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Power of the Nap: How a 45-Minute Rest Boosts Learning and Focus
A new brain imaging study shows that even a brief afternoon nap can reset overloaded neural circuits and restore the brain’s ability to learn. Researchers say the findings highlight how short sleep breaks can sharpen thinking and sustain performance under pressure.
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New Study Links Viral Infection and Genetics to ALS-Like Damage
A Texas A&M team has identified a mouse strain that develops ALS-like damage long after a viral infection is cleared. The work could help explain why some people are more vulnerable to motor neuron disease than others.
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Gene Therapy Restores Key Heart Protein, May Protect Young Athletes
A UC San Diego–led team used gene therapy to restore a key heart protein in models of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, a major cause of sudden death in young athletes. The approach improved heart function, reduced arrhythmias and more than doubled survival in mice.
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USC Team Finds New Way to Target Brain Inflammation in Alzheimer’s
A USC research team has pinpointed potent new compounds that dial down a key driver of brain inflammation tied to Alzheimer’s disease, without shutting it off completely. The work could lay the groundwork for a new class of treatments aimed at people at high genetic risk.
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Eye-Surgery Laser Tech Shows Promise for Ultra-Precise Brain Surgery
Scientists in Scotland have shown that a laser technology long used in eye surgery can slice soft tissue with extreme precision, hinting at future brain operations that remove tumors cell by cell while sparing healthy tissue.
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Epstein-Barr Virus May Help Spark Multiple Sclerosis, Study Finds
A new study from the University of Basel reveals how Epstein-Barr virus can disable immune safeguards in the brain, allowing rogue B cells to trigger early MS-like damage. The work offers a concrete biological explanation for one way multiple sclerosis may get its start.
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Cholera Bacterial Toxin Shows Promise Against Colorectal Cancer
A purified toxin from cholera bacteria slowed colorectal cancer growth in mice while sparing healthy tissue. The findings could inspire a new class of treatments that turn bacterial weapons into cancer-fighting tools.
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How a Common Virus and a Gene Variant Team Up to Trigger MS
A University of Zurich team has uncovered how a common virus and a specific genetic variant can jointly spark multiple sclerosis. The work helps explain who gets MS and points toward new ways to prevent or treat the disease.
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Georgetown Team Boosts Cancer-Fighting T Cells With PARP Drugs
Georgetown University researchers have found a way to reprogram key immune cells so they remember and attack cancer more powerfully and for longer. The lab discovery could expand the use of existing PARP drugs and strengthen cutting-edge immunotherapies.
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Stem Cell Advance Brings Off-the-Shelf ‘Living Drugs’ Closer to Reality
UBC researchers have figured out how to reliably grow a crucial kind of immune cell from stem cells. The advance could make powerful cell therapies cheaper, faster and more widely available.
