Multiple sclerosis drug is first to dramatically cut brain shrinkage
An experimental treatment can nearly halve the loss of brain tissue in people who have the worst forms of multiple sclerosis, for which there are few treatments
Nose breathing in yoga may calm the mind by slowing brainwaves
When meditators take deep breaths through their nose it causes nerves in their nasal passages to fire more slowly, and brainwaves follow suit [we can’t say the brain fires more slowly
First evidence that gut bacteria help wire young brains
Experiments in mice have shown for the first time that bacteria found in the gut of babies and children seem to play a role in brain development
Many psychiatric conditions have the same genes in common
Several conditions including anxiety, depression and anorexia all share a common set of genes, which could lead to better diagnoses
Herpes viruses in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease
A detailed molecular analysis of hundreds of post-mortem brains supports the controversial theory that viruses contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
Psychedelics may help your brain cells form new connections
LSD and other members of the psychedelic family make neurons grow more branches, potentially explaining how they might treat depression
Seals only sleep with half their brain when they’re out at sea
Northern fur seals mostly sleep with half their brain while they’re at sea, but sleep with all their brain while on land – unlike any other animal studied
Chimp evolution was shaped by sex with their bonobo relatives
Some chimpanzee populations gained useful DNA from interbreeding with bonobos, and one may even have become more gentle and “bonobo-like” in its brain structure and behaviour
We may have got the evolution of our big brains entirely wrong
Many scientists think that our big brains evolved to help us cope with the complexities of social living, but a model suggests it was more to do with finding food and lighting fires
World’s most-spoken languages may have arisen in ancient Iran
About 3 billion people speak Indo-European languages like English and Hindustani, and it seems the first such tongue was spoken south of the Caucasus mountains