Summary: A new study finds that older adults who remain socially engaged have a substantially lower risk of death over four years compared with peers who report low social participation. The analysis of 2,268 U.S. adults aged 60 and older shows that high levels of social engagement — including volunteering, involvement with family, and membership … Read more

Summary: A recent study has identified abnormal DNA methylation patterns in the dorsal raphe, a brain region central to serotonin signaling, in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By analyzing postmortem brain tissue, researchers detected epigenetic alterations in genes linked to sensory perception, serotonin regulation, and synaptic function, revealing potential molecular pathways that contribute to … Read more

Summary: A new long-term study confirms that children of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder face a clearly elevated risk of developing mental health problems compared with peers whose parents have no psychiatric diagnosis. Over a four-year follow-up, researchers tracked 238 children aged 6–17 and identified distinct symptom patterns tied to whether a parent had … Read more

Summary: Two recent studies indicate that ezogabine, a drug previously approved for epilepsy, may relieve depressive symptoms by acting on potassium channels in the brain. The research shows ezogabine can normalize activity in reward-related regions—most notably the ventral tegmental area (VTA)—and reduce abnormal communication between reward circuits and brain regions linked to negative thinking, suggesting … Read more

Summary: New research shows that small, shallow grooves on the human brain—known as tertiary sulci—are closely associated with reasoning skills and functional brain connectivity in children and adolescents. These uniquely human folds appear to reduce distances between specific brain regions, improving communication and supporting higher cognitive functions. In an fMRI study from the University of … Read more

Summary: Researchers have engineered a suite of adeno-associated virus (AAV) systems that deliver genes to specific neuron and glial subtypes in the brain and spinal cord with unprecedented precision. Driven by AI-selected DNA “enhancers” that act like cell-type-specific light switches, these vectors activate therapeutic or research genes only in designated cells. This approach reduces reliance … Read more

Summary: A recent study from the Kennedy Krieger Institute finds that nearly 40% of children evaluated for long COVID report meaningful symptoms of anxiety or depression, and many of these cases are new. Using validated mental health screening tools, researchers observed that roughly one in four children developed new anxiety symptoms and about one in … Read more

Summary: A new scientific review maps the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie how the brain forms, consolidates, generalizes, and updates memories. The analysis clarifies where memories are stored, how they change over time, and how their emotional content can be modified—insights that have important implications for disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent … Read more

Summary: New research from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital reveals that TEAD proteins, previously known mainly for driving proliferation of neural progenitor cells, also play a decisive role in their maturation. TEADs promote proliferation when partnered with YAP early in development, but later associate with INSM1 to trigger differentiation into neurons and glia. This partner … Read more

Summary: A new study examines how peer pressure and misperceptions about college drinking norms can push students to drink more than they intend. Many students overestimate how much their classmates drink, and that misperception increases risky drinking and negative outcomes. The research also shows that simple protective behavioral strategies (PBS)—such as pacing drinks or avoiding … Read more