Microplastics are omnipresent, wreaking havoc on the environment and infiltrating our bodies, including the brain. A new preprint study, not yet peer-reviewed, raises concerns about the extent of microplastics in the human brain and potential health risks. The study analyzed 51 brain tissue samples from individuals who died in 2016 or 2024. These samples were […]
Alarming Microplastics Found in Human Brains Read More »
A comprehensive analysis of nearly 50,000 brain scans has identified five unique patterns of brain atrophy linked to aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The study also connected these patterns to lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as to genetic and blood markers related to health and disease risk. Andrei Irimia, a gerontologist
Five Distinct Patterns of Brain Aging Uncovered by 50,000 Scans Read More »
Neuroscientists believe they have pinpointed the extensive neural network that fuels the brain’s creativity. Unlike specific movements or sensory responses, creative thinking is not limited to a single area of the brain’s outer cortex. However, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine have identified the brain circuits crucial to certain types of creative thought. When nine
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According to a new study in Nature Communications, increasing serotonin can alter how people learn from negative information and enhance their response to it. Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry and the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Center (OH BRC) discovered that increasing serotonin levels
Serotonin Affects How People Learn From and React to Negativity Read More »
Instead of focusing on fighting the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s, researchers decided to explore the possibility of increasing electrical oscillations in the brain. They created a molecule that successfully achieved this in mice, offering hope for a new treatment approach in humans. Rethinking the Role of Brain Plaques in Alzheimer’s Disease It’s increasingly clear that
New Compound Restores Memory Function in Alzheimer’s Cases Read More »
Have you ever experienced a sudden breakthrough on a tough problem while thinking about something entirely different? This kind of creative thought, a defining trait of humanity, often appears unexpectedly, almost paradoxically, when least sought. Unveiling the Origins of Creativity The neurological origins of creativity—how our brains generate these out-of-the-box ideas—have been equally elusive. However,
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The study explores the complex interplay of handedness and visual biases in humans, drawing parallels with similar traits observed across the animal kingdom. While handedness is well-known as a defining characteristic, the study reveals lesser-known biases that impact social dynamics and cognitive functions. Human Biases and Brain Lateralization Humans exhibit a strong tendency towards right-handedness,
Many of Us Are Dominantly Right-Handed but Left-Eyed. Here’s the Reason Read More »
An artificial intelligence can interpret words and sentences from brain activity with impressive, albeit constrained, accuracy. Based on brief recordings of brain activity, the AI can predict what a person has heard, accurately listing the correct answer within its top 10 choices up to 73% of the time, according to a preliminary study by researchers.
AI Accurately Decodes Speech from Brain Activity Read More »
The blood-brain barrier (BBB)—a network of blood vessels and tissues that protects the brain from harmful substances in the blood—is disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic and collaborators have now identified unique molecular signatures of BBB dysfunction, potentially leading to new diagnostic and treatment methods. Discovery and Analysis of Molecular Signatures “These
Scientists Discover Brain Vascular Changes Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease Read More »
Seeing and understanding objects in our surroundings is an important job for our eyes. One way our brain does this is by separating objects from their backgrounds. We call this process “figure-ground organization.” An interesting example is the Edgar Rubin vase illusion, where we see either a vase or two faces, but never both at
How Hearing Affects What We See Read More »