Brain

A common virus has been used to trigger Parkinson’s-like brain damage and movement problems in mice, giving scientists a new way to study how viral infections may contribute to the disease.

The ancient marine creature Spriggina floundersi didn’t have hands. It barely had a head. And yet we now know it also had a dominant side of its body – an early sign of the development of behavioral handedness.

Around one in three people worldwide have been infected with a microscopic parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause toxoplasmosis. After the initial infection, toxo settles into our muscles and brain, where it can remain for life.

Many of us know the state of being “wired but tired” – feeling physically exhausted yet mentally unable to switch off. But the brain does not simply fall asleep because the body is fatigued – and part of the reason lies in the biology of survival.

Becoming more forgetful and feeling slower in your thinking is normal in older age. But when these changes are more than you’d expect for your age it might be a sign of mild cognitive impairment. So does that mean you’ll soon develop dementia?

Glucose levels have been linked with the accelerated aging of the human brain in a new study by researchers in China, highlighting the benefits of healthy eating and exercise early in life to keep your brain fighting fit in old age.

New research from Harvard Medical School has overturned the traditional picture of the nose's neurons, finding a hidden cartography in the seeming randomness.

Some estimates suggest up to one in 30 people may be affected by developmental topographical disorientation (DTD). This condition has been described as a lifelong inability to orient oneself – even in extremely familiar surroundings.

A new study has uncovered evidence of “synaptic down-selection” as we sleep, suggesting our nightly shut-eye is a perfect opportunity to prune back any neurological hedges that went wild during the day.

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) scientists have developed a form of neurological pacemaker that adapts in real time to a patient’s walking and could address one of the most disabling and hard-to-treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

People taking fish-oil supplements in an effort to shield their brain from Alzheimer's disease might be better off investing that money in their diet, with a two-year study finding that omega-3 pills offer no protection from cognitive decline.

Paraquat is one of the world’s most widely used herbicides. It’s also highly toxic, and some research points to a link with Parkinson’s disease. But what does the evidence really say?