Medical Xpress news

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 ...

14 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Short exposures to common air pollutants have distinct impacts on lung function and brain activity, study shows

New research by a collaboration of U.K.-based scientists has revealed that common indoor and outdoor air pollutants can alter both brain and respiratory function within just four hours of exposure, offering key insights into ...

6 hours ago
Medical Xpress / DNA repair protein gene gone rogue may unlock new cancer treatments

When it comes to cancer, tumor suppressor genes are usually thought of as the "good guys." These genes make proteins that protect and repair DNA in cells. If they stop functioning or there's not enough, cancer risk goes up. ...

10 hours ago
Medical Xpress / Thermoreversible biogel may solve a hairy problem for wearable brain-monitoring systems

A vital tool for health care practitioners, electroencephalography (EEG) systems measure electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp, but getting reliable readings can be surprisingly difficult. ...

May 23, 2026
Medical Xpress / Freud's century-old ideas are colliding with modern brain science in ways that could change how minds are treated

A new article published in the neurocognitive journal Entropy argues that Sigmund Freud's model of the mind, as well as more recent psychoanalytic theory, has similarities with the leading model in brain research today, the ...

May 23, 2026
Medical Xpress / Gut-lung microbe shifts may explain clozapine's severe bowel and lung side effects

Schizophrenia is a severe mental health disorder characterized by hallucinations, false and rigid beliefs (i.e., delusions), impaired mental functions, disorganized speech and, in some cases, repetitive body movements. This ...

May 22, 2026
Medical Xpress / Brain inflammation is unlikely to explain persistent long COVID symptoms, neuroimaging study finds

A new brain imaging study has found no evidence of widespread brain inflammation in patients suffering from prolonged symptoms after COVID-19 infection. Instead, the most severe long COVID symptoms were associated with increased ...

May 22, 2026
Medical Xpress / How the gut rewires the brain to drive cravings for essential nutrients

Eating is not only about getting enough calories. Animals also need to choose the right nutrients. When the body lacks protein, it must seek essential amino acids—the protein building blocks that cannot be made internally ...

May 22, 2026
Medical Xpress / Cholesterol-craving cancers need lipid enzymes to use metabolites for growth, study shows

While many American adults are trying to reduce cholesterol levels, certain cancerous tumors have a relentless appetite for the metabolite. Some tumor cells use as much cholesterol as they can access to accelerate their growth ...

May 22, 2026
Medical Xpress / Psilocybin cuts nerve pain for weeks and boosts gabapentin in mice

A single dose of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, reduces nerve pain for up to a month and makes a widely used painkiller work more effectively, University of Reading research has found.

May 22, 2026
Medical Xpress / Mitochondria may control immune cell activation and the effectiveness of immunotherapy

A study led by researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) has identified a mitochondrial checkpoint that enables dendritic cells to efficiently activate T lymphocytes against viruses and ...

May 22, 2026
Medical Xpress / How a father's obesity affects his children's metabolism

The scientific literature already contains robust evidence that obesity, whether maternal or paternal, can lead to metabolic changes in offspring that increase their risk of developing diseases. A new study published in the ...

May 22, 2026