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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White mouse in purple gloved hands

Blood pressure drug shows promise for treating Parkinson’s and dementia in animal studies

18 Apr 2019

A prescription drug to treat high blood pressure has shown promise against conditions such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and forms of dementia in...

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Location of neurons predicting partner’s choices superimposed on a stained section through one animal’s amygdala. Colours indicate different nuclei.

‘Mindreading’ neurons simulate decisions of social partners

12 Apr 2019

Scientists have identified special types of brain cells that may allow us to simulate the decision-making processes of others, thereby reconstructing...

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Levels of autism in China similar to the West, joint Chinese-UK study shows

21 Mar 2019

The first large-scale study of autism in China has revealed that around one in a hundred people in China has an autism spectrum condition – the same...

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Man

Inflammation links heart disease and depression, study finds

19 Mar 2019

People with heart disease are more likely to suffer from depression, and the opposite is also true. Now, scientists at the University of Cambridge...

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Report examines origins and nature of ‘maths anxiety’

14 Mar 2019

A report out today examines the factors that influence ‘maths anxiety’ among primary and secondary school students, showing that teachers and parents...

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Young at heart

13 Mar 2019

Improvements in public health, education and medicine mean that our lives are much longer than at any point in human history. Thanks to studies of...

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Washing hands

Deep brain stimulation may significantly improve OCD symptoms, study suggests

07 Mar 2019

The debilitating behaviours and all-consuming thoughts, which affect people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), could be significantly...

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Young people at risk of addiction show differences in key brain region

04 Mar 2019

Young adults at risk of developing problems with addiction show key differences in an important region of the brain, according to an international...

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Cambridge team to study concussion in international motorsport

21 Feb 2019

Cambridge researchers are to take part in a study to examine the impact of concussion in motorsports, with the aim of reducing traumatic brain injury...

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Reading

Brain training app improves users’ concentration, study shows

21 Jan 2019

A new ‘brain training’ game designed by researchers at the University of Cambridge improves users’ concentration, according to new research published...

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Friends at sunrise

Recalling happy memories during adolescence can reduce risk of depression

14 Jan 2019

Recalling positive events and experiences can help protect young people against depression in later life, suggests new research published today.

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Marmoset study gives insights into loss of pleasure in depression

04 Dec 2018

‘Anhedonia’ (the loss of pleasure) is one of the key symptoms of depression. An important component of this symptom is an inability to feel...

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