Brain

A new study has pinpointed how the APOE4 gene variant sabotages the brain’s energy balance, blocking neurons from burning fat for fuel when glucose runs low, a discovery that could reveal new ways to prevent or slow Alzheimer’s disease.

Lead poisoning isn’t just an industrial-age problem. A new study reveals our ancestors, including Neanderthals, were exposed to lead for millions of years, shaping how their brains evolved and overturning what scientists thought about our toxic history.

A new study offers hope for brain cancer patients facing memory loss from radiotherapy. By blocking a single immune receptor, scientists preserved cognition in mice without dulling the cancer-killing power of radiation.

Time availability can impact the development of dementia perhaps as much as diet and exercise, according to a panel of scientists. The group says its research should cause a paradigm shift in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

A new study found stranded dolphins show brain damage eerily similar to that of people with Alzheimer's. Just like people with dementia sometimes wander far from home, scientists think dolphins with Alzheimer's might get confused at sea.

A new study suggests that a father’s COVID-19 infection could do more than make him sick – it may leave epigenetic marks on his sperm that pass anxiety to his offspring, revealing how viral infections can echo across generations.

We've all experienced defeat at some point – losing a game, a potential new job, a debate. Now, a new study has found that the brain may learn from losing to others, with a specific group of neurons tied to defeat that then changes our future behavior.

For the first time, scientists have detailed how glioblastoma has a unique path of progression, aggressively gnawing away at the skull bone itself to affect marrow – explaining why drugs that are intended to impede its growth end up making it worse.

Chronic stress can rewire the brain, leading to a host of mental health issues. Now, scientists believe that one small sugar-adding process may act as a switch for depression, providing new insights into mood disorders – and a new target to treat them.

A natural psychedelic may do more than alter perception. A new study found that at sub-hallucinogenic doses, DMT shielded the brain from stroke damage in animal models, reducing inflammation, preserving the blood-brain barrier, and speeding recovery.

We've known for some time that obesity affects the brain, but now scientists have found that it's where you carry it that matters most. Deep visceral fat around organs has the biggest impact on brain aging, affecting a suite of cognitive functions.

Soccer heading has long been suspected of impacting brain health, but where and how it leaves a mark has been a blind spot. Now, for the first time, scientists have a clear picture of the damage and why repeated impacts can impair cognition over time.