Brain and Nervous System News
- Study Says Brain Shape Affects Thoughts and Behavior
June 1, 2023 — The shape of the brain might play a greater role on our thoughts, feelings, and actions than traditionally believed, according to a new study in the journal Nature.
- Flavanols Can Boost Memory for Some People: Study
May 30, 2023 — A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that consuming certain nutrients may help the brain stave off the effects of aging. This latest indication, from researchers at Columbia and Harvard universities, shows that older people who had a diet low in flavanols boosted their scores on memory tests by 16% after taking a flavanol pill for one year.
- Daily Multivitamin Improves Memory in Older Adults: Study
May 25, 2023 — Older people who took a daily multivitamin for 1 year appeared to stave off the equivalent of 3 years of age-related decline in mental skills, according to a new study.
- Hi-Tech Implant Helps Paralyzed Man Walk More Naturally
May 25, 2023 — The man was paralyzed 11 years ago from a bike accident. He can now walk 100 to 200 meters (up to about 660 feet) at a time, and can stand without using his hands for two or three minutes.
- Doctors Perform First Surgery on Baby's Brain in the Womb
May 5, 2023 — In a first-of-its-kind in-utero surgery, researchers have successfully repaired a vein of Galen malformation, which often leads to heart failure, severe brain injury, or possibly death soon after birth.
- FDA Weighs Quick OK for Muscular Dystrophy Gene Therapy
May 3, 2023 — The drug maker Sarepta Therapeutics is seeking FDA approval to treat a rare form of muscular dystrophy with what would be the first gene therapy OK’d through the agency’s accelerated approval process.
- Be Cautious of Off-Label Use of Stimulants With Other Drugs
May 2, 2023 — It’s an increasingly common trend: U.S. adults who are taking a stimulant medication, together with other drugs that target the central nervous system, such as antidepressants, opioids, and anti-anxiety medications.
- Playing a Musical Instrument Good for the Brain as We Age
April 27, 2023 — In identifying sounds and syllables under noisy conditions, older musicians did better than older non-musicians – and equaled young non-musicians.
- Walnuts May Help Teens with Maturity, Thinking, and Attention
April 26, 2023 — Adolescents who ate walnuts for at least 100 days were better able to think and reason on their feet and had fewer symptoms of ADHD – they could pay more attention in class and be less hyperactive.
- FDA Gives Fast-Track Approval to New ALS Drug
April 26, 2023 — The FDA has approved the first treatment that takes a genetics-based approach to slowing or stopping the progression of a rare form of ALS, the debilitating and deadly disease for which there is no cure.
- Study: Mother’s COVID-19 May Affect Boys’ Brain Development
April 18, 2023 — Boys born to mothers with COVID-19 could face brain-development issues at a rate twice that of others, a new study found.
- Hearing Aids Could Dramatically Reduce Dementia Risk
April 14, 2023 — For adults with hearing loss, using hearing aids could reduce the risk of developing dementia by 42%, a new study suggests.
- Sleep Apnea May Cause Cognitive Problems: Study
April 13, 2023 — A small new study suggests that obstructive sleep apnea may cause problems with thinking skills.
- How Rush Hour Traffic Can Affect Your Brain
April 3, 2023 — No one likes to sit in traffic. Now, new research finds that toughing out rush hour may also present significant brain health risks you never knew about.
- Song Stuck in Your Head? What Earworms Reveal About Health
March 31, 2023 — Earworms are usually harmless, except when they’re not.
- Teens Heal Differently Than Adults After Concussion
March 22, 2023 — Teens experience many of the same symptoms of concussions as adults, but they may be worse, and take longer to end.
- Not Just for Men: Meeting the Needs of Women With Concussion
March 14, 2023 — The vast majority of concussion research has used male lab animals and men as subjects, although concussions are common in women too
- Concussions from Football Tied to Long-Term Cognitive Problems
March 10, 2023 — The differences in visual memory between former football players with the highest and lowest reported concussion symptoms were equivalent to differences in cognitive performance between a typical 35-year-old and a typical 60-year-old.
- How Your Brain Helps You Cruise Through a Crowd
February 27, 2023 — The brain’s grid cells help us track other people’s movements, scientists report. This could shed light on why some become disoriented in crowds.
- Links Found That Tie Encephalitis to Potential Suicide Risks
February 23, 2023 — In some cases, encephalitis, which can be difficult to diagnose, can lead to mental health issues, including thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
- Most Former NFL Players in Boston University Study Had CTE
February 8, 2023 — The brains of nearly all NFL players studied showed signs of the impact-induced brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), researchers at Boston University announced.
- We Don't Lose Our Keys (or Other Things) as Much as We Think
February 6, 2023 — People in a study recalled the positions of dozens of objects with good if not perfect accuracy, a finding that expands our understanding of spatial and temporal memory.
