brain

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On Popular Asthma Pill, 'Something That's Concerning'

FDA ties Singular (aka montelukast) to mental health issues; it's not necessarily cause-effect

(Newser) - When Merck debuted its Singulair asthma pill in the late '90s, an appealing alternative to asthma sufferers who relied on inhalers, the pharmaceuticals company compared it to a "sugar pill" in terms of side effects, calling any distribution of the drug to the brains of the millions of...

Researchers Zero In on First, Subtle Phase of Alzheimer's

Study describes early die-off of certain neurons

(Newser) - Alzheimer's disease appears to damage the brain in two phases, and treatment before the latter stage, when "suddenly things get really bad," is key. That's according to Ed Lein, a senior investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, who worked with nearly 100 colleagues to...

Scientists: Brain Has Built-In Waste Removal System

Cleaning process could get rid of cellular trash that can build up, lead to dementia

(Newser) - A unique peek inside the human brain may help explain how it clears away waste like the kind that can build up and lead to Alzheimer's disease. Brain cells use a lot of nutrients, which means they make a lot of waste. Scientists have long thought the brain has...

Girls' Brains 'Aged' Dramatically During Lockdown
Girls' Brains
'Aged' Dramatically
During Lockdown
NEW STUDY
Sep 10, 2024 10:45 AM CDT

Girls' Brains 'Aged' Dramatically During Lockdown

Thinning of cerebral cortex reflects premature aging of 4.2 years

(Newser) - Adolescents living through COVID-19 lockdowns experienced premature brain aging, with girls especially affected, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Washington launched the research in 2018, aiming to grasp how brain structure changed over time in 160 individuals ages 9 to 19, per NBC News . As COVID-19...

Your Brain May Be 0.5% Plastic
Brain May Contain Way More
Plastic Than Other Organs
NEW STUDY
Aug 21, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Brain May Contain Way More Plastic Than Other Organs

Amounts seen in pre-print study are more 'than I ever would have imagined,' author says

(Newser) - Tiny plastic fragments have been found in human brains, lungs, livers, kidneys, placentas, testicles , knee and elbow joints, and even blood vessels and bone marrow, highlighting the huge problem of plastic pollution . Now, a new study has some microplastics researchers demanding "a global emergency" be declared in response. The...

'I Think We're Onto Something Important' for Alzheimer's

Scientists believe the protein reelin may help shield brain from aging diseases

(Newser) - "I think we're onto something important for Alzheimer's," MIT neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai tells NPR , after her team's latest research backs up a pair of previous studies regarding a protein they say may help fend off cognitive decline. That protein, reelin, appears to act as a...

Pregnancy Changes the Brain in More Ways Than We Knew

'WSJ:' Neuroscientist volunteers herself for study, resulting in first-of-its-kind discoveries

(Newser) - When Dr. Liz Chrastil was ready to begin in vitro fertilization, she realized becoming pregnant could also serve as a data goldmine. The Wall Street Journal walks through the cognitive neuroscientist's decision to sign herself up for a one-woman research study that resulted in groundbreaking insights on how pregnancy...

RFK Jr.: About That Worm That Ate My Brain...

Candidate denies lasting effects as 'NYT' exposes various previously unknown health issues

(Newser) - At age 70, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has touted himself as "the model of virility" up against older, less robust rivals, per MSNBC . All the while, he's been keeping mum on his claim that, as the New York Times reports, a worm ate part of...

Our Brains Are Getting Bigger
Our Brains Are Getting Bigger
NEW STUDY
Mar 30, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

Our Brains Are Getting Bigger

They've increased in volume over the decades, which may be good news for dementia risks

(Newser) - Though theories abound that humans are getting dumber , evidence suggests that our brains are actually getting bigger. Researchers from UC Davis Health found that they've grown in both volume and surface area after comparing MRIs from people born in the 1930s with those born in the 1970s, per Newswise...

Neuralink's First Human Subject Demonstrates 'Telepathy'

Noland Arbaugh shows how he can control his computer by thinking

(Newser) - Noland Arbaugh, the first human to receive a Neuralink brain-computer implant , demonstrated how the device works in a livestream the company posted to X Wednesday. In it, the 29-year-old plays two games on his computer (chess and Civilization), showing how he can move the cursor around the screen simply by...

