Disorders and Syndromes News

October 17, 2025

Top Headlines

From Poison to Power: How Lead Exposure Helped Shape Human Intelligence

Oct. 16, 2025 — Long before humans built cities or wrote words, our ancestors may have faced a hidden threat that shaped who we became. Scientists studying ancient teeth found that early humans, great apes, and even Neanderthals were exposed to lead millions of ...

Tiny Brain Nanotubes Found by Johns Hopkins May Spread Alzheimer’s

Oct. 16, 2025 — Johns Hopkins scientists uncovered microscopic “nanotube” channels that neurons use to transfer toxic molecules. While this process clears waste, it can also spread harmful proteins like amyloid-beta. Alzheimer’s-model mice showed more ...

Supercharged Vitamin K Could Help the Brain Heal Itself

Oct. 14, 2025 — Researchers have synthesized enhanced vitamin K analogues that outperform natural vitamin K in promoting neuron growth. The new compounds, which combine vitamin K with retinoic acid, activate the mGluR1 receptor to drive neurogenesis. They also ...

Scientists Find the Brain’s Hidden Pulse That May Predict Alzheimer’s

Oct. 14, 2025 — Researchers at USC have created the first method to noninvasively measure microscopic blood vessel pulses in the human brain. Using advanced 7T MRI, they found these tiny pulsations grow stronger with age and vascular risk, disrupting the brain’s ...

Your Brain’s Power Supply May Hold the Key to Mental Illness

Oct. 14, 2025 — Groundbreaking Harvard research is exposing hidden energy failures inside brain cells that may drive major psychiatric conditions. By studying reprogrammed neurons, scientists are revealing how cellular metabolism shapes mood, thought, and ...

Scientists Build Artificial Neurons That Work Like Real Ones

Oct. 14, 2025 — UMass Amherst engineers have built an artificial neuron powered by bacterial protein nanowires that functions like a real one, but at extremely low voltage. This allows for seamless communication with biological cells and drastically improved energy ...

Oct. 13, 2025 — Finasteride, a common hair-loss drug, has long been tied to depression and suicide, but regulators ignored the warnings. Prof. Mayer Brezis’s review exposes global data showing psychiatric harm and a pattern of inaction by Merck and the FDA. ...

Your Skin Could Warn of Hidden Mental Health Trouble

Oct. 13, 2025 — People experiencing their first psychotic episode who also have skin conditions such as rashes or itching are at greater risk of depression and suicidal thoughts, according to new research presented at the ECNP meeting. Scientists found that 25% of ...

Breakthrough Compounds May Reverse Nerve Damage Caused by Multiple Sclerosis

Oct. 11, 2025 — Researchers have identified two compounds, K102 and K110, that could repair the nerve damage from multiple sclerosis. These drugs help regenerate the protective myelin sheath and balance immune ...

For the First Time, Scientists Pinpoint Brain Cells Linked to Depression

Oct. 11, 2025 — Scientists identified two types of brain cells, neurons and microglia, that are altered in people with depression. Through genomic mapping of post-mortem brain tissue, they found major differences in gene activity affecting mood and inflammation. ...

Scientists Discover Brain Circuit That Can Switch Off Chronic Pain

Oct. 10, 2025 — Scientists have pinpointed Y1 receptor neurons in the brain that can override chronic pain signals when survival instincts like hunger or fear take precedence. Acting like a neural switchboard, these cells balance pain with other biological needs. ...

Scientists Just Found a Molecule That Could Stop Parkinson’s in Its Tracks

Oct. 8, 2025 — Researchers have designed a peptide that prevents the deadly misfolding of alpha-synuclein, the protein behind Parkinson’s and some dementias. In lab and animal tests, it stabilized the protein and ...

Latest Headlines

updated 9:23am EDT

New Research Reveals How ADHD Sparks Extraordinary Creativity

Oct. 13, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that ADHD’s hallmark mind wandering might actually boost creativity. People who deliberately let their thoughts drift scored higher on creative tests in two large ...

Your Type of Depression Could Shape Your Body’s Future Health

Oct. 12, 2025 — Different types of depression affect the body in different ways. Atypical, energy-related depression raises the risk of diabetes, while melancholic depression increases the likelihood of heart ...

Dolphins May Be Getting Alzheimer’s from Toxic Ocean Blooms

Oct. 11, 2025 — Dolphins washing up on Florida’s shores may be victims of the same kind of brain degeneration seen in humans with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers discovered that cyanobacterial toxins—worsened ...

A Psychedelic Surprise: DMT Helps the Brain Heal After Stroke

Oct. 7, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that DMT, a natural compound found in plants and even the human brain, can dramatically reduce brain damage caused by stroke. The psychoactive molecule, long known for its ...

Scientists Finally Reveal What’s Behind Long COVID’s Mysterious Brain Fog

Oct. 7, 2025 — Researchers in Japan have pinpointed a biological cause of Long COVID brain fog using advanced PET brain imaging. They discovered widespread ...

Scientists Find Brain Circuit That Traps Alcohol Users in the Vicious Cycle of Addiction

Oct. 7, 2025 — Addiction often isn’t about chasing pleasure—it’s about escaping pain. Researchers at Scripps Research have discovered that a tiny brain region ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Damage Behind Dementia

Oct. 6, 2025 — A University of New Mexico scientist is revealing what might be one of the most overlooked causes of dementia — damage in the brain’s tiny blood vessels. Dr. Elaine Bearer has created a new way ...

Brain Cancer That Eats the Skull Stuns Scientists

Oct. 5, 2025 — A new study shows glioblastoma isn’t confined to the brain—it erodes the skull and hijacks the immune system within skull marrow. The cancer opens channels that let inflammatory cells enter the ...

