Brain – Science & research news

When and why did human brains decrease in size 3,000 years ago? New study may have found clues within ants

October 22, 2021

When and why did human brains decrease in size 3,000 years ago? New study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution may have found clues within ants [...]

Big brains or many babies: how birds can thrive in urban environments

March 25, 2020

Birds can thrive in cities either by having larger brains or breeding more often: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. [...]

Never too young to learn

March 16, 2020

"I asked kids why they thought peer review would be important. They said: ‘because someone can lie, because they want to be famous.’" [...]

Study finds empathy can be detected in people whose brains are at rest

February 20, 2020

Findings may help health care professionals better assess those with autism, schizophrenia: Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience [...]

Justified and unjustified movie violence evokes different brain responses

December 11, 2019

The perceived intent of violence in movies activates different centers of the brain: in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience [...]

Self-cannibalizing mitochondria may set the stage for ALS development

November 14, 2019

Powerhouses of the cell ‘eat themselves up’ jumpstart path to neurodegenerative disease; Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience [...]

From microbes all the way to space with Young Minds

November 7, 2019

Come aboard our special Young Minds bus and discover the journey along 10 of our articles we have prepared for you. [...]

Is this brain cell your ‘mind’s eye’?

October 1, 2019

Only brain activity involving ‘L5p neurons’ enters conscious awareness, says new theory; Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience [...]

Magnets can help AI get closer to the efficiency of the human brain

May 31, 2019

New brain-like networks could help robots approach human-like efficiency at object recognition tasks; Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

Secrets of the Learning Brain

May 29, 2019

Jacobs Foundation supports Dutch neuroscientists to spread knowledge about the learning brain to our international younger audience. [...]

Older adults fitted with cochlear implants exhibit poor brain function

November 13, 2018

Image of an older person's ear: Cochlear implants do not fully compensate for the cognitive decline that has been associated with the loss of hearing in the elderly: Frontiers in Neuroscience

Cochlear implants do not fully compensate for the cognitive decline that has been associated with the loss of hearing in the elderly: Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

Binge drinking affects male and female brains differently

October 23, 2018

Genes linked to hormone signaling and immune function are altered in females, whereas genes related to nerve signaling are affected in males: Frontiers in Genetics [...]

Herpes virus link to bipolar disorder and depression

September 28, 2018

Image of a Purkinje neuron. Researchers show human herpes viruses (HHV-6 ) are capable of infecting neurons, possibly leading to psychiatric disorders like depression and bipolar disorder: Frontiers in Microbiology

Study shows for first time that HHV-6 virus can infect neurons and possibly cause cognitive disturbances leading to psychiatric disorders: Frontiers in Microbiology [...]

Primate study offers clues to evolution of speech

September 21, 2018

Image of baboon with mouth open. A study in Frontiers in Neuroscience suggests primates are incapable of producing speech because they lack the brain mechanisms needed to control and coordinate vocal production

Study suggests primates can't speak because they lack the brain mechanisms needed to control and coordinate vocal production: Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

Why do women get more migraines?

September 17, 2018

Estrogen and other sex hormones may be responsible for the higher prevalence of migraine in women: Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences [...]

Scientists propose a new lead for Alzheimer’s research

September 14, 2018

Abnormalities seen in inherited Alzheimer's disease could result from problems in how neurons handle iron, suggests a new theory: Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

New theory may explain cause of depression and improve treatments

August 23, 2018

Dysfunction in mitochondria could be root cause of depression, providing opportunity for new developments of antidepressant drugs: Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

Training compassion ‘muscle’ may boost brain’s resilience to others’ suffering

August 13, 2018

As little as two weeks of compassion meditation training may reduce the distress a person feels when witnessing another’s suffering: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Feeling young could mean your brain is aging more slowly

August 9, 2018

The first study to link subjective age to biological age shows that elderly people who feel younger have less signs of brain aging: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

The first study to link subjective age to biological age shows elderly people who feel younger have less signs of brain aging: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience [...]

Social ties could preserve memory, slow brain aging

June 18, 2018

Research suggests that having a larger social network can positively influence memory and cognitive health as we age: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Research suggests that merely having a larger social network can positively influence the aging brain: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience [...]

Leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health

June 7, 2018

Frontiers in Neuroscience: Leg exercise is critical to neurological health

Groundbreaking research shows leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health, fundamentally altering current brain and nervous system medicine: Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

Artificial intelligence tricked by optical illusion, just like humans

April 26, 2018

Frontiers in Psychology: AI tricked by optical illusion, just like humans

A study using deep neural networks suggests that predictive coding theory is the basis of illusory motion: Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Caloric restriction in combination with low-fat diet helps protect aging brains

March 27, 2018

Exercise was significantly less effective than caloric restriction in preventing aging-induced inflammatory activation of microglia in mice: Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience [...]

Researchers find algorithm for large-scale brain simulations

March 2, 2018

Neuroscience brain simulation algorithm exascale

A decisive step towards simulating brain-scale networks on future supercomputers also significantly speeds up simulations on existing supercomputers: Frontiers in Neuroinformatics [...]

Brain disease: do pathological behaviors stem from faulty beliefs?

February 23, 2018

Neuroscience brain function disease Bayesian model

A promising model for understanding neurological and psychiatric disorders could help provide personalized treatments for patients: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience [...]

Can your brain testify against you?

February 6, 2018

A defined set of guidelines is required to ensure neuroscientific techniques are used correctly and effectively in law: Frontiers in Neuroscience [...]

