Summary: New research identifies the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as a key brain region that enables animals to infer hidden states of their environment. In carefully controlled experiments with rats, scientists show that animals use inferred knowledge about reward availability to guide waiting behavior, and that silencing the OFC abolishes this capacity. These results clarify an … Read more

Summary: A multinational team used one of the world’s fastest supercomputers to build the most detailed digital simulation of a mouse cortex to date. The biophysically realistic model reproduces neuronal structure and activity, enabling virtual experiments on brain disorders, cognition, seizures and other neural processes. Combining biological datasets from the Allen Institute with the extraordinary … Read more

Summary: New research finds that people often expect to feel worse when they tell others about their own good deeds than when they keep those acts private or share personal achievements. Across five studies, participants anticipated greater shame and embarrassment when publicizing altruistic behavior, in part because they feared appearing motivated by reputation or social … Read more

Summary: New research from the University of Alberta shows that women with long COVID exhibit distinct biological disruptions — including gut inflammation, impaired red blood cell production (anemia), and altered sex hormone levels — that help explain their more severe and persistent symptoms. These conclusions are based on immune profiling, biomarker measurement, and transcriptomic analyses … Read more

Summary: Researchers surveyed more than 4,300 people to create the first large-scale inventory of modern, real-life risky choices, revealing which decisions people actually struggle with in everyday life. Contrary to common assumptions, the most frequent risks were not recreational or purely financial but job-related decisions such as quitting or starting a new role. Health, financial, … Read more

Summary: A new study shows that the brain’s responsiveness and its capacity for learning change over the course of the day. Molecules such as adenosine, which link metabolism, sleep pressure, and neuronal signaling, help gate these daily shifts. Using optogenetics to deliver identical stimuli at different times, researchers observed that the same neurons in the … Read more

Summary: A new analysis of more than 5,000 adults shows that people with lower incomes and members of racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in research carry a greater burden of modifiable dementia risk factors. Vision loss and social isolation were especially prominent among those living below the poverty line, indicating that better access to … Read more

Summary: A new cross-sectional study reports that low dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids is linked to increased ADHD symptoms among Palestinian early adolescents. The researchers found that socioeconomic disparities—particularly limited access to omega-3–rich foods such as fish, nuts and seeds—worsen attention and behavioral difficulties. These findings point to nutrition as a practical, low-cost public … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that lecanemab—the anti-amyloid drug designed to clear amyloid-β plaques—did not restore the brain’s glymphatic waste-clearance function within three months. Using MRI-based DTI-ALPS imaging to evaluate perivascular fluid movement, the study detected no measurable recovery in glymphatic activity shortly after treatment. The findings suggest that by the time symptoms appear and treatment begins, … Read more

Summary: A large international analysis of 86,149 people across 27 European countries finds that speaking more than one language is associated with slower biological and cognitive aging. Using AI-driven biobehavioral aging clocks, researchers measured “biobehavioral age gaps” and found that multilingualism corresponds to substantially lower odds of accelerated aging compared with monolingualism. The advantage appears … Read more