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 • Lowering tissue reactivity

Towards more biocompatible brain implants

Neural implants show great potential, but the brain's reaction to foreign objects remains a challenge. New research insights could now pave the way for more biocompatible brain implants.

News • Focal cortical dysplasia

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on childhood epilepsy

Why does the same genetic mutation cause FCDII in some patients but not in others? Researchers developed organoids to model a brain malformation responsible for drug-resistant epilepsy in children.

News • Biomechanical mapping of tumor growth

New biomarker helps assess glioblastoma aggressiveness

Researchers have developed a new MRI-based method that enables objective quantification of the growth of the most aggressive brain tumours, particularly glioblastoma.

News • Deep joint-learning proteomics model

New AI model detects multiple brain diseases from a single blood sample

Researchers have developed an AI model showing that it is possible to detect different neurodegenerative diseases - for example, Alzheimer’s and Lewy body disease - from a single blood sample.

News • Ependymoma and medulloblastoma tumoroids

New organoids offer deeper insights into pediatric brain cancer

Patient-derived organoids (PDOs), or tumoroids, for pediatric brain cancer show promise in helping researchers find new drugs and better understand the different responses of the tumor.

News • Microscopic medicines

Intrabodies unlock new treatments for MND and Alzheimer's

New treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease (MND) could be unlocked thanks to microscopic medicines called intrabodies.

News • Accelerated cognitive decline

Study: severe infections may raise dementia risk

Severe infections could increase the risk of developing dementia years later, independently of other coexisting illnesses, a new study from Finland suggests.

News • pTau217 and BDTau

Siemens Healthineers expands brain health research portfolio with new biomarker assays

Siemens Healthineers has announced the availability of two blood-based biomarker tests for research use: the Atellica IM Phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217) and the Atellica IM Brain Derived Tau (BDTau) assays. Both are run on the Atellica Solution IM and Atellica CI Analyzers.

News • Research onthe glymphatic system

Broken waste-clearance in the brain may lead to psychosis

Early dysfunction of the glymphatic system — the network responsible for removing waste from the brain — could be a key vulnerability factor for the onset of psychosis, according to new research.

News • Neuro-oncology

Simple blood test could detect glioblastoma in the future

Glioblastoma is notorious for late diagnosis, rapid progression, resistance to treatment and its biological complexity. A new experimental method could help detect this deadly type of brain cancer.

Article • Developments in brain imaging for psychiatry

Radiologists explore new frontiers of the mind

Psychiatrists and neuroimaging experts gathered to explore one of the last remaining frontiers in radiology – the human mind – at the annual meeting of the French Society of Radiology (JFR) last October in Paris. Their conversation oscillated between neurons and narratives, algorithms and emotions – a vivid reminder that psychiatry is not only about understanding the brain, but about…

News • Unexpected similarities

Different tumours, same origin: Surprising discovery in paediatric brain cancers

Researchers discovered that pineoblastoma, retinoblastoma and medulloblastoma – severe brain tumours in children that appear to be completely different – actually arise from the same type of cell.

Article • From ablation to neuromodulation

The new era of functional radiosurgery

Functional brain radiosurgery is an application of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), representing its newest clinical field. It is a precise, non-invasive medical technique using focused ionising radiation to precisely target specific brain structures to modulate brain function for neurological disorders, psychiatric conditions, or intractable pain. The technology offers “precision without…

News • Lymphovenous bypass

A surgical treatment for Alzheimer's disease?

A small but growing body of evidence suggests that a minimally invasive surgical procedure called lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) might be an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

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.

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