Neuroscience

Intestinal Epithelial Serotonin Reduced Anxiety and Depression-Like Behavior via Vagus in Mice; In Utero SSRI Linked to Infant Constipation

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2024 Gastroenterology study found that intestinal epithelial serotonin reduced anxiety- and depression-like behavior in mice through vagal signaling, while prenatal SSRI exposure in a human cohort predicted infant functional constipation independent of maternal depression. Key Findings Gut-only serotonin reuptake transporter ablation reduced anxiety and depression-like behavior: Targeting SERT only in the intestinal epithelium …

Hypothalamic LPO-BDNF Neurons Deepened Anesthesia and DMH Glutamate Neurons Accelerated Emergence in Mice

May 15, 2026May 13, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in iScience found that anesthetic emergence slowed sharply below 31.9°C because two hypothalamic thermoregulatory pathways pushed anesthesia in opposite directions: preoptic BDNF neurons deepened anesthesia, while a dorsomedial-hypothalamus-to-raphe-pallidus glutamate pathway accelerated emergence. Key Findings Emergence delay grows logarithmically below 31.9°C core temperature: In mice, anesthetic emergence time increases logarithmically as …

Ex-Smokers Had Higher Food Cue Reactivity on fMRI

May 13, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found that ex-smokers had higher fMRI blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses to high-energy food pictures than adults with obesity or abstinent alcohol dependence, suggesting a brain reward route for post-quitting weight gain. Key Findings 77-person fMRI comparison: Researchers compared 25 ex-smokers, 26 abstinent adults with alcohol dependence, and 26 …

Early-Life Visceral Stress Sensitized Auditory Brainstem and Altered Cochlear Proteome in Rat IBS Model

May 15, 2026May 13, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 rat study in Neurobiology of Stress found that early-life visceral stress produced adult IBS-like symptoms alongside auditory brainstem sensitization and cochlear protein changes, giving a mechanistic explanation for sound sensitivity reported by some IBS patients. Key Findings Early-life visceral stress sensitized the auditory brainstem: Rats exposed to early-life visceral stress (the standard …

Three Molecular Autism Subtypes Identified With Distinct Phenotypes via Transcriptomic Analysis

May 15, 2026May 13, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 Communications Biology transcriptomic analysis identified three molecular subtypes of autism spectrum disorder, each linked to a distinct phenotypic profile and biological pathway pattern. Key Findings Three molecular subtypes emerged from transcriptomic analysis: Researchers identified three distinct molecular subtypes of autism spectrum disorder using transcriptomic data, each with its own gene expression signature. …

Autism Polygenic Scores Predicted Lower Brain Neurite Density in 36,000 People

May 15, 2026May 13, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2025 Molecular Psychiatry study of more than 36,000 people found that higher autism polygenic risk was associated with lower MRI-derived neurite density, a measure of neural-fiber packing, across cortex and white matter in both children and adults. Key Findings Higher autism polygenic score predicted lower neurite density: Across over 36,000 individuals, a robust …

Subcallosal Cingulate May Guide Depression Stimulation

May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review in Translational Psychiatry found that depression brain-stimulation studies repeatedly linked treatment response to subcallosal cingulate connectivity, but inconsistent methods still limit its use as a treatment-selection biomarker. Key Findings 28 studies met criteria: The review included resting-state functional MRI (fMRI), a scan that tracks blood-flow changes as a proxy for …

Slow Breathing Split Fear Perception by Breath Phase

May 15, 2026May 13, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2025 study in European Journal of Neuroscience found that slow breathing sharpened fearful-face perception during inhalation but weakened it during exhalation, with magnetoencephalography showing brain-timing changes before the face appeared. Key Findings 31 adults judged faces while breathing on cue: The main experiment paired normal-paced and slow-paced breathing with a fearful-versus-neutral face discrimination …

Sleep Growth-Hormone Switch Linked Body and Brain

May 12, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2025 mouse study in Cell mapped a sleep-growth hormone circuit, showing how hypothalamic GHRH and somatostatin neurons coordinate hormone pulses and then feed back onto wakefulness. Key Findings GH rose in REM and NREM: Growth hormone release was enhanced during both rapid eye movement and non-REM sleep. Two neuron types controlled release: Hypothalamic …

Seed Testing May Predict Levodopa Response in Parkinson’s

July 9, 2026May 12, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found that alpha-synuclein seed-positive Parkinson’s patients had slower ON-medication motor progression, measured while usual Parkinson’s medication was active, and more sustained levodopa responsiveness than matched seed-negative patients. Key Findings 223 matched patients: The analysis compared 40 SAA-negative and 183 SAA-positive sporadic Parkinson’s patients from PPMI. ON-state progression diverged while medication …

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