- A Healthy Lifestyle Might Delay Memory Decline in Older Adults
February 2, 2023 — A new study suggests that following a healthy lifestyle is linked to slower memory decline in older adults, even in people with the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) gene—one of the strongest known risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
- Flu, Other Common Viruses Linked to Brain Disease: Study
January 24, 2023 — People hospitalized with viral infections like the flu are more likely to have disorders that degrade the nervous system, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, later in life, a new analysis shows
- New Smell Tech Could Make VR Therapies More Powerful
January 19, 2023 — Medical research on the benefits of smell in virtual reality may start to move faster, thanks to breakthroughs in the entertainment industry.
- The Emotional Toll of a Career-Ending – or Fatal – Sports Injury
January 4, 2023 — Losing your teammate or player to a potentially career-ending – or fatal – injury can weigh heavy.
- Study Links Smoking to Memory Loss, Cognitive Decline
December 22, 2022 — People who smoke are more likely to report memory problems and cognitive decline in midlife, a study from Ohio State University found. Study results also noted that former smokers who have quit face less likelihood of cognitive decline.
- Surprising Things Sense of Smell Reveals About Your Health
December 21, 2022 — Surprising Things Sense of Smell Reveals About Your Health
- Working Out a Little Harder Could Keep Your Brain a Lot Sharper
December 20, 2022 — A University of Michigan study highlights a possible mechanism for why exercise benefits the brain, providing insights on how intensely we need to exercise to fight cognitive decline.
- Severe COVID Ages Brain Tissue at Molecular Level: Study
December 12, 2022 — People who died of severe COVID-19 had brain tissue similar to that of people who were at least 71 years old, prompting Harvard Medical School researchers to recommend that recovered COVID-19 patients seek neurological follow-up care.
- Screen Time May Help Concussion Recovery
November 17, 2022 — Allowing young patients to return to their TikTok feeds may be better than screen-time bans, Canadian researchers say.
- A Special Part of the Brain Lights Up When We See Food
October 26, 2022 — Researchers have discovered a previously unknown part of the brain that lights up when we see food. Dubbed the “ventral food component,” this part resides in the brain’s visual cortex, in a region known to play a role in identifying faces, scenes, and words.
- 1 in 3 Older Americans Have Cognitive Impairment or Dementia
October 25, 2022 — A new study shows one-third of Americans age 65 or older have mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
- What if Big Tech Could Read Your Mind?
October 12, 2022 — Brain implants can help paralyzed people move and minimally conscious people speak. But if we don’t address complicated ethical questions now, we could risk serious consequences.
- Computer Models Could Be Next Step in Decoding the Brain
September 16, 2022 — Cedars-Sinai neuroscientists have developed the most complex brain cell models to date, the latest advance in our decades-long pursuit to understand how the brain works.
- Tired After a Long Day of Thinking Hard? Here’s Why
September 16, 2022 — Hours of mentally hard work can lead to a buildup of toxic byproducts in the brain and alter its ability to function, French researchers found.
- Implantable Ice Pack Relieves Pain Without Freezing
August 24, 2022 — Without the use of any medication, this device under development cools and numbs the nerve sending pain signals to the brain without affecting surrounding nerves or tissue.
- Study: Electric Signals Boost Short-Term Memory
August 23, 2022 — Electrically stimulating the brain improved immediate recall of words in people over 65, a report published in Nature Neuroscience says.
- Nearly 15% of Adults Worldwide Experience Tinnitus Symptoms
August 22, 2022 — More than 740 million adults worldwide have had at least one symptom of tinnitus, and about 120 million are severely affected, according to a new report.
- Waking Up at Night Could Be Your Brain Boosting Your Memory
August 3, 2022 — University of Copenhagen researchers have linked brief nighttime awakenings to better memory in mice, adding to our understanding of what happens in the brain during sleep.
- As Mega Millions Prize Balloons, Our Brains Are Affected
July 28, 2022 — Prize is the third-largest in recent history
- Video Gamers Are Better Decision-Makers
July 28, 2022 — College coeds who play action video games make faster, better decisions than non-gamers, a study shows.
- During Sleep, the Brain Is Wide Awake, Learning
July 27, 2022 — Sleep is crucial to our ability to make connections from information we pick up during the day, according to a computer model of two areas of the brain.
- Learn to Navigate Like a Bat in 10 Weeks
June 23, 2022 — Research shows humans can develop a bat-like ‘sixth sense’ with training.
- Connecticut Sees Deadly Case of Tick-Borne Powassan Virus
June 8, 2022 — A Connecticut woman died after contracting the tick-borne Powassan virus, state health officials announced this week.
- Our Brains Learn From Mistakes and Can Track Performance
May 16, 2022 — Our ability to try new things and learn from successes and failures depends a lot on cells in the brain's frontal lobe behind the forehead, report researchers who learned more from new lab tests.
- After Bob Saget's Death, a Q&A on Head Injuries
February 10, 2022 — With the recent news that comedian Bob Saget's death was due to head trauma, apparently from an accidental blow to the head, doctors say any injury to the head needs to be taken seriously.
- What Really Helps Your Brain?
December 10, 2014 — WebMD graphic shows what works for brain health.
- Don't Be Embarrassed by Essential Tremors
June 6, 2001 — There Are Ways to Cope