🧠 Oruen CNS Weekly Roundup: The Latest in CNS Medicine 🧠 

The CNS field continues to evolve rapidly, with new developments emerging across psychiatry, neurology, and interventional neuroscience. This week’s roundup highlights key updates across multiple therapeutic areas.

Anxiety / OCD

Calcium surges in brain immune cells may switch anxiety on and off

New research suggests that microglia, the brain’s immune cells, may actively regulate anxiety, grooming, and obsessive-compulsive-related behaviours through calcium signalling. The findings could open new avenues for understanding how anxiety-related symptoms arise and persist.

Continue reading here:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-calcium-surges-brain-immune-cells.html

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OCD

After assault, OCD risk rises fastest in first year

A large Swedish data analysis found that assault and victimisation were associated with a significantly increased risk of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder, particularly within the first year after the traumatic event. The findings point to a potential critical window for mental health monitoring and intervention.

Continue reading here:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-assault-ocd-fastest-year-critical.html

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Alzheimer’s Disease / Brain Health

AHA calls for lifelong brain health strategy to prevent cognitive decline

A new American Heart Association scientific statement highlights how early-life exposures may influence later-life neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. The report emphasises modifiable factors including stress, sleep quality, systemic inflammation, environmental exposures, and social determinants of health.

Continue reading here:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260429/AHA-calls-for-lifelong-brain-health-strategy-to-prevent-cognitive-decline.aspx

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Multiple Sclerosis

Scientists discover how multiple sclerosis kills neurons

Researchers from UCSF, Cambridge and Cedars-Sinai have identified a mechanism linking inflammation, DNA damage, and grey matter neuronal loss in multiple sclerosis. The findings suggest that protecting vulnerable neurons may become an important therapeutic target alongside remyelination.

Continue reading here:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-multiple-sclerosis-neurons.html

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Neuroscience / Neurotechnology

Artificial neurons communicate with living brain cells

Northwestern University engineers have developed flexible artificial neurons capable of producing electrical signals that activate living brain cells. The technology could support future advances in neuroprosthetics, brain-machine interfaces, and biologically inspired computing.

Continue reading here:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260415/Northwestern-engineers-create-artificial-neurons-that-communicate-with-living-cells.aspx

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Neuroradiology / Drug Delivery

Two proteins may guide future blood-brain barrier drug delivery

Researchers have identified two proteins involved in controlling blood-brain barrier integrity. Understanding these mechanisms could help improve drug delivery into the brain for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and dementia.

Continue reading here:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blood-brain-barrier-proteins-future.html

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Myelin / Multiple Sclerosis

Glucose levels may guide when brain cells divide or form myelin

New findings suggest that glucose levels help regulate whether brain progenitor cells continue dividing or mature into myelin-forming cells. The research may have implications for disorders involving myelin loss, including multiple sclerosis.

Continue reading here:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-glucose-brain-cells-myelin.html

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Neurology Access

Patients wait an average of 50 days to see a neurologist for the first time

A new study found that patients wait an average of around 50 days for a first neurology appointment, with access affected by condition type, sex, geography and insurance. The findings highlight ongoing structural challenges in neurological care access.

Continue reading here:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-people-average-days-neurologist.html