In a new study published in The Lancet Digital Health, scientists at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute have discovered that the brains of people who experience severe physical impairment after a stroke may reorganize themselves in unexpected ways, showing signs of “younger” brain structure in undamaged regions as they adapt to injury. The international research effort is part of the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Stroke Recovery Working Group, which analyzed brain scans from more than 500 stroke survivors across 34 research sites in eight countries. Using deep learning models trained on tens of thousands of MRI scans, the researchers estimated the “brain age” of different regions in each hemisphere to see how stroke damage affects brain structure and recovery. The research team used an advanced form of artificial intelligence known as a graph convolutional network to predict the biological age of 18 brain regions from MRI data. When the team associated these measurements with motor performance scores, they found a striking pattern: stroke survivors with severe movement deficits, even after more than 6 months of rehabilitation, showed younger-than-expected brain age in regions opposite the lesion, particularly within the frontoparietal network, a key system involved in motor planning, attention, and coordination. By observing how patterns of brain aging and reorganization develop over time, clinicians might be able to customize interventions based on each patient’s unique neural adaptation process, ultimately improving recovery outcomes and quality of life in the near future.

A 15-minute plasma pretreatment helped recover lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries, pointing to a lower-chemical, lower-energy approach to recycling.

Kyoto, Japan -- In February 2023, a resident at Kyoto University's Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior -- EHUB -- treated researchers to a spontaneous musical performance. Ayumu, a 26 year-old male chimpanzee, removed floorboards from a walkway and used them to drum while he let out complex and structured sounds similar to vocal expressions. It was something the researchers had never seen him do before.

Ayumu's drumming is nothing new. Chimpanzees are well know for their instrumental behaviors, and are particularly adept at drumming. But on this occasion, Ayumu's combination of drumming and vocalization -- exhibiting multiple rhythmic components -- was a completely novel case.

After recording 89 of Ayumu's spontaneous performances between February 2023 and March 2025, a team of EHUB researchers started analyzing the videos. The recordings also provided proof of the process by which Ayumu removed floorboards from the walkway and used them as tools to make music.