Research · Neuroscience · Safety
Follow developments in nootropics and brain research with their sources and limitations. We explain what a new finding says, and what it cannot establish.
128 published articles
neuroscience
Postmortem hippocampal tissue from 40 adults aged 20–95 showed a midlife shift in immune-cell populations, including fewer resident microglia and more inflammatory, blood-cell-like cells.
Research
A natural-experiment study compared adults exposed to early-life sugar rationing with later-born cohorts and found associations with later brain aging and health outcomes; the historical design cannot prove dietary causation.
Research
In a cross-sectional online study of 1,064 people, reported long COVID was associated with lower scores on a brief visual working-memory test; one task cannot diagnose broad impairment.
Safety
FDA’s July 17 closeout reported 34 illnesses and 11 hospitalizations linked to specified MOGO moringa capsule lots; recalled stock may remain in homes.
Research
Across four experiments, constrained initial-letter cues produced larger gains over repeated recall than free recall, but the advantage disappeared when participants could answer in any order.
neuroscience
Voltage imaging in navigating mice found that some hippocampal CA3 dendrite signals changed before the cell body in a novel setting, supporting local dendritic processing without proving a memory benefit.
Research
A pooled observational analysis of 2,684 initially unimpaired adults linked higher blood p-tau217 with greater later risk of cognitive impairment; 10-year estimates for the highest group were less certain.
Research
A large Latin American randomized trial tested exercise, diet, cognitive training and vascular-risk management in at-risk older adults; the intervention produced a modest advantage on its primary cognitive outcome.
Research
In a 327-person phase 2 trial, ceperognastat did not meaningfully slow early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease over 100 weeks; the higher dose showed faster modelled progression than placebo.
Regulation
FDA’s July 13 update described a temporary-scheduling proposal for concentrated 7-OH and synthetic derivatives, distinguishing the process from a final order.
neuroscience
In a two-session nap study of 20 healthy men, random sounds reduced slow-wave sleep and impaired figural associative recall, but not verbal or procedural memory; the paper appeared June 25 and Freiburg announced it July 9.
Research
In 87 people with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, MRI markers at diagnosis were associated with later cognitive decline independent of relapses or MRI activity.