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Originally published by University of Utah Health , on November 13, 2025 Researchers have uncovered surprising evidence that anxiety may be controlled not by neurons but by two dueling groups of immune cells inside the brain. These microglia act like biological pedals—one pushing anxiety forward and the other holding it back. Two opposing groups of brain-immune cells were found to dramatically influence anxiety by either amplifying or reducing anxious behaviors. The discovery could shift future psychiatric treatments toward targeting microglia. Credit: Shutterstock Anxiety disorders affect roughly one in five people in the United States , making them among the most widespread mental health challenges . Although common, scientists still have many questions about how anxiety begins and is controlled within the brain . New research from the University of Utah has now pinpointed two unexpected groups of brain cells in mice that behave like "accelerators" and "...

Their wandering gaze results from a structural adaptation in their nerves Originally published By Devin Reese in Nautilus , on November 10, 2025   Chameleons’ bulging eyes do strange things; they swivel in different directions like periscopes as they peer around their surroundings. One eye may be fixed on you, while the other eye is trained on an insect scuttling away. Though scientists have been fascinated by this ability for centuries, the physiological mechanism that makes it possible has remained mysterious. Until now. A team of researchers has discovered that chameleons possess two coiled optic nerves that operate independently to bring two separate scenes into the reptile’s focus. They report their findings in a Scientific Reports paper published November 10,2025. Read more  

Australian researchers found that a neuropeptide fueled tumor growth in vitro, but deletion of its receptor halted the process.   Originally published by Rebecca Roberts, PhD ,  on Oct 24, 2025,  in  The Nutshell section of The Scientist Existing drugs can be repurposed for the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors , blocking the interaction between a neuropeptide and its receptor. Image credit:©iStock, sefa ozel Often referred to as the ‘ second brain ,’ the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is full of nerves that help it to function by secreting neuropeptides . A growing body of evidence suggests that GI tumors can hijack these networks of nerves , using them to survive, grow, and metastasize. 1–3 Now, researchers from the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) have reported how a specific neuropeptide called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and its receptor, c ontribute to poor clinical outcomes in GI cancer patients. Published ...