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Science X / Your brain doesn't forget when you forgive—it does something far more surprising with those painful memories

Forgiving someone might not erase painful memories, but it can subtly update them, making past hurts feel less upsetting. It's less "forgive and forget," and more "forgive and update."

Week 22 2026 in
Medical Xpress / How making children laugh can help brains become more resilient to struggle and open to learning

Making children laugh can build deep emotional connections and soothe their nervous systems, making them more resilient and open to new ideas, says a leading child development expert. Dr. Jacqueline Harding, director of Tomorrow's ...

19 hours ago in
Medical Xpress / How a distinct communication subspace in the brain turns goals into actions

Humans continuously adapt their actions and behaviors in response to changes in their surrounding environment. Past neuroscience studies suggest that this adaptation process relies on the brain's ability to translate abstract ...

May 24, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / Duration of depression may influence how severely the disease alters the brain

Depression affects about 5.8% of the Brazilian population and presents a wide range of symptoms, intensities, and durations. A study published in Scientific Reports involving patients with major depressive disorder demonstrated ...

May 21, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / Scientists identify brain circuit that helps us 'change gears'

Most people have experienced the feeling: switching from one task to another, only to find the brain momentarily stuck in the old mode of thinking. Sometimes, even after realizing a strategy no longer works, the mind keeps ...

May 21, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / The neural basis of thought symbols identified for the first time

If you ask a child to draw an animal that doesn't exist, they'll often cobble together components from real ones—say, the body of a seal with an elephant's trunk, four octopus arms, and one lizard eye.

May 20, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / A new imaging approach captures brain activity across nine cell types at once

Scientists at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), in collaboration with ZEISS and MetaCell, have developed a powerful new imaging pipeline called Neuroplex. As described in a paper published in eLife, ...

May 19, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / How early brain activity may shape speech-linked circuits before babies ever speak

Communication begins long before children learn to speak. Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan have now uncovered how early brain activity helps build developing communication circuits ...

May 19, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / Hippocampal ripples and replay reveal how brain recombines past knowledge for flexible planning

When facing new situations or problems, humans typically rely on knowledge they acquired in the past. Specifically, neuroscience studies suggest that the brain reorganizes past experiences and previously acquired knowledge, ...

May 15, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / Contact lenses treat depression in mice as effectively as anti-depressant medication

Materials scientists have designed brain-stimulating contact lenses that are as effective as Prozac at treating depression in mice. The soft, transparent contact lenses have in-built electrodes that deliver mild electrical ...

May 14, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / How the timing of trauma leaves a lasting mark on the brain and behavior

A research team from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology), in collaboration with the IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini in Genoa (Italy), has demonstrated that traumatic experiences occurring ...

May 12, 2026 in
Medical Xpress / Discovery of brain-body connection offers clues for Parkinson's and alcohol use disorder

When danger lurks, instinct keeps us safe. It compels us to run from a burning building or wrestle a knife-wielding attacker to the ground. It also adjusts our body physiology to support these behaviors.

May 11, 2026 in