https://neurosciencenews.com/neuroscience-topics/featured/ NeuroscienceNews.com provides breaking news from the cutting edge of neuroscience. Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:33:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://neurosciencenews.com/files/2020/08/cropped-Neuroscience-News-Site-Icon-512-comp-32x32.jpg https://neurosciencenews.com/neuroscience-topics/featured/ 32 32 66008408 https://neurosciencenews.com/mlkl-protein-stem-cell-aging-30539/ https://neurosciencenews.com/mlkl-protein-stem-cell-aging-30539/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:33:15 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116305 Researchers have discovered that the "cell death" protein MLKL actually causes blood stem cells to age by damaging their mitochondria. Deactivating this pathway could lead to new therapies to keep our immune systems young.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/mlkl-protein-stem-cell-aging-30539/feed/ 0 116305 https://neurosciencenews.com/flexible-brain-implants-polyimide-biocompatibility-30538/ https://neurosciencenews.com/flexible-brain-implants-polyimide-biocompatibility-30538/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:06:02 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116301 Can brain implants restore sight? Researchers have mapped how the brain reacts to neural probes, finding that flexible polyimide is the key to long-term biocompatibility.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/flexible-brain-implants-polyimide-biocompatibility-30538/feed/ 0 116301 https://neurosciencenews.com/folic-acid-epilepsy-pregnancy-30537/ https://neurosciencenews.com/folic-acid-epilepsy-pregnancy-30537/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:12:56 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116297 Women on antiseizure medication can reduce their child's risk of birth defects by 45%, but only if they start high-dose folic acid before getting pregnant.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/folic-acid-epilepsy-pregnancy-30537/feed/ 0 116297 https://neurosciencenews.com/gut-microbiome-acute-stress-reactivity-30537/ https://neurosciencenews.com/gut-microbiome-acute-stress-reactivity-30537/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:15:26 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116293 High gut microbial diversity is associated with stronger, more flexible stress responses in humans, highlighting the role of bacterial metabolites like butyrate and propionate.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/gut-microbiome-acute-stress-reactivity-30537/feed/ 0 116293 https://neurosciencenews.com/sex-biased-gene-expression-brain-30536/ https://neurosciencenews.com/sex-biased-gene-expression-brain-30536/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:51:07 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116289 A high-resolution study of 30 adult brains reveals over 3,000 genes with sex-biased expression. These findings link molecular sex differences to the prevalence of disorders like ADHD and Alzheimer's.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/sex-biased-gene-expression-brain-30536/feed/ 0 116289 https://neurosciencenews.com/hunter-gatherer-genetics-smell-evolution-30535/ https://neurosciencenews.com/hunter-gatherer-genetics-smell-evolution-30535/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:13:28 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116284 A new genetic study of Malaysian Indigenous populations shows that hunter-gatherers have preserved "super-smell" genes to navigate rainforests, while agriculturalists' smell genes have adapted to manage high-carb diets.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/hunter-gatherer-genetics-smell-evolution-30535/feed/ 0 116284 https://neurosciencenews.com/placebo-pain-relief-circuit-30534/ https://neurosciencenews.com/placebo-pain-relief-circuit-30534/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:32:29 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116280 Researchers have pinpointed the brain's "placebo circuit." By training the brain to release its own endorphins in the vlPAG region, they achieved broad-spectrum pain relief without the need for addictive drugs.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/placebo-pain-relief-circuit-30534/feed/ 0 116280 https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-cells-brain-food-aversion-30533/ https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-cells-brain-food-aversion-30533/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:03:15 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116276 A new study reveals that fat cells play a vital role in learning food aversion. By producing dopamine in response to infection, fat cells tell the brain to avoid harmful bacteria in the future.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/fat-cells-brain-food-aversion-30533/feed/ 0 116276 https://neurosciencenews.com/shallow-brain-hypothesis-subcortical-ai-30532/ https://neurosciencenews.com/shallow-brain-hypothesis-subcortical-ai-30532/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:31:36 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116272 What is the Shallow Brain Hypothesis? A new study shows how subcortical pathways can make AI models more flexible and biologically accurate.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/shallow-brain-hypothesis-subcortical-ai-30532/feed/ 0 116272 https://neurosciencenews.com/smartphone-melatonin-test-circadian-rhythm-30531/ https://neurosciencenews.com/smartphone-melatonin-test-circadian-rhythm-30531/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:59:30 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116268 Researchers have created a 15-minute blood test using europium nanoparticles and a smartphone to track melatonin levels, helping astronauts and shift workers manage their biological clocks.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/smartphone-melatonin-test-circadian-rhythm-30531/feed/ 0 116268 https://neurosciencenews.com/social-media-addiction-psychology-30530/ https://neurosciencenews.com/social-media-addiction-psychology-30530/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:31:05 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116264 Following a $6M lawsuit against Meta and Google, researchers argue that while social media impacts brain rewards, it lacks the formal APA criteria to be classified as a clinical addiction.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/social-media-addiction-psychology-30530/feed/ 0 116264 https://neurosciencenews.com/printed-artificial-neurons-brain-communication-30529/ https://neurosciencenews.com/printed-artificial-neurons-brain-communication-30529/#respond Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:03:18 +0000 https://neurosciencenews.com/?p=116260 Researchers printed artificial neurons that successfully "talk" to living brain cells. These flexible devices could lead to energy-efficient AI and advanced brain-machine implants.]]> https://neurosciencenews.com/printed-artificial-neurons-brain-communication-30529/feed/ 0 116260