October 15, 2026
(Nature) – Compounds inspired by the blockbuster weight-loss drugs are also being trialled for schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease, among other conditions. The quest for GLP-1 drugs that can treat brain disorders is getting a fresh infusion of energy and funding. … Read More
October 14, 2026
(New Scientist) – Most people seem to have cells that crossed the placenta from their mother into their developing brain in utero, even if they’re now in their 80s Cells from your mother may have penetrated your brain when you … Read More
October 13, 2026
(NYT) – Since the days of Dr. Alzheimer himself, there has been a dream that severe senility might have an explanation — and a cure. The search for both has never been more urgent. After August H. died, Pick’s team … Read More
October 9, 2026
(KPBS) – “It was around the clock. So 50 to 100 seizures a day, all day, all night.” Dalby was eventually diagnosed, when he was almost 5, with a rare genetic form of epilepsy caused by a mutation in the … Read More
October 9, 2026
(WSJ) – Instant gratification from short video clips makes it hard for people—particularly kids—to understand how the present affects the future, says study These videos, in particular, activate the reward circuitry of the brain with their novel, engaging and effortless … Read More
October 8, 2026
(The Atlantic) – Joana did not know it then, but Freddy’s death would be linked to dozens of cases of unexplained catastrophic brain damage after routine anesthesia, all in children or young adults. Several, like Freddy, died. Others became permanently … Read More
October 8, 2026
(NYT) – By pinpointing when it begins in young humans, scientists hope to better understand what consciousness is, and how it arises, in all of us. Amid all the uncertainty, there’s one fact that everyone can agree on. In each … Read More
October 6, 2026
(NYT) – Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were recognized for their work on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, a technique that uses pulses of light to activate neurons in the brain. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel … Read More
September 29, 2026
(ProPublica) – “Take a loss? Now take a beat,” it read. This felt right after the tear I’d been on. To date I’d blown about $12,500 in total on DraftKings. That’s the equivalent of six months of mortgage payments in … Read More
September 28, 2026
(BBC) – A rapid new test for brain tumours that the NHS has started using can slash the time it takes for an accurate diagnosis from up to eight weeks to two hours. The test, which is used by doctors … Read More
September 28, 2026
(Wired) – An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make America Healthy Again” movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and performance-enhancing product. Across social media, podcasts, natural medicine communities, and tech startups, prominent wellness personalities and other influencers … Read More
September 25, 2026
(CT) – It seems the more we use generative AI tools, the more we feel alone. Using a chatbot is alluring, but it’s like drinking seawater—it appears to quench our thirst but in the end makes us thirstier. Will we … Read More
September 22, 2026
(Daily Mail) – In a cognitive test, designed to ascertain whether she was sound of mind enough to consent to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), Stegemann ‘got every question wrong’, believing her two living siblings to be dead, according to … Read More
September 18, 2026
(NYT) – The animals may help reveal the causes of brain disease in people and point the way to treatments. But researchers already are calling for new ethical guidelines. In order to learn more about brain disorders, scientists reported on … Read More
September 17, 2026
(Ars Technica) – But even the most sophisticated organoids lack a lot of the features of a real human body. This is especially true for brain organoids, which don’t form any of the connections with specialized brain structures needed to … Read More
September 16, 2026
(Wired) – The device made by Flow Neuroscience is approved by the FDA and could help people get off antidepressants—but it costs $2,200. An at-home wearable for the treatment of depression is now available by prescription in the US. With … Read More
September 16, 2026
(Nature) – A neural device uses artificial intelligence to read brain activity for intended words and gestures simultaneously. Human communication relies on more than just talking; we nod, shrug, move our hands and point with our fingers. For people with … Read More
September 11, 2026
(The Atlantic) – The harms of chatbots are clear enough to do something about them now. The social-media industry is having a moment of reckoning. By agreeing to pay up to $17.1 billion to 47 states, the District of Columbia, … Read More
September 8, 2026
(TIME) – Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston, Tony Bennett, and Danny Glover have something in common. So do Margaret Thatcher, Norman Rockwell, and Sean Connery. All had been afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia—the progressive neurologic disease characterized by memory and functional … Read More
September 4, 2026
(The Atlantic) – What else, she wondered, did meditation teachers know that they weren’t telling people? Gradually, starting with that sleep study, the tiers of thought propping up Britton’s worldview—that Buddhism is a cure-all, and that meditation was always beneficial, … Read More
September 1, 2026
(BBC) – The world’s first patient to have brain surgery with live artificial intelligence assistance has successfully had his tumour removed. Rhys Hibbert, a father-of-two from Bedfordshire, could have lost his sight without the operation, said surgeons at University College … Read More
September 1, 2026
(Wired) – Psychedelics are often associated with disconnecting from reality, but a recent neuroimaging study found that psilocybin can actually make our brain activity more attuned to the world around us. Under the influence of psychedelics, the usual organization of … Read More
August 31, 2026
(NYT) – Participants, often in vulnerable states, have little recourse if mistreated or injured. Amid surging interest in psychedelic treatments, Americans are traveling abroad, often to Latin America, for mind-altering therapies that remain illegal in the United States. Few understand … Read More
August 28, 2026
(Nature) – Technologies that promise better-than-usual sleep could improve people’s performance and health but also turn the need for rest into an auditable obligation. Ethical norms and regulations are needed. As employers learn more about the productivity and safety costs … Read More
August 27, 2026
(New Scientist) – People who were deprived of sleep overnight didn’t seem to adapt to being in a potentially threatening space, which may help explain the link between a lack of shuteye and anxiety We often feel more anxious and … Read More