Mirror neuron activity predicts people’s decision-making in moral dilemmas

January 22, 2018

Genuine concern for others' pain plays a causal role when judging moral dilemmas, shows a study in Frontiers in Psychology [...]

Lost in time and space: How challenges change the way you think

November 17, 2017

Research in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience shows that challenging situations make it harder to understand where you are and what's happening around you. [...]

Scientists pinpoint jealousy in the monogamous brain

October 20, 2017

Jealousy activates brain areas associated with social pain and pair bonding, reports a study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution [...]

HIV infection, even with antiretroviral therapy, appears to damage a growing child’s brain

October 19, 2017

HIV-positive children who started ART by the age of 18 months show ongoing disruptions in white matter development, shows a study in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy [...]

Modeling brain connections to understand Parkinson’s disease

October 3, 2017

A new model in Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience finds differences in basal ganglia connection strengths between healthy and Parkinson's disease brains. [...]

Maternal diet could affect kids’ brain reward circuitry

September 28, 2017

Children from high-fat diet mothers have altered brain circuitry into adulthood. Research from Frontiers in Endocrinology explains how a preference for unhealthy foods can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy. [...]

Newly revealed autism-related genes include genes involved in cancer

September 27, 2017

Researchers have identified new networks of related genes that may be involved in autism spectrum disorder, including those related to cancer, as described in Frontiers in Genetics. [...]

Binge drinkers show similar changes in brain activity as chronic alcoholics

September 14, 2017

Binge-drinking-alcohol-abuse-brain-damage

Distinctive changes in brain activity in binge-drinking college students may be an early marker of brain damage, reports a study in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. [...]

Brain augmentation brought to Russian audience

September 5, 2017

A collection of research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience is being brought to the Russian public by popular science neuroscience website - Neuronovosti. [...]

Our brains do change from early to mid-adulthood

August 29, 2017

Because scientists have been unaware of how our brains change during this period of life, they don't routinely account for this when studying the brain, which could lead them to misinterpret their results.

Contrary to belief, study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, shows considerable structural changes in the brain from early to mid-adulthood. [...]

Brain injury in kids might lead to alcohol abuse

August 29, 2017

Traumatic brain injuries in children and adolescents could lead to alcohol abuse in later life

Researchers find evidence that traumatic brain injuries in children and adolescents could be a risk-factor for alcohol abuse in later life [...]

Dancing can reverse the signs of aging in the brain

August 29, 2017

While previous research has shown that physical exercise can combat age-related brain decline, it is not known if one type of exercise can be better than another. To assess this, the exercise routines given to the volunteers differed. The traditional fitness training program conducted mainly repetitive exercises, such as cycling or Nordic walking, but the dance group were challenged with something new each week.

New research, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience compares two fitness routines to explore anti-aging effects on the brain in the elderly. [...]

Elderly yoginis have greater cortical thickness

July 24, 2017

The research team wanted to see if elderly long-term yoga practitioners had any differences in terms of brain structure compared with healthy elderly people who had never practiced yoga.

Elderly female yoga practitioners have greater cortical thickness in the left prefrontal cortex, suggesting that yoga may protect against cognitive decline. [...]

Depression affects the brains of males and females differently

July 18, 2017

Men and women appear to suffer from depression differently, and this is particularly striking in adolescents.

New findings suggest that adolescent girls and boys might experience depression differently and that sex-specific treatments could be beneficial for adolescents. [...]

Video games can change your brain

July 5, 2017

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience review article outlines structural brain changes caused by video games [...]

Cocoa and chocolate are not just treats — they are good for your cognition

July 3, 2017

The effects of relatively long-term ingestion of cocoa flavanols (ranging from 5 days up to 3 months) has generally been investigated in elderly individuals. It turns out that for them cognitive performance was improved by a daily intake of cocoa flavanols.

A mini-review concludes: cocoa can be seen as a dietary supplement to protect human cognition and can counteract different types of cognitive decline. [...]

Plant reveals anti-Alzheimer’s compounds

June 22, 2017

Japanese scientists develop a new technique to isolate active therapeutic compounds for Alzheimer's disease from plants. [...]

Blue Brain Team Discovers a Multi-Dimensional Universe in Brain Networks

June 12, 2017

Using mathematics in a novel way in neuroscience, the Blue Brain Project shows that the brain operates on many dimensions, not just the three dimensions that we are accustomed to [...]

In trying to teach kids about the brain, researchers ended up learning about themselves

May 23, 2017

The research, published in Frontiers for Young Minds, focuses on early-life nutrition and how that influences brain development, using pigs as a human proxy. [...]

Study sheds light on link between diseases like Alzheimer’s and normal aging in the brain

May 19, 2017

Ground-breaking study, published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, opens up new area of preventative research for diseases like Alzheimer's: Targeting age-dependent protein aggregates as possible therapeutic targets.

New study opens up new area of preventative research for diseases like Alzheimer's: Targeting age-dependent protein aggregates as possible therapeutic targets. [...]

Shaping your brain with exercise, video games and more

May 19, 2017

This Research Topic, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, investigates cognitive training techniques in health and disease, and in youth and old age. [...]

Astrocytes: rising stars in the brain landscape

April 12, 2017

New Research Topic in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy explores an ultastructural insight of astrocytes at a microscale level. [...]

Teach yourself everyday happiness with imagery training

March 1, 2017

Our emotions are often affected by images and visual memories. What if we could train our own brains to use imagery and effect our emotional state? [...]