Mind & Brain News

November 8, 2025

Top Headlines

Scientists Find Brain Cells That Could Stop Alzheimer’s

Nov. 8, 2025 — Researchers have identified special immune cells in the brain that help slow Alzheimer’s. These microglia work to reduce inflammation and block the spread of harmful proteins. They appear to protect memory and brain health, offering a promising ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Damage from a Common Pesticide

Nov. 7, 2025 — Prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos causes widespread brain abnormalities and poorer motor skills in children. Even after a residential ban, ongoing agricultural use continues to endanger developing ...

Mini Llama Proteins Show Promise for Alzheimer’s Treatment

Nov. 6, 2025 — Miniature antibodies from camels and llamas can slip into the brain more easily than conventional drugs, offering a new way to treat disorders like Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. Researchers say these “nanobodies” could reshape the future of ...

Common Acne Drug May Protect Against Schizophrenia

Nov. 6, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a surprising benefit of the acne drug doxycycline: it may lower the risk of schizophrenia. Teens prescribed the antibiotic were about one-third less likely to develop the condition as adults. The effect could stem from the ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Source That Fuels Dementia

Nov. 6, 2025 — Weill Cornell researchers uncovered how free radicals from astrocyte mitochondria can fuel dementia. Using new compounds that target these radicals at their source, they slowed brain inflammation and neuronal damage in mice. The findings reveal a ...

Scientists May Have Found How to Reverse Memory Loss in Aging Brains

Nov. 5, 2025 — Virginia Tech researchers have shown that memory loss in aging may be reversible. Using CRISPR tools, they corrected molecular disruptions in the hippocampus and amygdala, restoring memory in older rats. Another experiment revived a silenced memory ...

Scientists Uncover Meditation’s Hidden Side Effects

Nov. 5, 2025 — Meditation is widely praised for its mental health benefits, but new research shows that it can also produce unexpected side effects for some people—from anxiety and dissociation to functional impairment. Psychologist Nicholas Van Dam and his team ...

Walking May Be the Brain’s Best Defense Against Alzheimer’s

Nov. 4, 2025 — Walking a few thousand steps daily may help hold off Alzheimer’s for years, a Mass General Brigham study found. Even moderate physical activity slowed both cognitive decline and the buildup of harmful tau proteins in the brain. The researchers say ...

Scientists Reverse Anxiety by Rebalancing the Brain

Nov. 4, 2025 — Researchers have discovered a specific set of neurons in the amygdala that can trigger anxiety and social deficits when overactive. By restoring the excitability balance in this brain region, they successfully reversed these symptoms in mice. The ...

Breakthrough Brain Discovery Reveals a Natural Way to Relieve Pain

Nov. 4, 2025 — Using powerful 7-Tesla brain imaging, researchers mapped how the brainstem manages pain differently across the body. They discovered that distinct regions activate for facial versus limb pain, showing the brain’s built-in precision pain control ...

A Groundbreaking Brain Map Could Revolutionize Parkinson’s Treatment

Nov. 3, 2025 — Duke-NUS scientists unveiled BrainSTEM, a revolutionary single-cell map that captures the full cellular diversity of the developing human brain. The project’s focus on dopamine neurons provides crucial insight for Parkinson’s treatment. Their ...

Breakthrough Blood Test Finally Confirms Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Nov. 3, 2025 — A team of scientists has developed a highly accurate blood test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The test reads tiny DNA patterns that reveal the biological signature of the illness. For millions who’ve faced doubt and misdiagnosis, it’s a ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:45am EST

A 500-Million-Year-Old Brain "radar" Still Shapes How You See

Nov. 8, 2025 — New research shows that the superior colliculus, a primitive brain region, can independently interpret visual information. This challenges long-held beliefs that only the cortex handles such complex ...

A Breakthrough Map Reveals How the Brain Really Works

Nov. 5, 2025 — Scientists have shown that brain connectivity patterns can predict mental functions across the entire brain. Each region has a unique “connectivity fingerprint” tied to its role in cognition, ...

MIT Scientists Discover How the Brain Spins Back Into Focus

Nov. 4, 2025 — Researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute found that rotating waves of brain activity help restore focus after distractions. In animal tests, these rotations predicted performance: full rotations ...

Scientists Find Mind Trick That Unlocks Lost Memories

Nov. 3, 2025 — Researchers found that embodying a digital, childlike version of one’s own face helps unlock vivid childhood memories. This illusion strengthens the connection between bodily self-perception and ...

Alzheimer’s Might Be Powered by a Broken Sleep-Wake Cycle

Nov. 3, 2025 — Disrupted sleep patterns in Alzheimer’s disease may be more than a symptom—they could be a driving force. Researchers at Washington University found that the brain’s circadian rhythms are ...

Alarming Surge in Memory Problems Among Young Adults

Nov. 2, 2025 — Cognitive struggles are climbing across the U.S., especially among young and economically disadvantaged adults. Rates of self-reported cognitive disability nearly doubled in people under 40 between ...

Resetting the Body’s Rhythm Could Protect the Brain from Alzheimer’s

Nov. 1, 2025 — Researchers discovered that altering the body’s natural rhythm can help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s damage. By turning off a circadian protein in mice, they raised NAD+ levels and reduced ...

Your ZIP Code Could Reveal Your Risk of Dementia

Oct. 31, 2025 — People living in socially and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods may face higher dementia risks, according to new research from Wake Forest University. Scientists found biological signs of ...