Why the Brain’s GPS Fails With Age, and How Some Minds Defy It

Oct. 5, 2025 — Stanford scientists found that aging disrupts the brain’s internal navigation system in mice, mirroring spatial memory decline in humans. Older mice struggled to recall familiar locations, while a ...

Think Light Drinking Protects Your Brain? Think Again

Oct. 4, 2025 — A massive new study combining observational and genetic data overturns the long-held belief that light drinking protects the brain. Researchers found that dementia risk rises in direct proportion to ...

Earlier Headlines

Hidden Cellular “power Switch” Could Transform Parkinson’s Treatment

Oct. 4, 2025 — Researchers uncovered a key cellular regulator, PP2A-B55alpha, that controls both the cleanup of damaged mitochondria and the creation of new ones. In Parkinson’s disease models, reducing this ...

Fat May Secretly Fuel Alzheimer’s, New Research Finds

Oct. 3, 2025 — New research from Houston Methodist reveals how obesity may directly drive Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists discovered that tiny messengers released by fat tissue, called extracellular vesicles, can ...

A Single Dose of Psilocybin May Rewire the Brain for Lasting Relief

Oct. 2, 2025 — Penn researchers found that psilocybin can calm brain circuits tied to pain and mood, easing both physical suffering and emotional distress in animal studies. The compound works in the anterior ...

The Invisible Chemical in the Air That Could Be Raising Parkinson’s Risk

Oct. 3, 2025 — A massive nationwide study has linked long-term exposure to the industrial chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease in older adults. Researchers examined over 1.1 ...

Poor Sleep Speeds Brain Aging and May Raise Dementia Risk

Oct. 2, 2025 — New research shows that poor sleep could make the brain appear years older than it really is. Using MRI scans and machine learning, scientists found a clear link between unhealthy sleep patterns and ...

Why Gen X Women Can’t Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

Sep. 29, 2025 — Researchers found that middle-aged adults, especially women, are far more likely to be addicted to ultra-processed foods than older generations. Marketing of diet-focused processed foods in the 1980s ...

Scientists Uncover How to Block Pain Without Side Effects

Sep. 26, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a way to block pain while still allowing the body’s natural healing to take place. Current painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin often come with harmful side effects ...

How 1 in 4 Older Adults Regain Happiness After Struggling

Oct. 10, 2025 — A University of Toronto study found that nearly one in four adults aged 60+ who reported poor well-being were able to regain optimal wellness within three years. The research highlights that physical ...

How the Brain Decides Which Moments You’ll Never Forget

Sep. 27, 2025 — Boston University researchers found that ordinary moments can gain staying power if they’re connected to significant emotional events. Using studies with hundreds of participants, they showed that ...

Hidden Bacterial Molecules in the Brain Reveal New Secrets of Sleep

Sep. 25, 2025 — New studies show that a bacterial molecule, peptidoglycan, is present in the brain and fluctuates with sleep patterns. This challenges the idea that sleep is solely brain-driven, instead suggesting ...

Hidden Alzheimer’s Warning Signs Found in Parkinson’s Patients Without Dementia

Sep. 28, 2025 — Researchers in Japan discovered that Parkinson’s patients diagnosed in their 80s are far more likely to show signs of amyloid buildup, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, even without dementia symptoms. ...

Brain Fat, Not Just Plaques, May Be the Hidden Driver of Alzheimer’s

Sep. 24, 2025 — For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer’s was driven mainly by sticky protein plaques and tangles in the brain. Now Purdue researchers have revealed a hidden culprit: fat. They found that brain ...

Scientists Reveal the Everyday Habits That May Shield You from Dementia

Sep. 21, 2025 — New studies reveal that lifestyle changes—such as exercise, healthy eating, and social engagement—can help slow or prevent cognitive decline. Experts say this low-cost, powerful approach could ...

Scientists Reverse Stroke Damage With Stem Cells

Sep. 16, 2025 — Scientists in Zurich have shown that stem cell transplants can reverse stroke damage by regenerating neurons, restoring motor functions, and even repairing blood vessels. The breakthrough not only ...

Brain Rhythms Reveal a Secret Switch Between Old Memories and New Adventures

Sep. 16, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered how the brain reroutes its communication pathways depending on whether it’s processing something new or recalling the familiar. By fine-tuning the balance between ...

Stress Measured in Hair Could Predict Depression and Anxiety in Children

Sep. 16, 2025 — Researchers from the University of Waterloo discovered that measuring long-term stress through children’s hair samples can reveal early signs of mental health risks in those living with chronic ...

Junk Food Can Scramble Memory in Just 4 Days

Sep. 29, 2025 — Scientists discovered that high-fat junk food disrupts memory circuits in the brain almost immediately. Within just four days, neurons in the hippocampus became overactive, impairing memory. ...

Hidden Brain Signal Reveals Alzheimer’s Years Before Symptoms

Sep. 22, 2025 — A new study has revealed that TSPO, a protein linked to brain inflammation, rises long before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear. Researchers tracked the protein in genetically engineered mice and ...

Could Plastic in Your Food Be Fueling Azheimer’s?

Sep. 18, 2025 — Plastic particles from everyday items like Styrofoam cups and take-out containers are finding their way into the brain, where they may trigger Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. New research shows that ...

Sleepless Nights May Raise Dementia Risk by 40%, Mayo Clinic Reveals

Sep. 14, 2025 — Chronic insomnia may do more than leave you groggy, it could speed up brain aging. A large Mayo Clinic study found that people with long-term sleep troubles were 40% more likely to develop dementia ...