Brain

More than 80 billion neurons, trillions of synapses and almost 6 kilometres of neural pathways: The brain is an anatomical masterpiece; it is our control centre, memory store, coordinator of thoughts and movement – and still puzzles science. In medicine, the focus is on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, but also on cerebrovascular disorders such as strokes and brain tumours, notably glioblastoma.

News • Effects on brain structure and function

Study: Second pregnancy uniquely alters a mother's brain – again

“Each pregnancy leaves a unique mark on the female brain”: Research shows that mothers' brains distinctly change, not just during the first pregnancy, to better care for multiple children.

News • New sequencing technique

Classifying pediatric brain tumors with liquid biopsy and AI

Clues in the CSF: Researchers have developed the first high-precision method that can theoretically diagnose common brain tumors in children and adolescents without surgery.

News • Cerebrovascular disorders

3D imaging shows how amyloid beta plaques spread in the brain

A new type of 3D imaging reveals how amyloid β (Aβ) deposits spread along blood vessels in the human brain. This could lead to targeted therapies for Alzheimer's disease and CAA.

News • Rehabilitation medicine

TBI: study reveals lasting impairments

People who suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) often have lasting difficulties returning to work and may need long-term, multidisciplinary care, a new study shows.

News • Intraoperative imaging

New iMRI tech to make brain surgery safer, faster and more precise

A new kind of intraoperative MRI (iMRI) can perform functional MRI scans in real time during brain surgery — helping surgeons detect potential complications in as little as seven seconds.

News • Promising trial results from Spain

Clot-dissolving drug after thrombectomy may improve stroke recovery

Even after a blood clot is removed from a large brain artery via thrombectomy, administering the thrombolytic drug alteplase to the area may improve stroke recovery, a new trial from Spain shows.

News • Research on dopaminergic neurons

Immunotherapy to prevent neuron loss in Parkinson’s disease

Promising new research points to a new immunotherapy approach that could help preserve viable neurons in people with Parkinson’s disease.

News • Chronic neurological disorder

Researchers identify early signs of Parkinson's in the blood

Researchers report on decisive steps towards an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease: a newly discovered biomarker in the blood could open a window of opportunity for future treatment.

News • Maternal health

Pregnancy puts stroke survivors at increased risk of recurrence

Women who had a stroke caused by blocked blood vessels (ischemic stroke) are twice as likely to have another stroke during pregnancy and within six weeks of childbirth, according to a new study.

News • Altered brain connection

fMRI reveals why thinking feels so hard for ME/CFS and Long Covid patients

Brain fog explained: People with ME/CFS and long Covid experience a disruption to their brain connectivity during a mentally demanding task, new research finds.

News • Quantification of axonal damage

Detecting white matter injury with diffusion MRI

Non-invasive, millimetre-scale diffusion MRI (dMRI) can be used to detect morphological changes in axons – a common hallmark of a wide range of neurological disorders, new research shows.

News • 'Islands of consciousness' in ICU patients

Tool opens new way to detect awareness in unresponsive patients

To better diagnose patients who appear unconscious in ICUs, and predict their recovery potential, researchers developed a tool that integrates multiple modalities for analyzing consciousness.

News • Dynamic supramolecular peptide therapy

Injection could protect the brain after a stroke

Scientists from Northwestern University have developed an injectable regenerative nanomaterial that helps protect the brain during the vulnerable window after a stroke.

News • Drivers of gray matter injury

Multiple sclerosis: Promising biomarker linked to progression and brain inflammation

A new University of Toronto-led study has discovered a possible biomarker linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression that could help identify patients most likely to benefit from new drugs.

Article • Functional neuroradiology

When music lights up the brain: insights from fMRI

At the JFR 2025 (Journées Françaises de Radiologie), the annual meeting of the French Society of Radiology, an organist and a neuroradiologist came together to share a story that bridges two worlds rarely seen in dialogue – that of sound and that of images. One listens, the other looks. Yet both try to understand the same mystery: what happens in the human brain when music takes control?

News • Brain damage analysis

Blood biomarker predicts recovery after cardiac arrest

A simple blood test that can very accurately predict the chance of survival with good recovery could be of great significance for patients in intensive care after a cardiac arrest.

News • Differentiation after radiotherapy

Brain tumour or radiation necrosis? AI can tell them apart

A novel AI-based method can distinguish between progressive brain tumours and radiotherapy-induced necrosis on advanced MRI. This could help clinicians more accurately identify and treat the issues.

News • Insights on IDH mutated gliomas

Brain cancer: why early treatment is not always the best course

IDH mutated gliomas are slow-growing brain tumors with a relatively good prognosis. A new study shows that many patients reveal measurable cognitive impairment in the first year after treatment.

News • Exploration of novel biomarkers

Depression: not just a disease of the mind

Depression is not only a disease of the mind or the brain, a new study finds: a research team has revealed deep connections to abnormalities in the body's overall immune response.

News • AI-driven diagnostics

Philips and Cortechs.ai expand neuroimaging partnership

Philips and Cortechs.ai have extended their collaboration to integrate AI-enabled quantitative neuroimaging analytics directly into MR systems. The partnership aims to provide radiologists with automated, objective measurements of brain structures and lesions to support diagnosis and monitoring of neurological conditions.

News • Ultrasound-guided gene therapy

New approach for targeted seizure control without surgery

New hope for patients with neurological diseases: A combination of focused ultrasound and gene therapy enables targeted, nonsurgical control of seizure-relevant brain regions.

News • Neuroscience and neuroimaging

AI brain atlas brings microscopic detail to MRI scans

Researchers developed an AI-assisted brain atlas for visualization at microscopic detail using MRI scans. The tool could transform early detection of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.

News • Transition changes

How menopause restructures a woman’s brain

During menopause, many women experience forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and mental fatigue. A new review explores the link between brain changes during menopause and these symptoms.

News • Long-term subcutaneous EEG

Breaking new ground to advance seizure monitoring and epilepsy diagnosis

Traditional diagnostic methods for epilepsy face significant limitations. A new clinical trial explores the potential of advanced brain monitoring to improve diagnosis and management of the condition.

News • Radiation-induced cognitive decline

New approach to protect the brain during radiation therapy

Researchers identified a targeted way to protect the brain from harmful side effects of cranial radiation therapy, potentially preserving the quality of life for millions of brain cancer survivors.

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