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Pain, fatigue, fuzzy thinking: How long COVID disrupts the brain
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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ST. LOUIS (NPR) — Michelle Wilson got COVID three years ago. She’s still waiting for her brain and nervous system to recover. Wilson’s memory is spotty, she’s frequently in pain,… Read More
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Psychedelic drugs may launch a new era in psychiatric treatment, brain scientists say
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — One of the hottest tickets at this year’s Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego was a session on psychedelic drugs. About 1,000 brain scientists squeezed… Read More
![An illustration shows a person staring down a highway that rises into the shape of a human brain.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/gettyimages-1368011820-05504e9330ad22f3e7306ae97e20ba3a0454e912-scaled-e1670702098794-900x422.jpg)
Is lecanemab the Alzheimer’s drug that will finally make a difference?
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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A drug that offers a small benefit to Alzheimer’s patients is making a big splash with doctors who treat the disease. The drug, a monoclonal antibody called lecanemab, dominated last… Read More
![This illustration made available by the National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health depicts cells in an Alzheimer’s affected brain, with abnormal levels of the beta-amyloid protein clumping together to form plaques, brown, that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function. Abnormal collections of the tau protein accumulate and form tangles, blue, within neurons, harming synaptic communication between nerve cells. An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ap22333720937546-349f1809f1be350adba7003a8be602b64228b5ba-e1669826918663-900x422.jpg)
A study indicates that an Alzheimer’s drug shows modest success slowing declines in memory, thinking
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — An experimental drug that removes a substance called amyloid from the brain appears to slow down Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, called lecanemab, reduced the rate of… Read More
![A doctor points to PET scan results that are part of Alzheimer's disease research.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ap18099561437927-a05cdce7b07a1a92367c35b3b1807675bb2707c3-900x422.jpg)
What causes Alzheimer’s? Study puts leading theory to ‘ultimate test’
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — An idea that has propelled Alzheimer’s research for more than 30 years is approaching its day of reckoning. Scientists are launching a study designed to make… Read More
![A worker holds a hard hat on a construction site](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/shutterstock_1694245051-e1662736404353-900x422.jpg)
How a new hard hat technology can protect workers better from concussion
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — A new generation of hard hats is promising better protection against on-the-job concussions, also known as mild traumatic brain injuries. These hard hats incorporate technology that… Read More
![Brain scans on an xray display](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/gettyimages-1158800098-e17056286bce28888c8f5fbd661bc9292922f624-scaled-e1650984807694-900x422.jpg)
Brain scans may reveal a lot about mental illness, but not until studies get bigger
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — MRI scans have allowed researchers to peer inside the human brain. And the technology is great at revealing damage from a stroke, or areas that light… Read More
![Despite the challenges, distance learning can work well for some students with ADHD, researchers say. Some of those who aren't around peers are finding it easier to focus.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gettyimages-1219716515-b916aaa29d14b6e71eca6dd1f62a93f156df1fc1-e1598977293257-900x422.jpg)
Remote Learning’s Distractions Put Extra Pressure On Students With ADHD
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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With less structure and supervision than is typically provided inside a classroom, remote classes lean hard on already stressed parents to help students with ADHD stay focused and engaged.
![Your brain uses the left side to make sense of lyrics and the right side for a song's melody.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/gettyimages-1090964462-d0c3dbc4ca0b9d80325dcbbf8407c2244c9bc0d2-scaled-e1582842883581-900x422.jpg)
How The Brain Teases Apart A Song’s Words And Music
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Brain scans show that when people listen to songs, an area in the left hemisphere decodes speech-like sounds while one on the right processes musical information.
![This image from an electron microscope shows a cross-sectional view of an oligodendrocyte (blue) among nerve fibers coated with myelin (dark red). In models of autism spectrum disorder, oligodendrocytes appear to create too much or too little myelin.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/myelin-1-6c52a304393682c7af30dc55fe9be4f88cc5ca01-scaled-e1580846573235-900x422.jpg)
Researchers Link Autism To A System That Insulates Brain Wiring
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Brains affected by autism appear to share a problem with cells that make myelin, the insulating coating surrounding nerve fibers that controls the speed at which the fibers convey electrical signals.
![Astrocyte cells like these from the brain of a mouse may differ subtly from those in a human brain.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/glial-cells-ef2aee4d0473253013ce0f3cfa06cc144b9b4f04-e1566508914732-900x422.jpg)
Subtle Differences In Brain Cells Hint at Why Many Drugs Help Mice But Not People
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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A detailed comparison of mouse and human brain tissue found differences that could help explain why mice aren’t always a good model for human diseases.