It Sounds Creepy, but These Scientific Breakthroughs Could Save Lives

Oct. 30, 2025 — From mini-brains to spider-inspired gloves and wolf apple coatings, scientists are turning eerie-sounding experiments into real innovations that could revolutionize health and sustainability. ...

Scientists Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice With Groundbreaking Nanotech

Oct. 30, 2025 — Researchers used supramolecular nanoparticles to repair the brain’s vascular system and reverse Alzheimer’s in mice. Instead of carrying drugs, the nanoparticles themselves triggered natural ...

Gum Disease May Quietly Damage the Brain, Scientists Warn

Oct. 29, 2025 — People with gum disease may have higher levels of brain white matter damage, a new study finds. Researchers observed that participants with gum disease had significantly more white matter ...

Humans Evolved Faster Than Any Other Ape

Oct. 29, 2025 — UCL scientists found that human skulls evolved much faster than those of other apes, reflecting the powerful forces driving our brain growth and facial flattening. By comparing 3D models of ape ...

Running Fixes What Junk Food Breaks in the Brain

Oct. 21, 2025 — New research reveals that exercise counteracts the mood-damaging effects of a Western-style diet through specific gut and hormonal mechanisms. Running restored metabolites tied to mental well-being ...

Brain Fog During Menopause? Here’s What’s Really Going on

Oct. 21, 2025 — Menopause brings profound shifts not just in hormones but in the very structure of the brain. Scientists have found that gray matter in regions tied to memory and thinking can shrink, while white ...

Scientists Detect Hidden Brain Damage Years Before MS Symptoms

Oct. 21, 2025 — Scientists at UCSF have uncovered evidence that multiple sclerosis silently damages the brain years before diagnosis. By studying proteins in blood samples, they identified early immune signals and ...

From Poison to Power: How Lead Exposure Helped Shape Human Intelligence

Oct. 16, 2025 — Long before humans built cities or wrote words, our ancestors may have faced a hidden threat that shaped who we became. Scientists studying ancient teeth found that early humans, great apes, and even ...

Online Brain Training Reverses 10 Years of Aging in Memory and Learning

Oct. 29, 2025 — A new McGill-led study reveals that digital brain exercises can rejuvenate aging brain systems responsible for learning and memory. Older adults using BrainHQ for 10 weeks showed restored cholinergic ...

Tiny Brain Nanotubes Found by Johns Hopkins May Spread Alzheimer’s

Oct. 16, 2025 — Johns Hopkins scientists uncovered microscopic “nanotube” channels that neurons use to transfer toxic molecules. While this process clears waste, it can also spread harmful proteins like ...

Your Brain’s Power Supply May Hold the Key to Mental Illness

Oct. 14, 2025 — Groundbreaking Harvard research is exposing hidden energy failures inside brain cells that may drive major psychiatric conditions. By studying reprogrammed neurons, scientists are revealing how ...

Your DNA May Shape How You Use Cannabis

Oct. 20, 2025 — A major collaboration between UC San Diego and 23andMe identified genes that shape cannabis use behaviors. The study linked the CADM2 and GRM3 genes to cannabis use and connected these patterns to ...

Your Skin Could Warn of Hidden Mental Health Trouble

Oct. 13, 2025 — People experiencing their first psychotic episode who also have skin conditions such as rashes or itching are at greater risk of depression and suicidal thoughts, according to new research presented ...

Your Type of Depression Could Shape Your Body’s Future Health

Oct. 12, 2025 — Different types of depression affect the body in different ways. Atypical, energy-related depression raises the risk of diabetes, while melancholic depression increases the likelihood of heart ...

Oct. 24, 2025 — A massive genetic study found that naturally lower cholesterol is linked to a dramatically reduced risk of dementia. The research simulated the effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs and showed up to ...

Stanford Scientists Grow Thousands of Mini Human Brains Using Common Food Additive

Oct. 18, 2025 — Stanford scientists have solved a long-standing challenge in growing brain organoids by using a simple food additive to keep them from sticking together. The breakthrough enables the production of ...

New Research Reveals How ADHD Sparks Extraordinary Creativity

Oct. 13, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that ADHD’s hallmark mind wandering might actually boost creativity. People who deliberately let their thoughts drift scored higher on creative tests in two large ...

Weight-Loss Drugs Like Ozempic May Also Curb Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Oct. 26, 2025 — GLP-1 drugs, originally developed for diabetes and obesity, may also curb addictive behaviors by acting on reward circuits in the brain. Early trials show reductions in alcohol intake, opioid ...

Scientists Launch $14.2 Million Project to Map the Body’s “hidden Sixth Sense”

Oct. 25, 2025 — Inside your body, an intricate communication network constantly monitors breathing, heart rate, digestion, and immune function — a hidden “sixth sense” called interoception. Now, Nobel laureate ...

Scientists Discover How a High-Fat Keto Diet Could Keep Your Brain Young

Oct. 21, 2025 — Mizzou scientists are exploring how a ketogenic diet may protect the brain and prevent Alzheimer’s in people genetically predisposed to it. Their study found that female mice with the APOE4 gene ...

Breakthrough Compounds May Reverse Nerve Damage Caused by Multiple Sclerosis

Oct. 11, 2025 — Researchers have identified two compounds, K102 and K110, that could repair the nerve damage from multiple sclerosis. These drugs help regenerate the protective myelin sheath and balance immune ...

Scientists Discover Brain Circuit That Can Switch Off Chronic Pain

Oct. 10, 2025 — Scientists have pinpointed Y1 receptor neurons in the brain that can override chronic pain signals when survival instincts like hunger or fear take precedence. Acting like a neural switchboard, these ...