Neuroscience

Brain-Derived Plasma pTau217 Better Predicted Near-Term Amyloid PET Progression

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Brain-Derived Plasma pTau217 Better Predicted Near-Term Amyloid PET Progression

TL;DR: A 2026 ADNI analysis posted to medRxiv found that brain-derived plasma pTau217 better predicted near-term amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) positivity than total plasma pTau217 in cognitively unimpaired amyloid-negative participants. Key Findings 1,427 ADNI participants: Plasma NULISAseq biomarkers were measured across the broader Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative sample. 529 cognitively unimpaired: The main prognostic …

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Blood Transcriptomics Improved Parkinson Disease Classification vs Isolated RBD

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Blood Transcriptomics Improved Parkinson Disease Classification vs Isolated RBD

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint reported that peripheral blood RNA sequencing separated Parkinson disease from healthy controls and isolated REM sleep behavior disorder more clearly than it separated isolated REM sleep behavior disorder from controls. Key Findings 71 baseline samples: The main analysis included 20 healthy controls, 31 people with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder, …

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Connectivity-Guided iTBS Improved Inpatient Treatment-Resistant Depression Scores

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Connectivity-Guided iTBS Improved Inpatient Treatment-Resistant Depression Scores

TL;DR: A 2026 randomized trial posted to medRxiv found that connectivity-guided accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation added to inpatient care improved treatment-resistant depression scores more than sham stimulation over 2 weeks. Key Findings 57 randomized patients: Hospitalized adults with unipolar treatment-resistant depression were assigned to active or sham stimulation. 30 iTBS sessions: Active treatment delivered 3 …

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Focused Ultrasound Improved Anxiety-Relevant Autonomic Habituation

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Focused Ultrasound Improved Anxiety-Relevant Autonomic Habituation

TL;DR: A 2026 human study in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science found that low-intensity focused ultrasound aimed at salience-network hubs improved early skin-conductance habituation to repeated startle sounds, while eye-blink and EEG habituation did not change. Key Findings Forty healthy adults completed a crossover experiment: Participants attended separate low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) sessions targeting the …

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Purkinje Cell Activity Poorly Predicted Cerebellar Output in Disease

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Purkinje Cell Activity Poorly Predicted Cerebellar Output in Disease

TL;DR: A 2026 study in The Journal of Physiology found that steady-state Purkinje-cell firing patterns had limited ability to predict cerebellar nuclei output in mouse models of cerebellar movement disease. Key Findings 5 disease models: The reanalysis used in vivo recordings from mouse models involving ataxia, dystonia, tremor, and altered cerebellar circuitry. Purkinje-to-nuclei test: Researchers …

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PLTi Brainstem Neurons Controlled Spatial Attention in Mice

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PLTi Brainstem Neurons Controlled Spatial Attention in Mice

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Nature Communications found that PLTi, an evolutionarily old group of inhibitory brainstem neurons, was required for mice to choose a goal-relevant visual target over lower-priority distractors. Key Findings PLTi defined: Parabigemino-lateral tegmental inhibitory complex neurons were mostly parvalbumin-positive GABAergic cells in the mouse brainstem. 95.01% overlap: Nearly all GABA-positive cells …

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Nitrosylcobalamin Crossed Blood-Brain Barrier in Glioblastoma Rats

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Nitrosylcobalamin Crossed Blood-Brain Barrier in Glioblastoma Rats

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Oncoscience reported that nitrosylcobalamin, a nitric-oxide-releasing vitamin B12 analog, crossed the blood-brain barrier in glioblastoma-bearing rats and accumulated in tumor tissue. Key Findings NO-Cbl defined: Nitrosylcobalamin is a cobalamin-based nitric oxide donor designed to exploit the transcobalamin II receptor CD320. 17.6 µM ID50: Central nervous system tumor cell lines in …

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Basilar Artery Dolichoectasia Linked to Lacunar Stroke and cSVD

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Basilar Artery Dolichoectasia Linked to Lacunar Stroke and cSVD

TL;DR: A 2026 prospective mild-stroke cohort study in Circulation linked basilar artery dolichoectasia and wider cranial arteries to lacunar stroke and cerebral small-vessel disease, while large-artery stenosis did not show the same association. Key Findings 229 mild-stroke patients: The Mild Stroke Study 3 cohort included lacunar and mild nonlacunar ischemic stroke patients followed with MRI …

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Aged Gut Microbiome Impaired Mouse Memory via Vagal Gut-Brain Signaling

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Aged Gut Microbiome Impaired Mouse Memory via Vagal Gut-Brain Signaling

TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Nature found that age-related gut microbiome changes impaired vagal gut-brain signaling and hippocampal memory encoding, while several interventions restored memory performance in aged or microbiome-aged mice. Key Findings Aged microbiome transfer impaired memory: Young mice exposed to aged gut microbes showed worse novel object recognition and Barnes maze performance …

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Human Hippocampus Encoded Language During Propofol Anesthesia

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Human Hippocampus Encoded Language During Propofol Anesthesia

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Nature recorded human hippocampal neurons during propofol anesthesia and found preserved oddball-tone discrimination, short-term plasticity, and language-related semantic coding during surgical loss of consciousness. Key Findings 7 surgical patients: Researchers recorded hippocampal activity with Neuropixels probes during general anesthesia in patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. 172 tone-responsive units: The tone task …

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