Summary: Researchers emphasize that the heart and brain are deeply interconnected, with every heartbeat influencing cognition and emotion within milliseconds. This link helps explain why cardiovascular diseases like hypertension often…
Tag: Max Planck Institute
Shrews Shrink and Regrow Brains, Offering Clues for Human Diseases
Summary: Scientists used non-invasive MRI to study shrews that seasonally shrink and regrow their brains, uncovering water loss as the key driver of this rare phenomenon. Despite losing about nine…
Prenatal Stress Hormones Alter Brain Development
Summary: Environmental factors like stress and medication exposure during pregnancy can shape brain development, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Researchers used brain organoids to study the effects of synthetic glucocorticoids,…
How We Make Life’s Toughest Choices
Summary: A new study presents a novel framework for understanding transformative life decisions, focusing on their complexity and emotional impact. Researchers identified five key dimensions—conflicting cues, change of self, uncertain…
Emotional Blindness Drives Empathy Deficits in Psychopathy
Summary: A new study links psychopathy with alexithymia, or emotional blindness, which may explain the emotional deficits seen in people with psychopathic traits. Individuals with strong psychopathic traits struggle to…
Glial Cells Play Key Role in Alzheimer’s Development
Summary: New research reveals that glial cells, specifically oligodendrocytes, produce amyloid beta, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, challenging the long-held belief that neurons are the sole contributors. This discovery…
AI Decodes Emotion Through Movements
Summary: A new methodology developed by an international research team uses motion capture and the EMOKINE software to decode emotions from movements. The team recorded a dancer performing choreographies expressing…
How Insulin-Like Growth Factors Bolster Brain Plasticity
Summary: Researchers discovered a mechanism linking insulin-like growth factors (IGF) to brain plasticity. This study uncovers how IGF1 and IGF2 promote brain health and functionality, including learning and memory, through…
Hitching a Ride: mRNA’s Transport System in Brain Cells Revealed
Summary: Researchers made significant advancements in understanding how mRNA is distributed in brain cells. They discovered that a protein complex called FERRY aids Early Endosomes (EEs) to carry mRNAs to…