Peripheral afferent neurons—nerves that send signals from all areas of the body to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)—are known to infiltrate and grow within malignant bone tumors called osteosarcomas, often accompanied by severe pain.

In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a multicenter research team led by Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that two analgesic drugs, bupivacaine and rimegepant, which are used to inhibit the formation and functioning of these neurons, not only relieve tumor-associated pain in laboratory mice, but also slow the unchecked growth of the cancer.

“Our findings suggest that these two medications—already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] for relieving nerve pain [bupivacaine] and migraines [rimegepant]—might one day be repurposed as anti-tumor therapies,” says study lead author Sowmya Ramesh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, clarifies the complex interaction between gut bacteria and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Experiments demonstrate that gut bacteria can produce the important substance serotonin. The finding may lead to future treatments.

IBS is a common gastrointestinal disorder, more common in women, with symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea. The cause of the disease is not clear, but the intestinal environment, including the gut microbiota and serotonin, appear to be important factors.

Serotonin is best known as a neurotransmitter in the brain, but over 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, where it controls bowel movements via the enteric nervous system, sometimes called the “gut–brain.”

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is among the most challenging neurological disorders: relentlessly progressive, universally fatal, and without a cure even after more than a century and a half of research. Despite many advances, a key unanswered question remains—why do motor neurons, the cells that control body movement, degenerate while others are spared?

In a study appearing in Nature Communications, Kazuhide Asakawa and colleagues used single-cell–resolution imaging in transparent zebrafish to show that large spinal motor neurons —which generate strong body movements and are most vulnerable in ALS—operate under a constant, intrinsic burden of protein and organelle degradation.

These neurons maintain high baseline levels of autophagy, proteasome activity, and the unfolded protein response, suggesting a continuous struggle to maintain protein quality control.

Difficulty completing everyday tasks. Failing memory. Unusually poor concentration. For many people living with schizophrenia, cognitive challenges are part of daily life. Alongside well-known symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, these difficulties can make it hard to live the life they want. That is why researchers at the University of Copenhagen are working to find ways to prevent such symptoms—and they may now be one step closer.

In a new study, researchers discovered that a specific type of brain cell is abnormally active in mice displaying schizophrenia-like behavior. When the researchers reduced the activity of these cells, the mice’s behavior changed. The findings are published in the journal Neuron.

“Current treatments for cognitive symptoms in patients with diagnoses such as schizophrenia are inadequate. We need to understand more about what causes these cognitive symptoms that are derived from impairments during brain development. Our study may be the first step toward a new, targeted treatment that can prevent cognitive symptoms,” says Professor Konstantin Khodosevich from the Biotech Research and Innovation Center at the University of Copenhagen, and one of the researchers behind the study.