brain

Faulty forms of the brain protein tau trigger tangles inside and outside brain cells of Alzheimer's patients. Scientists say figuring out how to stop bad tau's spread from cell to cell might be key.

If you have a problem with your heart or liver, the diagnosis is likely to be made by a lab test or medical image. But neurologist Allan Ropper says those tests often fail when it comes to the brain.

Scientists seem to have answered a fundamental question about the nature of memory. They have found compelling evidence that memories are made by strengthening connections between certain brain cells.

Scientists have found that a hormone associated with long life also seems to make people smarter. The gene strengthens the connections between brain cells, a process that's essential for learning.

The organization of certain brain cells in children with autism seems already different from that of typical children by the sixth or seventh month of fetal development, a study hints.

An experimental technique called optogenetics is starting to change the way researchers look at the brain. The tool allows them to switch entire brain circuits on and off using light, and may help figure out what's going wrong in brain ailments from epilepsy to depression.