Brain and Nervous System News & Features

The FDA has approved nipocalimab, a myasthenia gravis treatment designed to help control the disease better over time. Learn how it works and who it might help.

May 2, 2025 — The FDA approves Imaavy, a groundbreaking treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), offering symptom relief and reduced autoantibody levels in adults and children over 12.

Creatine has long been used as an athletic performance enhancer. Does it also help the brain? Find out what researchers are learning.

March 11, 2025 — The FDA approved Soliris for children aged 6 and older with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), offering new hope for managing this autoimmune neuromuscular disorder.

Richard Nowak, MD, director of the Myasthenia Gravis Clinic at the Yale School of Medicine, discusses advances made in MG treatment and care over the last decade.

Ashley Brooks talks about the unique challenges of navigating MG as a Black woman.

February 24, 2025 — The FDA has approved a new pill for adults with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX), a rare genetic disease that makes it hard for the body to handle cholesterol properly.

February 4, 2025 — Microplastics have been found in the brain, showing they can cross the blood-brain barrier, and the amounts of the tiny plastic bits inside our bodies appear to be increasing at a rate that reflects the increasing amount of global plastic waste.

January 28, 2025 — Voice disorders are on the rise. We asked experts how to keep speaking loud and clear.

An individual living with myasthenia gravis explains how they came to accept and love their life after diagnosis.

A doctor discusses new treatments for myasthenia gravis in the research pipeline and how they may improve patients’ lives.

An MG patient and advocate talks about her advocacy work to help improve life for other people with MG.

Consejos de cómo explicarle a tus seres queridos que tienes miastenia grave.

October 29, 2024 — New evidence suggests that rapidly shaking your head after a big hit could indicate a serious brain injury. But why do people do that, anyway?

July 31, 2024 — Pivotal phase III trial data has been released for drug, a special type of protein that stops a harmful reaction in the body that could make Guillain-Barre symptoms worse.

April 5, 2024 — Investigators have created the first images that accurately depict facial distortions experienced by people with PMO, a rare visual disorder that is often mistaken for mental illness.

March 29, 2024 — The CDC is warning health care providers in the United States to be on the watch for a rare bacterial illness that can lead to meningitis and possibly death.

A doctor who treats myasthenia gravis patients details how treatment has evolved and how new treatment options have affected management of the condition.

Navigating a myasthenia gravis diagnosis as a young adult and in a rigid health care system, a young woman advocates for herself and her health.

Genetic testing for hATTR or other progressive diseases can be an emotional process. Learn the pros and cons, and what to do with the information you get.

hATTR with polyneuropathy is a rare progressive disease that affects many parts of the body, but most specifically the nerves in your hands and feet.

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR) with polyneuropathy is rare, but with diagnosis through genetic testing, you can find answers and treatment.

A look at how hATTR advances, and working with your doctor to get palliative and end-of-life care.

January 10, 2024 — A new study from Harvard University’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear offers groundbreaking insight into the role the brain plays in tinnitus – and its surprising significance.

One woman details her decision to get a thymectomy.

December 27, 2023 — People who lived alone with pets had slower rates of cognitive decline based on those test results when compared to people who lived entirely alone.

A doctor who regularly treats myasthenia gravis patients details what he has learned from them and how he applies those lessons to his own life.

A patient living with myasthenia gravis talks about the most helpful – and hurtful – advice she has received since her diagnosis.

November 6, 2023 — Older people enrolled in tai chi classes showed improved performance on memory tests, especially if they took a more challenging form of the exercise, says a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

November 2, 2023 — We know being creative is good for your brain and mental health -- and you can get better at it. Here are eight ways.

October 12, 2023 — New sensors can transform earbuds into powerful health monitors that track brain activity and lactate levels in sweat. They could help doctors diagnose, monitor, and treat disease.

August 29, 2023 — Among contact sport athletes younger than 30 years old, researchers found that 4 in 10 had the brain disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

July 19, 2023 — In a three-year study of how diet affects brain health, subjects on a diet to improve brain health did not show significant improvement over subjects on a less restrictive diet.

An expert shares his perspective on how to get to remission with myasthenia gravis.

Life with a chronic illness can take a toll on your work, social life, and family. Read one woman’s story about how to manage well-being with myasthenia gravis.

Myasthenia gravis didn’t stop Charlotte Laycock from summiting one of the world’s tallest mountains. Read her story here.

After living with myasthenia gravis for over 20 years, SeAndrea Collins has learned how to manage her condition and still do the things she loves.

July 12, 2023 — Mind-altering drugs could open the brain to a state of childlike learning, aiding recovery from psychological trauma, brain injury, or paralysis.

July 10, 2023 — After three family members from three different generations died of ALS, I took the chance on a clinical trial to see if I had a greater risk of developing the disease.

June 20, 2023 — A person’s brain gradually shrinks with age, but a new study suggests that people who regularly take short, daytime naps may thwart that aging process by the equivalent of 2 to 6 years.

June 13, 2023 — Researchers have discovered why light to moderate alcohol consumption may be linked to a reduced risk of heart problems. Brain imaging revealed that the area of the brain associated with stress response was different in light to moderate drinkers, compared to people who drank very little or abstained.

June 2, 2023 — The number of brain abscesses in children rose sharply last winter, along with the number of respiratory infections, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Thursday.

June 1, 2023 — The shape of the brain might play a greater role on our thoughts, feelings, and actions than traditionally believed, according to a new study in the journal Nature.

Myasthenia gravis finances: What to expect, what to plan for, how to navigate insurance, where to find financial assistance.

May 30, 2023 — A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that consuming certain nutrients may help the brain stave off the effects of aging. This latest indication, from researchers at Columbia and Harvard universities, shows that older people who had a diet low in flavanols boosted their scores on memory tests by 16% after taking a flavanol pill for one year.

May 25, 2023 — Older people who took a daily multivitamin for 1 year appeared to stave off the equivalent of 3 years of age-related decline in mental skills, according to a new study.

May 5, 2023 — In a first-of-its-kind in-utero surgery, researchers have successfully repaired a vein of Galen malformation, which often leads to heart failure, severe brain injury, or possibly death soon after birth.

May 3, 2023 — The drug maker Sarepta Therapeutics is seeking FDA approval to treat a rare form of muscular dystrophy with what would be the first gene therapy OK’d through the agency’s accelerated approval process.

May 2, 2023 — It’s an increasingly common trend: U.S. adults who are taking a stimulant medication, together with other drugs that target the central nervous system, such as antidepressants, opioids, and anti-anxiety medications.