Summary: Researchers have demonstrated how brain activity can predict behavior in urban environments, providing a roadmap for improving urban planning. Using functional MRI scans, the study identified activity in the brain’s reward system, specifically the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, as a key predictor of why people visit certain urban areas.

Participants rated photos of Lisbon’s urban spaces, and their brain responses were linked to visitation patterns, showing that people are drawn to areas of perceived value. This research suggests urban design can prioritize environments that align with cognitive and emotional well-being.

Neurourbanism, the emerging field behind this study, offers tools to design cities that enhance livability and sustainability. By focusing on human-centered approaches, cities can improve efficiency, mobility, and resident happiness.

Bioelectronics research and development of implants made of electrically conductive materials for disease treatment is advancing rapidly. However, bioelectronic treatment is not without complications. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have taken another step forward by developing a refined method to create detailed and tissue-friendly bioelectronics.

In a study published in Advanced Science, the researchers describe how they can use light to create electrically conductive materials directly in the body, showing promising results in animal trials.

Bioelectronics is successfully used for treating heart arrhythmia, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, to name a few. However, it’s well known that today’s bioelectrodes and implantation methods require the tissue to adapt to the electrodes, rather than the other way around. This can lead to complications.

Junk DNA could unlock new treatments for neurological disorders as scientists discover its breaks and repairs affect our protection against neurological disease.

The research from the University of Sheffield’s Neuroscience Institute and Healthy Lifespan Institute gives important new insights into so-called junk DNA and how it impacts on neurological disorders such as Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and Alzheimer’s.

Until now, the repair of junk DNA, which makes up 98% of DNA, has been largely overlooked by scientists, but the new study published in Nature found it is much more vulnerable to breaks from oxidative genomic damage than previously thought. This has vital implications on the development of neurological disorders.