Zhou et al. demonstrate that perineural invasion (PNI) is an adverse prognostic factor in small cell lung cancer. They identify a neuron-STMN2-β-alanine axis, where the neural microenvironment upregulates STMN2 in tumor cells, reprogramming β-alanine metabolism to enhance cell migration and drive neural invasion, revealing a potential therapeutic target.

Myelination is increasingly recognized as a dynamic and adaptive process regulated by oligodendrocytes throughout life. Beyond providing electrical insulation, myelin supports axonal metabolism and may serve as an energy reservoir under metabolic stress, highlighting the importance of physiological myelin turnover. Dysregulation of myelin dynamics contributes to a wide spectrum of neurological disorders, including demyelinating, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric diseases. Growing evidence indicates that neurotransmitter signaling through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed by oligodendrocyte lineage cells regulates myelin formation, remodeling, and repair.

Li et al. use multimodal MRI to show that cerebral blood volume is inversely correlated with glymphatic influx across six brain states. Lower CBV is associated with expanded extra-ventricular CSF space, and caffeine produces a similar pattern in awake mice, suggesting CBV as a tonic vascular factor complementing pulsation and vasomotion.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor. Standard treatments including surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have failed to significantly improve the prognosis of glioblastoma patients. Currently, immunotherapeutic approaches based on vaccines, chimeric antigen-receptor T-cells, checkpoint inhibitors, and oncolytic virotherapy are showing promising results in clinical trials. The combination of different immunotherapeutic approaches is proving satisfactory and promising. In view of the challenges of immunotherapy and the resistance of glioblastomas, the treatment of these tumors requires further efforts. In this review, we explore the obstacles that potentially influence the efficacy of the response to immunotherapy and that should be taken into account in clinical trials.

Scientists are rethinking how depression should be treated by focusing less on reducing negative feelings and more on rebuilding the brain’s capacity for positive emotion.

Researchers have identified two proteins on the surface of neurons that may help drive the spread of Parkinson’s disease in the brain.