Brain

More than a million people of nearly all ages lace up their trainers and hit the pavement in a marathon every year. And while running has a suite of health benefits, a long-distance race may not be such good news for the brain in the weeks that follow.

A long-term trial has found that a discontinued drug halved the onset of a genetic form Alzheimer's, from all but 100% to 50%. Buoyed by the results, scientists are now trialing anti-amyloid medication as a preventative for all types of the disease.

Why don’t we remember specific events during those crucial first few years, when our brains worked overtime to learn so much? A new Yale study finds evidence that we do form memories, but can’t retrieve them.

There's newfound hope for stroke patients in recovery, with what researchers believe is the very first drug that can comprehensively deliver rehabilitation without the need for challenging long-term physical therapy.

In a major breakthrough for regenerative medicine, MIT scientists have developed a way to convert skin cells directly into brain cells extremely efficiently, without needing to go through the intermediate step of converting them to stem cells first.

Scientists have finally pinned down a protein that’s largely responsible for Parkinson’s disease. Known as PINK1, the protein has been linked to the disease for decades but its structure and how to switch it back on have remained elusive – until now.

By now, you've no doubt heard that modern living is filling our bodies with microplastics. But an alarming study now shows just how much of the non-degradable particles are in our brains, and how much higher they are in dementia patients.

The first-ever "biological computer" powered by human cells, which form an ever-learning neural network, has been launched. It's an entirely new kind of AI – Synthethic Biological Intelligence – and not even its creators can predict its full potential.

A 2022 study found drinking four units of alcohol a day – two beers – can cause structural damage and brain volume loss equivalent to 10 years of aging. The findings proved to be the tip of the iceberg for researchers looking at how alcohol affects our brain.

Excavations found that the brain of what seems to be a human male contained dark glass formed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The effect can't be explained by lava temperatures alone, but rather a different event from the cataclysm.

A fascinating 2022 study found two common viruses may be working in tandem to trigger the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings were just the beginning of an ever-growing body of evidence implicating viral infections in dementia.

People who sit on the low or high side of normal vitamin B12 levels are still at risk of cognitive impairment, a new study found. It's suggested we rethink the ‘healthy’ range for the vitamin that plays a key role in brain and nerve health.