Topic description and stories

Neuroscience has transformed our understanding of the brain and promises treatments for devastating disorders that affect millions.

Charts map rapid growth and slow decline of brains

06 April 2022

An international team of researchers has created a series of brain charts spanning our entire lifespan – from a 15 week old fetus to 100 year old adult – that show how our brains expand rapidly in early life and slowly shrink as we age. 

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Marmoset

Marmoset study identifies brain region linking actions to their outcomes

24 Jun 2021

Researchers have discovered a specific brain region underlying ‘goal-directed behaviour’ – that is, when we consciously do something with a...

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Colourful illustration of human brain

Study shows brain differences in interpreting physical signals in mental health disorders

22 Jun 2021

Researchers have shown why people with mental health disorders, including anorexia and panic disorders, experience physical signals differently.

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A man sitting in front of a screen

Teenagers at greatest risk of self-harming could be identified almost a decade earlier

15 Jun 2021

Researchers have identified two subgroups of adolescents who self-harm and have shown that it is possible to predict those individuals at greatest...

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Mother and child

Mothers can influence offspring’s height, lifespan and disease risk in unexpected ways – through their mitochondria

17 May 2021

Mitochondria - the ‘batteries’ that power our cells – play an unexpected role in common diseases such as type 2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis...

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Tiles spelling "autism"

Unhealthy patterns of diet, exercise, and sleep linked to high risk of cardiovascular disease in autistic people

10 May 2021

Autistic people have far greater risks of long term physical health conditions than others, but the reasons for this remain unclear. New research...

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Grey-scale image of a woman

Stress does not lead to loss of self-control in eating disorders, study finds

12 Apr 2021

A unique residential study has concluded that, contrary to perceived wisdom, people with eating disorders do not lose self-control – leading to binge...

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Boy at sunset

Autism rates have increased and show differences in ethnic minorities and links to social disadvantage

29 Mar 2021

Around one in 57 (1.76%) children in the UK is on the autistic spectrum, significantly higher than previously reported, according to a study of more...

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Boy wearing face mask

Pandemic restrictions aggravating known triggers for self-harm and poor mental health among children and young people

10 Mar 2021

Experts have issued a stark warning about the effects of the pandemic on the mental health of children and young people.

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The neuroscientist who champions LGBT+ equal rights

26 Feb 2021

Duncan Astle is a neuroscientist on a mission to understand why the brains of some children develop differently to others – and how it affects not...

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Digital support

10 Feb 2021

Research published today shows how digital providers are coming together to support the mental health needs of millions of users unable to access...

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Brain Chip

Function identified of ‘mystery protein’ that kills healthy brain cells of people with Parkinson’s

10 Feb 2021

Scientists have made a ‘vital step’ towards understanding the origins of Parkinson’s disease – the fastest growing neurological condition in the...

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Beta-Amyloid Plaques and Tau in the Brain

Following the hops of disordered proteins could lead to future treatments of Alzheimer’s disease

14 Jan 2021

Study shows how to determine the elusive motions of proteins that remain disordered.

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