Neuroscience explores the intricate machinery of the brain and nervous system, seeking to understand how we think, feel, and move. From the microscopic dance of individual neurons to the complex networks that shape our memories and behaviors, this field peels back the layers of our biological selves to reveal the origins of consciousness and disease.

At Gist.Science, we bring these discoveries directly from bioRxiv, the leading preprint server for biological sciences, to a broader audience. We process every new neuroscience preprint as it is uploaded, transforming dense academic manuscripts into clear, plain-language explanations alongside detailed technical summaries. This ensures that both curious readers and specialists can stay current with the latest breakthroughs before they are formally published.

Below are the latest neuroscience papers we have processed from bioRxiv, offering fresh insights into the workings of the mind.

🧠 neuroscience

Closed-loop error damping in human BCI using pre-error motor cortex activity

This study demonstrates that detecting a pre-error neural signal in the motor cortex allows for real-time, closed-loop error damping in intracortical brain-computer interfaces, significantly improving cursor control performance and robustness across complex tasks for individuals with spinal cord injuries without requiring additional user action.

Gontier, C., Hockeimer, W., Kunigk, N. G., Canario, E., Endsley, L. J., Downey, J. E., Weiss, J. M., Dekleva, B., Collin (…)2026-02-26
🧠 neuroscience

Dysfunctional synaptic competition at dendritic spines in Fragile X syndrome

This study reveals that in Fragile X syndrome, the loss of competition for newly synthesized proteins among dendritic spines allows multiple synapses to simultaneously undergo structural shrinkage during long-term depression, suggesting that the disorder's hallmark excessive synaptic depression stems from a failure to limit plasticity to a single input rather than from exaggerated depression at individual synapses.

Ramiro Cortes, Y., Panzarino, A. M., Royo, M., Shionoya, K., Israely, I.2026-02-26
🧠 neuroscience

Mitochondrial antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells drive dopamine neuron neurodegeneration

This study demonstrates that the adoptive transfer of mitochondrial antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells into mice is sufficient to cause their entry into the brain, leading to dopamine neuron degeneration and reversible motor deficits, thereby providing direct evidence that an adaptive immune attack drives Parkinson's-like neurodegeneration.

Elemeery, M. N., Tchung, A., Boulet, S., Giguere, N., Mezrag, S., Daudelin, J.-F., Even, A., Ralph, A., Mukherjee, S., B (…)2026-02-25
🧠 neuroscience

Where is God? A comparison of the neural correlates of mystical and religious praying

This study uses fMRI to demonstrate that the neural correlates of prayer differ based on the perception of God, with Sahaja Yoga meditators showing thalamic deactivation associated with focusing on an immanent, internal God, while Christians exhibit thalamic activation linked to dialoguing with a transcendent, external God.

Rubia, K., Hernandez, S. E., Perez-Diaz, O., Gonzalez Mora, J. L., Barros Loscertales, A. R.2026-02-25
🧠 neuroscience

Characterization of effects of a neurotropic murine coronavirus infection on Alzheimer's disease neuropathology of 5xFAD mice

This study demonstrates that acute neurotropic murine coronavirus infection in aged 5xFAD mice induces T cell and macrophage infiltration around Aβ plaques while attenuating the myeloid cell response and downregulating disease-associated pathways involved in Aβ clearance and lipid metabolism.

Javonillo, D. I., Furman, S., Le, L., Fernandez, K., Mulford, J. N., Singla, V., Jha, R., Tsourmas, K. I., Kwang, N. E. (…)2026-02-25