Neurological

Two compelling new studies are building on a hypothesis suggesting age-related dementia is caused by a leaky blood-brain barrier. Experts suggest the studies are interesting but not particularly applicable to human cases of dementia.

A team of international researchers has achieved a world-first breakthrough, decades in the making, creating artificial neurons with the ability to behave exactly like real living neurons. The innovation has potential for treating numerous diseases.

New research is offering compelling evidence to suggest levels of a steroid hormone called allopregnanolone can affect fetal brain development, and when disrupted can result in cerebral abnormalities and increases in autism risk.

A landmark new study is strongly linking excessive neural activity with shorter lifespans. The study suggests a protein known to suppress neural excitation affects a number of longevity pathways, effectively slowing the aging process.

Led by scientists from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a new study is homing in on a single gene suggested to be a master regulator in schizophrenia.

Scientists in the Netherlands have discovered that an existing drug used for hypertension was able to boost blood flow to memory and learning regions in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, opening up new possibilities in the treatment of the disease.

An intriguing study suggests there is a direct causative link between a high-fat diet and the development of depression. The research demonstrates how certain dietary fats can enter the brain, disrupt specific signaling pathways in the hypothalamus, and subsequently induce signs of depression.

According to a new study from ​Northwestern University, our preference for sweet or bitter beverages isn't so much about flavor, but about the psychoactive buttons these drinks push​ in our brains.

A new study is adding weight to the hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease is somewhat transmissible, providing experimental evidence that in the past amyloid beta plaques may have been seeded in a patient's brain through contaminated samples of human growth hormone.

Researchers at UT Southwestern are continuing their discoveries into the neurological origins of dementia, revealing a strategy that could potentially forecast what form of dementia a person may develop long before any symptoms of cognitive decline appear​ by studying a single molecule in the brain.

A large-scale study has suggested that people who have their appendix removed at an early point in their life may display a reduced risk in developing Parkinson’s disease. The research found the appendix can hold a major volume of the toxic proteins that contribute to the progression of the disease.

A new study has found a strong association between increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol and impaired memory in middle-aged adults. The research suggests that extended periods of stress while a person is in their 40s and 50s can result in reduced cognitive skills, and even brain shrinkage.