![Researchers are hoping to learn how to effectively convey information about people's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, a dementia still without a cure.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/gettyimages-543590243-709263909245aa470cb0be5025827d917ef8cd96-e1562968449160-900x422.jpg)
A Genetic Test That Reveals Alzheimer’s Risk Can Be Cathartic Or Distressing
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Genetic tests can now tell us a lot about our risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. But that doesn’t mean people are prepared to receive the information.
![Scientists have found a way to transform brain signals into intelligible speech.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sciencesource_ss21548027-4644a6219135e56423e95b5da0e13a06cd8cd7bb-e1556138892513-900x422.jpg)
Decoded Brain Signals Could Give Voiceless People A Way To Talk
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Scientists have found a way to transform electrical signals in the brain into intelligible speech. The advance may help people paralyzed by a stroke or disease, but the technology is experimental.
![Ketamine appears to restore faulty connections between brain cells, according to research performed in mice.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sciencesource_ss2866657-5add4baccaec018782e448250ba315832c0639b1-e1555009082939-900x422.jpg)
Ketamine May Relieve Depression By Repairing Damaged Brain Circuits
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Scientists are learning how the party drug ketamine relieves depression so quickly — and why its effects fade over time.
![A cross section of the human brain shows fiber tracts involved in aging.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/brainscan-2-6a67777abd321f81bb471be90cdc509064d153c7-e1549727507490-900x422.jpg)
Scans Show Female Brains Remain Youthful As Male Brains Wind Down
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Researchers say the metabolism of a woman’s brain remains higher than a man’s throughout a lifetime. And that may help with late-life creativity and learning.
![Before light reaches these rods and cones in the retina, it passes through some specialized cells that send signals to brain areas that affect whether you feel happy or sad.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/gettyimages-128601129-da84b5e0a45a8f2c04041c5a9999ec2bc1888bae-e1545410268119-900x422.jpg)
Scientists Find A Brain Circuit That Could Explain Seasonal Depression
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Research suggests the winter blues are triggered by specialized light-sensing cells in the retina that communicate directly with brain areas involved in mood.
![Patients awaiting epilepsy surgery agreed to keep a running log of their mood while researchers used tiny wires to monitor electrical activity in their brains. The combination revealed a circuit for sadness.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/gettyimages-1055621250-601ce260f466d02e893da6ca6da804fc46140aa2-e1541713436273-900x422.jpg)
Researchers Uncover A Circuit For Sadness In The Human Brain
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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When people are feeling glum, it often means that brain areas involved in emotion and memory are communicating. Researchers have now observed the circuit in action in humans.
![Researchers say it's too soon to say if marijuana could help humans with Alzheimer's, but experiments in mice showed some effects.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/gettyimages-898219868-4e50431e03aff1b554df58d8ef6e0c198646bc78-e1541695815372-900x422.jpg)
Active Ingredient In Marijuana Reduced Alzheimer’s-Like Effects In Mice
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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In mice genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms, those given a synthetic version of a chemical in marijuana retained normal memory function.
![The cerebellum, a brain structure humans share with fish and lizards, appears to control the quality of many functions in the brain, according to a team of researchers.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cerebellum-9d6724e1300d88a88144ada721ea5d5ee1b3384f-e1540502722346-900x422.jpg)
The Underestimated Cerebellum Gains New Respect From Brain Scientists
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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A brain structure that helps us walk in a straight line also appears to play a central role in emotional control and decision-making. The findings about the cerebellum challenge years of dogma.
![When the heart pushes too hard, as it does when blood pressure is elevated, it can cause damage that can lead to a stroke, says Dr. Walter Koroshetz.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/gettyimages-523119720-11482f86193d5f507d433700c90d4f604f8adeb5-e1531766327264-900x422.jpg)
Worried About Dementia? You Might Want to Check Your Blood Pressure
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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A new public health campaign says controlling high blood pressure is among the best ways to keep your brain sharp. The neurologist in charge aims to lead by example.
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Scientists Push Plan To Change How Researchers Define Alzheimer’s
By: Jon Hamilton | NPR
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Research scientists say they want to define Alzheimer’s by the biological changes it causes in the brain, rather than by symptoms like memory loss.