Summary: Our brains demand a huge amount of energy, yet they allocate blood with remarkable efficiency. Researchers have uncovered how endothelial cells lining blood vessels act as a rapid “signaling highway,” using gap junctions to direct blood precisely where brain activity is highest.This mechanism allows the brain to prioritize its...
Herpesvirus infections may cause memory more quickly.
Summary: A new study finds that prior herpesvirus infections are linked to a faster age-related increase in blood biomarkers associated with dementia, even in cognitively healthy women. Researchers measured five key biomarkers in 167 women and found that seropositivity for HHVs doubled the rate of biomarker accumulation compared to those...
How Dopamine Influences Risky Rewarding Behaviors
Summary: Not all animals respond to reward cues the same way — some fixate on the cue itself, while others head straight for the reward. New research reveals that “sign trackers,” animals drawn to the cue, rely on dopamine in a specific brain region to form these associations, unlike “goal...
Eating eggs does reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Summary: A large cohort study of older adults found that eating at least one egg per week was linked to a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer’s dementia. Participants who consumed eggs more frequently also showed less Alzheimer’s-related pathology in their brains at autopsy.The protective effect was partly mediated by higher...
Even when you don’t, your head still records other people’s feelings.
Summary: A new fMRI study reveals that our brains encode both what others intend to express emotionally and how we consciously infer their feelings—two distinct processes. Researchers trained machine-learning models on brain activity to separately predict the speaker’s self-reported emotions and the observer’s inferences.They found that even when people misjudged...
Time view: Focus and Action versus Running the Clock
Summary: A new study shows that the way we move our bodies can warp our sense of time — not just because of physical exertion, but because of the cognitive demands of motor control. Researchers found that participants overestimated stimulus durations while running, walking backward, or performing a distracting mental...
Spinal Cord Maintenance Can Be Resurrected With a 3D-Printed Implant.
Summary: Scientists have developed a 3D-printed implant that delivers targeted electrical stimulation to damaged areas of the spinal cord, promoting nerve regeneration. The implant mimics the spinal cord’s structure with a fine, electrically conductive mesh, boosting neuron and stem cell growth in lab tests.By adjusting the fibre layout, the team...
No Evidence for a Link Between Autism and Aluminum in Vaccines.
Summary: A massive Danish study of over 1.2 million children has found no evidence that aluminum in early childhood vaccines increases the risk of neurological, autoimmune, or allergic disorders. Researchers analyzed 50 chronic conditions — including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, asthma, and juvenile arthritis — and found no association...
How We Segment and Recall Living Activities is Organized by the Tiny Brain Region.
Summary: Our memories don’t flow like a continuous stream—they’re divided into meaningful events, thanks to a tiny brain region called the locus coeruleus. New research shows this region acts like a “reset button,” activating at event boundaries to signal the hippocampus to store distinct memories.Using fMRI and pupil measurements, scientists...
Older Brains Be Sharp by Playing Music.
Summary: Long-term musical training may help older adults maintain youthful brain patterns and better speech perception in noisy environments, according to new research. Scientists found that older musicians showed more efficient brain connectivity and better performance than non-musicians of the same age.This suggests that musical training builds cognitive reserve, preserving...
