Brain

A 2022 study found drinking four units of alcohol a day – two beers – can cause structural damage and brain volume loss equivalent to 10 years of aging. The findings proved to be the tip of the iceberg for researchers looking at how alcohol affects our brain.

Excavations found that the brain of what seems to be a human male contained dark glass formed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The effect can't be explained by lava temperatures alone, but rather a different event from the cataclysm.

A fascinating 2022 study found two common viruses may be working in tandem to trigger the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings were just the beginning of an ever-growing body of evidence implicating viral infections in dementia.

People who sit on the low or high side of normal vitamin B12 levels are still at risk of cognitive impairment, a new study found. It's suggested we rethink the ‘healthy’ range for the vitamin that plays a key role in brain and nerve health.

What happens in your brain when you listen to your favorite music? Can hearing a nostalgic song from your youth actually improve your cognitive health and help fight off conditions like Alzheimer's? Several neuroscientists are trying to find out.

Technology can physically change our brains as it becomes an integral part of daily life – but every time we outsource a function, we risk letting our ability atrophy away. What happens when that ability is critical thinking itself?

Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center have identified the specific neurons in mice brains that tell them they've eaten enough. This fascinating discovery could play a big role in the future of weight loss treatments for humans.

Researchers have devised a biomarker test that can spot small amounts of clumping tau protein in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid, which lead to Alzheimer's Disease. This test can help detect the tangled proteins years early, enabling intervention.

You lean back from the dinner table, feeling like you physically couldn’t fit another bite in – but then someone offers pie and you just can’t say no. Scientists have now identified the neurons behind the “dessert stomach” phenomenon.

A novel study testing the effects of caffeine on the human brain found daily consumption can significantly reduce the volume of one's gray matter. Whether this is a good or bad thing is unclear but that daily cup of coffee is certainly doing something.

In a bid to revolutionize Alzheimer’s detection, scientists have examined the brain’s neurovascular unit. The research revealed not only how this system is altered by the disease, but also found distinctive breathing patterns in affected individuals.

Based on a study of nearly 3,000 adults, one particular, simple diet has been shown to result in improved communication and structure of the brain's white matter. The more participants adhered to the eating plan, the better the improvements.