Summary: Maternal stress during pregnancy increases the likelihood that female offspring will develop binge-eating-like behavior, but a methyl-balanced diet during adolescence can prevent this predisposition, new mouse research shows. Source: Cell Press. Stress alters eating behavior, and new preclinical research in mice indicates that the cause may involve biological programming as well as psychology. A … Read more

Study first to link maternal chemical exposure with changes in fetal motor activity and heart rate Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health report the first evidence that higher maternal exposure to certain persistent environmental contaminants is associated with measurable differences in fetal behavior. In an exploratory study of 50 pregnant women, … Read more

Summary: Researchers used induced pluripotent stem cells reprogrammed from the skin of people with Tourette syndrome to grow three-dimensional basal ganglia organoids. These patient-derived models reproduce developmental differences in the basal ganglia, reveal a deficit of inhibitory interneurons and disrupted patterning, and point to a potential developmental mechanism involving altered Sonic Hedgehog signaling. Source: Yale … Read more

Summary: A new study finds that, unlike bacteria, fungi in the gut do not appear to be associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The findings argue against using intestinal anti-fungal therapies to treat PD symptoms. Source: IOS Press Researchers at the University of British Columbia evaluated whether the fungal component of the gut microbiome—the mycobiome—is linked … Read more

Summary: New research links ancient viral DNA embedded in the human genome—known as human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs)—to genetic risk for two major neurodegenerative disorders: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS). By analysing hundreds of brain samples with advanced genomic methods, researchers identified specific HERV expression signatures associated with disease susceptibility, revealing potential genetic … Read more

Summary: A new UCLA-led study shows that repetitive practice not only sharpens skills but also drives lasting changes in the brain’s working memory circuits. By training mice to remember sequences of odors and tracking brain activity over days, researchers observed that initially unstable memory patterns gradually stabilize into persistent representations in the secondary motor cortex. … Read more

Summary: Variants in the inflammatory gene RIPK1 have been identified in people with obesity. These variants increase RIPK1 expression in adipose tissue, which is linked to a higher risk of obesity. Source: University of Queensland Researchers at The University of Queensland have found that a gene that controls inflammation can increase the risk of obesity … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that analysing the painting styles of artists using mathematical methods can reveal signs of neurodegenerative disorders before clinical diagnosis. Source: University of Liverpool. New research from the University of Liverpool, published in Neuropsychology, indicates that subtle changes in artists’ brushwork can help detect early signs of neurodegenerative disease. Psychologist Dr Alex Forsythe … Read more

Summary: A longitudinal study from researchers at UT Health San Antonio links higher midlife cortisol levels with greater brain amyloid accumulation—a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease—specifically among post‑menopausal women. Tracking 305 cognitively healthy adults over about 15 years, the team found that elevated cortisol in midlife predicted later amyloid deposition in women who had experienced menopause, … Read more

Summary: Resting-state neuroimaging can reveal brain connectivity patterns associated with suicide risk. In young adults with mood disorders, those who have attempted suicide show reduced connectivity within the cognitive control network (CCN) and weakened connections between the CCN and the default mode network (DMN), compared with peers who have not attempted suicide. Source: University of … Read more