to home.

Immune cells in the brains of people who had Alzheimer’s disease appear to behave differently than those who had healthy brains for their age, according to an analysis of the cells’ gene activity. The finding suggests it might be possible to treat Alzheimer’s disease by altering the behavior of these cells.

The longer a person has type 2 diabetes, the more likely they may be to experience changes in brain structure, a new study finds.

Using human “mini-brain” models known as organoids, scientists have discovered that the roots of autism spectrum disorder may be associated with an imbalance of specific neurons that play a critical role in how the brain communicates and functions. The specific cells are known as excitatory cortical neurons.

Psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, shows promise for the transitional treatment of episodic migraines in early clinical trials, according to a recent review.

Researchers have discovered that a neural marker of error detection in the brain’s visual system previously considered pre-attentive may actually require attention and that subtle visual irregularities may be revealed by other neural markers.

A new study has demonstrated that self-organization of neurons as they learn follows a mathematical theory called the free energy principle.

The neural network related to speech is mostly located in the left cerebral hemisphere, while singing has been primarily associated with the structures of both hemispheres. However, a new study indicates that the left hemisphere has a greater significance, including in terms of singing, than previously thought.

A new digital headset designed to measure alterations in brain function could change decisions about how quickly an athlete is ready to return to play after a concussion.

A new study suggests stimulating the sense of smell can boost memory. Older adults exposed to odors while they slept performed better on verbal memory tests and showed improved function in a brain pathway that supports memory formation, according to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Finally this week, researchers have shown that machine learning can accurately predict subtypes of Parkinson’s disease using images of patient-derived stem cells.