Summary: Engineers have created VoxeLite, the first wearable haptic device that reaches the sensitivity of the human fingertip. Built as a paper-thin, flexible bandage for the finger, it uses dense electroadhesive “pixels of touch” to recreate fine textures and directional cues with lifelike precision. VoxeLite overcomes two major barriers in haptics—spatial and temporal resolution—so users … Read more
Summary: A new study in mice shows that briefly anesthetizing the retina of the weaker eye can restore its influence on the adult visual cortex. The treatment triggers a specific burst-firing pattern in thalamic relay neurons — a developmental activity mode that reopens plasticity even after the usual critical period has ended. Crucially, the restorative … Read more
Summary: A new meta-analysis of six randomized, placebo-controlled trials found that lithium supplementation, using conventional salts, does not significantly slow cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although preclinical studies indicate lithium can protect against amyloid and tau pathology, those benefits were not observed in clinical outcomes with standard … Read more
Summary: Scientists have identified how the brain measures time to produce precisely timed actions. Their experiments reveal a neural “hourglass” mechanism in which the motor cortex sends timing signals that accumulate in the striatum. When accumulated activity reaches a threshold, an action is initiated. Brief interruptions of either region interrupt this internal timer: suppressing the … Read more
Summary: New research reveals that spontaneous eye blinks naturally synchronize with the beat of music, uncovering a subtle form of auditory-motor synchronization that occurs without conscious movement. In experiments with more than 100 nonmusician participants listening to steady-tempo classical pieces, both blinks and neural activity aligned with the rhythm. This alignment persisted even when the … Read more
Summary: New research shows that losing a single ion channel, TRPM1, is sufficient to trigger persistent rhythmic electrical oscillations in the retina. These pathological oscillations appear in conditions such as congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). By comparing Trpm1 and mGluR6 knockout mice, the study identifies a destabilized circuit between rod bipolar … Read more
Summary: A large international genetic study has identified rare, high-impact variants in three genes—MAP1A, ANO8 and ANK2—that substantially increase the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although these variants are uncommon, they have strong biological effects on genes expressed in dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons and appear to influence brain development from fetal stages into adulthood. Carriers … Read more
Summary: A new wearable system combines stretchable electronics with deep learning to interpret human gestures accurately in chaotic, high-motion environments. Unlike many gesture-based wearables that fail when motion noise overwhelms signals, this soft, patch-based device filters interference in real time so everyday gestures can reliably control machines such as robotic arms. Validated across activities from … Read more
Summary: A rare intracranial recording study shows that tirzepatide, a combined GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist, can transiently suppress craving-related neural activity in a central reward circuit of the human brain. Implanted electrodes in a patient with treatment-resistant obesity and longstanding loss of control eating captured a shutdown of signaling in the nucleus accumbens shortly … Read more
Summary: New research reveals that the human brain separates the objective identity of an odor from its subjective emotional quality, processing each at different times. Shortly after an odor is inhaled, fast neural activity encodes molecular features that support precise odor discrimination. Only later does a distinct neural signal reflect how pleasant or unpleasant the … Read more
