Summary: A new study finds that adults with ADHD show brain changes similar to those seen in early-stage dementia, including higher iron accumulation and increased neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in the blood. Using advanced MRI scans and blood tests, researchers identified elevated iron in key brain regions and signs...
Summary: A new study reveals how the brain reprocesses and refines memories during sleep, particularly those related to spatial learning. Researchers tracked rats’ hippocampal neuron activity for up to 20 hours and found that memory patterns first echoed the learning phase and then gradually shifted to match the recollection phase...
Summary: Researchers used a virtual reality game and functional MRI to uncover how children’s brains with ADHD respond differently during active tasks. Unlike traditional brain scans taken during rest, this immersive approach revealed distinct patterns of neural communication in ADHD, especially in deeper brain structures.The study shows that ADHD-related brain...
Summary: Rejuvenating the brain’s lymphatic vessels can enhance memory in aging mice by improving the removal of waste products from the brain. This research suggests that targeting the meningeal lymphatics—vessels outside the brain—could be a novel approach to treating age-related cognitive decline without directly crossing the blood-brain barrier.The treatment reduced...
Summary: A new study shows that our brains physically link memories formed close together in time through changes in the dendrites of neurons, rather than in the cell bodies. Using advanced imaging in mice, researchers found that the same dendritic branches are activated when closely timed experiences are encoded, effectively...
Summary: Fruit flies with genetic mutations that severely reduce sleep show enhanced performance in olfactory memory tasks, challenging assumptions about sleep’s role in cognition. This paradox appears to be driven by increased protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in the mushroom body, a brain region responsible for memory and sleep regulation....
Summary: A new study highlights the placenta’s role in neuropsychiatric development, showing that DNA methylation influences gene expression tied to psychiatric disorders. Researchers found strong links between placental DNA methylation and conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.These findings suggest that genetic risk factors for psychiatric disorders may be...
Summary: A new study reveals that memory-related brain activity continues to shift even after learning, challenging traditional views of stable neural representations. Researchers analyzed hippocampal neurons in mice and found that their “place cells,” which encode spatial memory, subtly changed each time the mice revisited a familiar environment.Using computational modeling,...
Summary: A new study has identified brain regions crucial for remembering words and how they are affected in people with temporal lobe epilepsy. Researchers found that shrinkage in the prefrontal, temporal, and cingulate cortices, as well as the hippocampus, was linked to difficulty recalling words.Using high-resolution MRI scans, they examined...
Summary: A new study finds that women in their 80s who develop increasing daytime sleepiness over five years are twice as likely to develop dementia. Researchers tracked 733 women without cognitive impairment, using wrist devices to monitor sleep and circadian rhythms.Those who showed stable sleep patterns had the lowest dementia...
