neuroscience

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AI Finds Signs of Awareness in Coma Patients Before Docs

Artificial intelligence can track facial twitches to reveal early signals

(Newser) - A new study suggests artificial intelligence could spot signs of consciousness in comatose patients—well before doctors do. Researchers at Stony Brook University developed a tool called SeeMe, which uses AI to analyze subtle facial twitches in patients with brain injuries, per Scientific American . These micromovements, sometimes imperceptible to...

Some Mentally Ill Patients Abruptly Turn Sane
Their Mom Had
Schizophrenia—Until
She Got Chemo
LONGFORM
Aug 31, 2025 3:30 PM CDT

Their Mom Had Schizophrenia—Until She Got Chemo

New Yorker dives into how some with seeming mental illness are 'cured' with immunotherapy drugs

(Newser) - In May 2024, Christine and Angie called a psychiatrist to examine their mother, who'd long suffered from paranoia and delusions and been diagnosed more than once with schizophrenia. "The psychiatrist was like, 'Why have you called me here? ... She has no symptoms,'" Christine recalls of...

It's a Dangerous Chemical, Yet It Might Treat Alzheimer's
A Dangerous Chemical
Might Treat Alzheimer's
NEW STUDY
Aug 7, 2025 7:56 AM CDT

A Dangerous Chemical Might Treat Alzheimer's

Lithium orotate found to reverse markers of the disease in mice

(Newser) - Long used to stabilize moods in bipolar disorder, lithium may hold a surprising new promise: reversing memory loss and brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease. In a Wednesday study in Nature , researchers found lithium, which the brain naturally produces, is captured by beta-amyloid plaques—the same plaques associated...

Why Does Your Brain Go Blank?
Why Does Your Brain Go Blank?
Jun 21, 2025 5:40 PM CDT

Why Does Your Brain Go Blank?

A new study has a theory about what happens when nothing is on your mind—literally

(Newser) - Sometimes your brain seems like it's not working, and that might actually be a sign that it's doing its job very well. Popular Science reports that according to a recent study published by cognitive neuroscientist Athena Demertzi, mind blanking—those strange moments when nothing's going on upstairs—...

Revenge Is Like an Addiction
Essay: Revenge
Is Like an Addiction
OPINION
Jun 6, 2025 8:45 AM CDT

Essay: Revenge Is Like an Addiction

WSJ columnist talks about addiction to revenge, how forgiveness can serve as a detox of sorts

(Newser) - If you've ever wanted to go the Count of Monte Cristo route and take vengeance on all of your enemies, your ego may revel, but your brain may not thank you. That's because "your brain on revenge looks very much like your brain on drugs," according...

Crash Left Him in a Vegetative State. But He Was Aware

Atlantic dives deep into what we know, and don't know, about minimally conscious patients

(Newser) - Nearly four decades after a catastrophic car accident left 17-year-old Ian Berg with a severe brain injury, new science has revealed he's part of a hidden population: patients who have some level of consciousness but are unable to move or speak. Doctors deemed him "vegetative," a...

With Help From The Matrix, Scientists Map a Mouse Brain

Researchers create largest functional map of a brain to date, after having mouse watch video clips

(Newser) - Thanks to a mouse watching clips of The Matrix, scientists have created the largest functional map of a brain to date—a diagram of the wiring connecting 84,000 neurons as they fire off messages. Using a piece of that mouse's poppy seed-size brain, the researchers identified those neurons...

Hidden Consciousness Found in Patients in Vegetative State

25% of unresponsive patients with brain damage thought to perform cognitive tasks

(Newser) - One in four people with brain damage who are largely unresponsive are capable of thought, a finding that suggests up to 100,000 US patients diagnosed as being in a minimally conscious or vegetative state have at least some level of consciousness, researchers say. Traditionally, doctors asked patients with brain...

'I Think We're Onto Something Important' for Alzheimer's

Scientists believe the protein reelin may help shield brain from aging diseases

(Newser) - "I think we're onto something important for Alzheimer's," MIT neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai tells NPR , after her team's latest research backs up a pair of previous studies regarding a protein they say may help fend off cognitive decline. That protein, reelin, appears to act as a...

Pregnancy Changes the Brain in More Ways Than We Knew

'WSJ:' Neuroscientist volunteers herself for study, resulting in first-of-its-kind discoveries

(Newser) - When Dr. Liz Chrastil was ready to begin in vitro fertilization, she realized becoming pregnant could also serve as a data goldmine. The Wall Street Journal walks through the cognitive neuroscientist's decision to sign herself up for a one-woman research study that resulted in groundbreaking insights on how pregnancy...

