Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have found that two genetic variants that confer high risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) together trigger a harmful inflammatory response in the brain’s immune cells, particularly in females, in a preclinical model.

A new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers helps explain why having ApoE4—the gene variant most closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease—increases the risk of neurodegeneration and white matter damage. 

By repeatedly scanning the brains of a small group of patients for a year and a half, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have identified a distinct pattern of neuronal interactions that appears to predispose some people to developing depression. 

With surprising frequency, patients with severe brain injury can show clear signs of cognitive function on brain scans in response to requests to carry out complex mental work, even when they can’t move or speak, according to an international study co-led by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.

Molecular and physiological changes in space travelers reveal new targets for aerospace medicine and can guide new missions, according to the results of a massive international research endeavor by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, SpaceX, and other organizations.

Weill Cornell Medicine scientists have uncovered the first evidence that astrocyte receptors can trigger opposite effects on cognitive function in male and female preclinical models.

Investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine have assembled the most comprehensive atlas to date of messenger RNA (mRNA) variants in the mouse and human brain, which will be important in understanding brain development, neuron specialization and other brain functions.

 A multi-center, phase 3 clinical trial has found that apixaban is no more effective than aspirin at preventing a second stroke in patients diagnosed with a milder, related condition called atrial cardiopathy, according to results reported by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and NewYork-Presbyterian.

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have painstakingly catalogued the cellular response to stroke in a preclinical model, identifying the immune cells involved and the roles they may play in the days and weeks following a stroke.

Five people who had life-altering, seemingly irreversible cognitive deficits following moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries showed substantial improvements in their cognition and quality of life after receiving an experimental form of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a phase 1 clinical trial.

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have found that controlling high blood pressure may not be enough to prevent associated cognitive declines. The findings point to an immune protein called cytokine IL-17 as a culprit for inducing dementia and suggest new approaches to prevent damage to brain cells.

The 11th annual Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute Symposium brought together leading scientists and clinicians in the field to present the latest advances in understanding Alzheimer’s and related neurodegenerative diseases. 

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell Tech and Cornell's Ithaca campus have demonstrated the use of AI-selected natural images and AI-generated synthetic images as neuroscientific tools for probing the visual processing areas of the brain.

Awards, honors and achievements for the month of July. 

People with dementia have protein build-up in astrocytes that may trigger abnormal antiviral activity and memory loss.

People with autism spectrum disorder can be classified into four distinct subtypes based on their brain activity and behavior.

A specific toxin-producing gut bacteria may be responsible for both triggering the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) and ongoing disease activity.

Cigarette smoking is associated with worse cognitive performance among people 60 years and older, and that association is broadly the same whether or not individuals have hypertension or diabetes.

A gene linked to autism spectrum disorders plays a critical role in early brain development and may shape the formation of both normal and atypical nerve connections in the brain.

COVID-19 patients placed on ventilators can take a long time to regain consciousness. New research from Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian, MIT, and Massachusetts General Hospital is now illustrating that these delays may serve a purpose: protecting the brain from oxygen deprivation.