A new study reveals that poor sleep in older adults disrupts the brain’s glymphatic system, responsible for clearing harmful waste and toxins. Researchers found that compromised sleep quality leads to dysfunction in this crucial system, potentially increasing risks for memory decline and cognitive impairments.

New research finds that adults who experienced both physical and sexual abuse in childhood are about twice as likely to suffer chronic physical and mental health issues, such as depression, arthritis, asthma, and heart conditions. Even experiencing one type of abuse significantly increased the odds of adverse health outcomes in adulthood.

Children who regularly eat seafood at age 7 exhibit more positive social behaviors—such as sharing, helping, and interacting kindly—by ages 7 and 9, compared to those who rarely consume seafood. This finding, from a large study tracking nearly 6,000 children, underscores seafood’s role in supporting behavioral and social development during childhood.

New research indicates a strong link between high social media use and psychiatric disorders involving delusions, such as narcissism and body dysmorphia. Conditions like narcissistic personality disorder, anorexia, and body dysmorphic disorder thrive on social platforms, allowing users to build and maintain distorted self-perceptions without real-world checks.

Researchers have discovered how specific brain circuits process empathy, showing that witnessing others in pain activates the same neural pathways as experiencing pain directly. Using advanced imaging techniques, the study pinpointed neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that respond both to personal distress and observed distress in others. The scientists further demonstrated that signals from the ACC to the brain’s periaqueductal gray (PAG) region are crucial for transforming empathy into behavioral responses, like freezing or avoidance.

New research highlights a critical link between antibodies produced against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Scientists discovered that these viral antibodies mistakenly target a protein called GlialCAM in the brain, triggering autoimmune responses associated with MS.

New research reveals that the timing of stress during pregnancy has gender-specific effects on infants, altering how boys and girls respond to stress differently. Scientists found mid-pregnancy stress has a stronger impact on girls' stress reactivity, while boys are more sensitive to stress experienced in late gestation.

A new study has identified genetic variants in the ITSN1 gene that significantly increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Researchers analyzed nearly 500,000 genetic profiles and found that individuals carrying ITSN1 variants face up to a tenfold higher risk of Parkinson’s.

Researchers have developed a computational framework that maps how the brain processes speech during real-world conversations. Using electrocorticography (ECoG) and AI speech models, the study analyzed over 100 hours of brain activity, revealing how different regions handle sounds, speech patterns, and word meanings. The findings show that the brain processes language in a sequence—moving from thought to speech before speaking and working backward to interpret spoken words.

A new brain-computer interface (BCI) has enabled a paralyzed man to control a robotic arm by simply imagining movements. Unlike previous BCIs, which lasted only a few days, this AI-enhanced device worked reliably for seven months.

Researchers have identified memory-related brain cells that are highly vulnerable to tau protein accumulation, a key factor in Alzheimer’s disease. Using the MISS brain-mapping technique, they profiled 1.3 million cells in mice to pinpoint which cell types are most affected.

A new study shows that just three days of a high-fat diet can cause memory impairments and brain inflammation in older adults, independent of obesity. Researchers compared young and old rats fed a diet with 60% of calories from fat and found that only the older rats showed cognitive decline.