Scientists are beginning to understand how long COVID symptoms affect the brain

Many symptoms of long COVID are related to the brain. Now scientists are beginning to understand why brain fog, fatigue, and pain can linger for years after a person was infected. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Months or even years after getting COVID-19, some people still have neurological symptoms like pain, fatigue and brain fog. MICHELLE WILSON: […]

Scans Show Women’s Brains Remain Youthful As Male Brains Wind Down

From NPR’s All Things Considered… Women tend to have more youthful brains than their male counterparts — at least when it comes to metabolism. While age reduces the metabolism of all brains, women retain a higher rate throughout the lifespan, researchers reported Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Females had a younger brain […]

Alzheimer’s Disease May Develop Differently In African-Americans, Study Suggests

From NPR’s All Things Considered… Scientists have found a biological clue that could help explain why African-Americans appear to be more vulnerable than white Americans to Alzheimer’s disease. A study of 1,255 people, both black and white, found that cerebrospinal fluid from African-Americans tended to contain lower levels of a substance associated with Alzheimer’s, researchers […]

Bad Vibes: How Hits To The Head Are Transferred To The Brain

From NPR’s Morning Edition… It was a question about soccer that got Philip Bayly interested in brain injuries. Bayly, a mechanical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis, was approached by several doctors who wanted advice about some young soccer players they were treating. “They said, ‘Well, we’ve got some kids who have concussions and […]

The Underestimated Cerebellum Gains New Respect From Brain Scientists

From NPR (heard on All Things Considered)… An ancient part of the brain long ignored by the scientific world appears to play a critical role in everything from language and emotions to daily planning. It’s the cerebellum, which is found in fish and lizards as well as people. But in the human brain, this structure […]