Central Genetic Switch Controls Long-Distance Axon Navigation

Summary: Challenging the dogma that growing axons navigate exclusively via local cues processed at their tips, neuroscientists have discovered that a centralized genetic switch inside the neuron’s cell body directs…

Brain Activity Predicts Risky Choices Half a Second Before They Are Made

Summary: By recording directly from electrodes implanted in the human orbitofrontal cortex, neuroscientists discovered two neighboring circuits locked in a millisecond-by-millisecond “tug-of-war” between taking a risk and playing it safe.…

How Severe Illness During Pregnancy Alters Fetal Brain Development

Summary: Researchers have discovered that maternal immune activation during pregnancy alters the epigenome of fetal brain cells, disrupting deep-layer neurons and increasing the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. Key…

Youth Protein TIMP2 Restores Immune Function in the Aging Brain

Summary: Researchers have discovered that the youth-associated protein TIMP2 plays a critical role in maintaining the healthy function of microglia, the brain’s primary immune cells. Supplementing this protein in aged…

Study of Brain Immune Cells Reveals New Clues to Alzheimer’s Disease Progression

Summary: Researchers have mapped over 830,000 brain immune cells, discovering a protective subtype of microglia that expands as Alzheimer’s disease progresses. Driven by the TREM2 molecular pathway, these cells actively…

Regenerative Astrocytes Repair Brain Damage

Summary: Researchers discovered a previously unknown mechanism through which the adult mammalian brain repairs itself following focal injuries or autoimmune damage. Using two-photon microscopy and longitudinal gene mapping in living…

Exercise Shields Dopamine Neurons in Parkinson’s

Summary: Researchers synthesized evidence from 129 studies detailing how exercise-induced muscle signaling protects against Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathology. The authors examine the biological impact of sarcopenia, the progressive loss of…

Phase 1 Trial Validates Anti-PD-L1 Antibody for Alzheimer’s

Summary: Researchers announced the successful completion of a Phase 1b clinical trial for a novel immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease. The trial evaluated IBC-Ab002, a humanized anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody specifically engineered…

Brain PET Scans Link Late-Onset Psychosis to Tau and Amyloid

Summary: A new study demonstrates that first-episode hallucinations and delusions appearing after age 40 are frequently driven by underlying neurodegenerative pathology. Using molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, the team…

Consistent Daily Routines Reduce Physical Pain and Depression

Summary: A study reveals that maintaining a consistent daily routine can significantly reduce physical pain and ease symptoms of depression, offering a accessible strategy for improving overall quality of life,…