Topic description and stories

Neuroscience has transformed our understanding of the brain and promises treatments for devastating disorders that affect millions.

Charts map rapid growth and slow decline of brains

06 April 2022

An international team of researchers has created a series of brain charts spanning our entire lifespan – from a 15 week old fetus to 100 year old adult – that show how our brains expand rapidly in early life and slowly shrink as we age. 

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Children sitting on park bench

High insulin levels during childhood a risk for mental health problems later in life, study suggests

13 Jan 2021

Researchers have shown that the link between physical and mental illness is closer than previously thought. Certain changes in physical health, which...

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Wine glass and bottle

One in three adults drank more alcohol during first lockdown

21 Dec 2020

COVID-19 and lockdown measures drove some individuals more than others to use alcohol to cope with stress, a new study has revealed. While overall...

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Closeup of brain MRI scan result

Common drug for build-up of blood following head injury worse than placebo, study finds

16 Dec 2020

A commonly-used treatment for chronic subdural haematoma – the build-up of ‘old’ blood in the space between the brain and the skull, usually as a...

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Inducing lysosome motion with light leads to a rapid and significant extension of ER network.

Driving force behind cellular ‘protein factories’ could have implications for neurodegenerative disease

16 Dec 2020

Researchers have identified the driving force behind a cellular process linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and motor neurone...

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Woman sleeping

Apathy could predict onset of dementia years before other symptoms

15 Dec 2020

Apathy – a lack of interest or motivation – could predict the onset of some forms of dementia many years before symptoms start, offering a ‘window of...

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11 hip-hop artists who had something to say about mental health

09 Dec 2020

How hip hop artists are opening up about their struggles with depression and anxiety, helping reduce stigma and encouraging others to seek support.

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Child looking out of a window

Significant increase in depression seen among children during first lockdown

08 Dec 2020

The first lockdown led to a significant increase in symptoms of depression among children, highlighting the unintended consequences of school...

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A disgusted man

Rhythm and bleughs: how changes in our stomach’s rhythms steer us away from disgusting sights

24 Nov 2020

Does the sight of maggots squirming in rotten food make you look away in disgust? The phrase ‘makes my stomach turn’ takes on a new meaning today as...

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Eye

Technique to regenerate the optic nerve offers hope for future glaucoma treatment

05 Nov 2020

Scientists have used gene therapy to regenerate damaged nerve fibres in the eye, in a discovery that could aid the development of new treatments for...

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Beta-Amyloid Plaques and Tau in the Brain

Researchers show how to target a 'shape-shifting' protein in Alzheimer’s disease

04 Nov 2020

A new study suggests that it is possible to design drugs that can target a type of shape-shifting protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease, which was...

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Confocal micrograph showing the superior saggital sinus in the mouse. Immune cells are shown in green lining this tube, and blood vessels in red

Why it takes guts to protect the brain against infection

04 Nov 2020

The brain is uniquely protected against invading bacteria and viruses, but its defence mechanism has long remained a mystery. Now, a study in mice...

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Brain inflammation

Age and pre-existing conditions increase risk of stroke among COVID-19 patients

28 Oct 2020

Fourteen out of every 1,000 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital experience a stroke, a rate that is even higher in older patients and those with...

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