What Does a Dog See in Its Mind When You Say 'Ball'?

Scientists cite pups' 'referential understanding,' with mental images hinting at deeper grasp of language

(Newser) - Many dog owners believe their pets understand and respond not only to commands such as "sit" and "stay," but also to words referring to their favorite objects. "Bring me your ball" will often result in exactly that. But science has had trouble determining whether dogs and...

Schools Screen for Dyslexia. 'Dyscalculia,' Not So Much

Hundreds of thousands of students have learning disabilities that make math harder

(Newser) - Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of students face challenges learning math due to disabilities like dyscalculia, a neurodevelopmental learning disorder caused by differences in parts of the brain that are involved with numbers and calculations. There are often obstacles to getting help, and America's schools have long struggled to identify...

At Musk's 'Show and Tell,' New Demo of Brain Implant Device

Billionaire says human trials of device from his Neuralink company are imminent

(Newser) - Elon Musk held a "show and tell" event Wednesday night, but it had nothing to do with his most recent Twitter troubles . Instead, the billionaire showed off a brain implant device developed by one of this other companies, Neuralink—a device he says will link the human brain to...

Scientist's Monkey Research Is Put on Blast: 'I'm Horrified'

PETA, animal behavior experts slam Harvard's Margaret Livingstone for her work; others defend her

(Newser) - A Harvard neuroscientist is drawing backlash for her studies on infant monkeys, as is the scientific journal that referenced the research. Per Science , Margaret Livingstone has studied the primates for more than four decades, specifically monkeys' vision. In some of the experiments she's done, in order to see how...

This Is Why Your Brain Logs a Memory as Happy or Sad
Brain Discovery May Be
a Breakthrough on Memories
new study
Sep 12, 2022 10:10 AM CDT

Brain Discovery May Be a Breakthrough on Memories

Molecule called neurotensin appears to decide whether a memory is logged as good or bad

(Newser) - Brain researchers appear to have figured out precisely how our brains store a particular memory as either good or bad—and the discovery could have implications for the treatment of everything from depression to PTSD. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California say it all comes down...

A Diss Can Feel Like an Actual Slap in the Face


Insults Can
Feel Just Like
'Mini Slaps'
NEW STUDY
Jul 19, 2022 10:50 AM CDT

Insults Can Feel Just Like 'Mini Slaps'

Research finds that our brains may be more sensitive to negative words than we realize

(Newser) - If you've ever felt the sting of an insult—as in it almost felt like a literal sting, as if you'd been physically hurt—you're not alone. Gadgets 360 reports on a new study out of the Netherlands' Utrecht University that shows verbal put-downs can feel "...

Young Spinal Fluid Improves Memory in Older Mice
Fight Against Aging
Enters a 'Whole New Era'
NEW STUDY
May 17, 2022 12:09 PM CDT

Fight Against Aging Enters a 'Whole New Era'

Young spinal fluid is seen to improve memory in older mice, per new research

(Newser) - Researchers are heralding "a whole new era" in the search for Alzheimer's treatments, with a new study suggesting those treatments don't necessarily need to address damage in the brain. Tony Wyss-Coray of Stanford University previously showed infusions of blood from younger animals could reverse the effects of...

Mental Speed Slows at 20? Think Again
Our Brains Stay Sharp
Much Longer Than Thought
NEW STUDY
Feb 18, 2022 11:00 AM CST

Our Brains Stay Sharp Much Longer Than Thought

Study suggests mental acuity is largely unchanged until about age 60

(Newser) - Don't let the youngins tell you your brain is slower than molasses. Though plenty of research shows response times slow beginning around the age of 20, that doesn't necessarily support the widely held view that brain processes slow from that age. Indeed, a new study finds this slowing...

In 'Hatred of Sounds' Condition, Sound May Not Be the Issue

Study finds unusual brain connections in misophonia sufferers

(Newser) - Scientists are getting closer to unlocking the secrets behind a common condition marked by hypersensitive reactions to everyday sounds, like breathing or chewing. Misophonia, meaning "hatred of sounds" and which affects up to 20% of people , has long been thought to be a disorder of sound emotion processing, in...

Secretive Company Musk Has Sunk $100M Into Opens Up
Secretive Company Musk
Has Sunk $100M Into Opens Up
the rundown
Jul 17, 2019 9:13 AM CDT

Secretive Company Musk Has Sunk $100M Into Opens Up

Neuralink gives presentation on its brain-reading technology

(Newser) - "We want this burden of stealth mode off of us so that we can keep building and do things like normal people, such as publish papers." And with that, Neuralink shrugged off the secrecy that has surrounded it since its 2017 launch . On Tuesday it went public with...

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