Summary: Populations of dopamine neurons do more than signal simple reward prediction errors. They encode detailed, probabilistic maps of possible future outcomes—tracking not only whether a reward will occur but when it might arrive and how large it could be. This heterogeneous code resembles distributional reinforcement learning approaches used in modern AI. Researchers at the … Read more
Summary: A new study finds that strong family bonds and active parental engagement are associated with longer, healthier sleep in children aged roughly 9 to 11. Everyday routines such as eating dinner together, talking about plans for the next day, and taking part in neighborhood activities correlated with higher rates of sufficient sleep, while frequent … Read more
Summary: Researchers have found reverse transcriptase (RT) enzymatic activity in aging human neurons and in brains affected by Alzheimer’s disease. That activity appears to come from truncated variants of LINE1 (L1) elements—ancient mobile genetic sequences that can encode RT. Because several FDA-approved HIV medications target RT, these drugs could potentially be repurposed for clinical trials … Read more
Summary: A new study shows that multitasking is not a single, universal skill but a combination of broad cognitive abilities and task-specific skills. Researchers assessed 224 participants across nine different multitasking paradigms, including concurrent tasks, task-switching, and complex multitasking simulations. The results indicate that task-switching performance mainly reflects a general multitasking ability that transfers across … Read more
Summary: The FDA has approved ENCELTO, the first treatment for macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), a rare progressive retinal disease that impairs central vision. ENCELTO is a surgically implanted device that delivers a continuous dose of the neuroprotective protein ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) to preserve retinal cells and slow disease progression. Developed by Neurotech Pharmaceuticals … Read more
Summary: In a real-world observational study, researchers evaluated the psychological impact of the October 7 Nova Festival attack in southern Israel and examined how peri-traumatic use of psychoactive substances related to survivors’ symptoms. Among 343 surveyed attendees, those who had taken classic psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, or 2C‑B reported notably lower levels of … Read more
Summary: A recent study from the University of Western Ontario finds that nostalgia—memories and emotions tied to past experiences—strongly motivates people to dance, even more than mere familiarity with a song. Young adults rated a series of popular tracks for how much each made them want to tap, move, or dance, and also reported how … Read more
Summary: New research presented at SLEEP 2025 finds that bedtime procrastination in young adults is linked to specific personality traits—particularly higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness and extraversion—and to emotional patterns resembling depressive tendencies. These relationships persisted even after accounting for chronotype, indicating that emotional health and personality contribute to delaying bedtime beyond natural sleep-wake preferences. … Read more
Summary: New research finds an association between low-calorie and other restrictive diets and a small increase in depressive symptoms, particularly among men and people who are overweight. The large observational analysis evaluated diet patterns and depression scores in more than 28,000 U.S. adults using nationally representative survey data. Participants reporting calorie- or nutrient-restrictive eating patterns … Read more
Summary: New research demonstrates that even mild, prolonged reductions in oxygen intake can markedly weaken the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in aging brains. In experiments with C57BL/6J mice aged from 2 to 23 months, older animals experienced four to six times more BBB leakage under comparable hypoxic conditions than younger mice. The study also found elevated … Read more
