Nicotine Withdrawal Makes Smokers More Sensitive to Pain

Summary: A new study shows that abstinent smokers experience heightened pain sensitivity linked to altered activity in specific brain regions. Compared to nonsmokers, abstinent smokers required more postoperative pain relief—especially…

Blocking a Key Protein Greatly Reduces Alzheimer’s Damage

Summary: New findings show that removing Centaurin-α1, a protein elevated in Alzheimer’s disease, significantly reduces inflammation, plaque buildup, and cognitive deficits in a well-established mouse model. Eliminating this protein normalized…

Why do people get headaches and migraines? A child neurologist explains the science of head pain and how to treat it

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. Why do people get headaches?…

The Way You Drive Might Signal Mild Cognitive Impairment

Summary: Researchers found that long-term driving behavior can reveal early signs of cognitive decline years before clinical diagnosis. Older adults who later developed impairment showed gradual reductions in trip frequency,…

Low Income, Vision Loss, and Isolation Drive Dementia Risk

Summary: A new study reveals that people with lower incomes and those from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups carry a higher burden of modifiable dementia risk factors. Vision loss…

Stress Undermines Brain Circulation, Increases Dementia Risk

Summary: Researchers found that a rare class of neurons—type-one nNOS neurons—plays a central role in regulating brain blood flow and coordinating neural activity in mice. Removing these stress-vulnerable cells caused…

Daily Light and Sound Therapy May Slow Alzheimer’s Decline

Summary: A long-term study found that daily 40Hz light and sound stimulation may help slow cognitive decline in people with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. After two years of treatment, participants maintained…

Pain Resilience, Not Pain Itself, Predicts How Active People Stay

Summary: A new study reveals that how people think about and cope with chronic pain is more important than the pain itself in determining physical activity levels. Researchers found that…

Long-Term Keto Diet May Damage Your Body

Summary: A new study reveals that while the ketogenic diet can prevent weight gain, it may cause severe long-term metabolic problems. Researchers found that mice on a long-term keto diet…

Can a Disconnected Brain Be Conscious?

Summary: A new study reveals that sleep-like slow-wave brain activity can persist for years in surgically disconnected brain hemispheres of awake epilepsy patients. Using EEG recordings, researchers found that the…