Man's Appetite for Soft Bacon Leads to Brain Parasites

Case of pork tapeworm larvae infecting brain tissue described in new study

(Newser) - A Florida man who went to his doctor complaining his migraine medication wasn't touching his increasingly frequent and painful headaches was found to have parasitic tapeworm larvae in his brain. After four months of pain, a CT scan revealed fluid-filled sacs throughout the white matter of the 52-year-old's...

For These 5, Alzheimer's Was Medically Acquired
Medical Miscue May Have
Given Patients Alzheimer's
NEW STUDY
Jan 30, 2024 11:49 AM CST

Medical Miscue May Have Given Patients Alzheimer's

Study suggests disease was triggered by human growth hormone shots derived from cadavers

(Newser) - Doctors once sought to make very short children taller by injecting them with growth hormone taken from the brains of dead people. The procedure was banned 40 years ago—and cadaver-derived pituitary growth hormone (c-hGH) replaced with a synthetic version—when scientists discovered patients had also received bits of protein...

Female Animals Grow Bigger Brains, Males Bigger Antlers

Scientists aren't quite sure why, but they have some theories

(Newser) - While it's hard to overlook the giant antlers and horns that animals like moose and rams wave around, researchers recently made a fascinating discovery by checking out what's going on with their un-horned, female counterparts. National Geographic dives into the study, which examined over 400 specimens of ungulates...

Rats Have Imaginations, Too


Rats Have
Imaginations,
Just Like
We Do
new study
Nov 6, 2023 10:10 AM CST

Rats Have Imaginations, Just Like We Do

Study has wide-ranging implications, and not just for rodents

(Newser) - Humans aren't the only creatures in the animal kingdom with imaginations, a new study suggests. It seems that rats are in the club, too, reports Scientific American . In a series of remarkable experiments, researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia concluded that rats are capable of visualizing...

Consciousness May Occur After Heart, Brain Flatline

Brain signals support idea of near-death experiences amid cardiac arrest: study

(Newser) - Their hearts and brains had flatlined. Yet as doctors tried to revive their "technically dead" patients, some of those patients were aware of what was going on. One patient recalled people placing electrodes on their chest and feeling the subsequent shock, per the National Post . Others "were able...

In First, Doc Pulls Live Worm From Human Brain
In First, Doc Pulls
Live Worm From
Human Brain
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 2, 2023 6:30 AM CDT

In First, Doc Pulls Live Worm From Human Brain

Australian neurosurgeon was as grossed out as you are

(Newser) - The call went out to Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases physician at Canberra Hospital in Australia, from a neurosurgeon who'd just performed brain surgery. "Oh, my god, you wouldn't believe what I just found in this lady's brain," Dr. Hari Priya Bandi said, according...

Daytime Napping May Combat Brain Shrinkage
Daytime Napping May
Combat Brain Shrinkage
NEW STUDY
Jun 20, 2023 8:39 AM CDT

Daytime Napping May Combat Brain Shrinkage

Those with genetic predisposition to habitual daytime napping found to have larger brain volume

(Newser) - Adults who partake in short daytime naps could be doing more than catching up on sleep. New research suggests they could also be slowing the rate at which the brain shrinks with age. Researchers at University College London and Uruguay's University of the Republic took data from 35,080...

We Like Hearing Nice Sounds in Our Left Ears
Want to Whisper Something
Nice? Use the Left Ear
New Study
May 28, 2023 4:00 PM CDT

Want to Whisper Something Nice? Use the Left Ear

Researchers find a pronounced preference through brain scans

(Newser) - If you've ever noticed a subtle bias toward your left ear when enjoying some pleasant singing or the mellifluous voice of your favorite podcaster, it's not just you. IFL cites a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience that details how a team of Swiss researchers discovered that our...

Humans Could Potentially Put on a Helmet and Hibernate

Scientists induce short-term hibernation in mice and rats with ultrasonic pulses to the brain

(Newser) - Rats, like humans, don't naturally hibernate. But scientists have figured out a way to induce a torpor-like state in the rodents which, as the Guardian reports, raises the prospect that the same thing can happen in humans, with a host of hard-to-imagine ramifications in fields ranging from space travel...

Activity in Dying Brains Hints at Moments of Consciousness

Surges of electricity raise intriguing questions about near-death experiences

(Newser) - Activity in dying brains may provide insight into the possibility of brief conscious experiences in the last moments of life, according to research reported by Live Science . The study, published in the journal PNAS , observed electrical activity in the brains of dying patients and found that some individuals exhibited organized-looking...

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