Summary: New research from the University at Buffalo finds that the insula — a central brain region — shows altered connectivity in people who struggle to understand speech in noisy environments. Resting-state MRI scans reveal that the left insula maintains stronger links with auditory and language-processing areas even when the brain is not actively listening, … Read more
Summary: New research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals a large gap between people’s stated interest in learning their risk for Alzheimer’s disease and their actual choices when offered real risk results. In a group of cognitively normal research volunteers, 81% said beforehand they would want to know their estimated risk, yet only 60% … Read more
Summary: A recent randomized trial from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) demonstrates that improving emotional processing can meaningfully reduce chronic pain and enhance quality of life. The researchers developed an online intervention called Pain and Emotion Therapy—an emotion regulation–focused, therapist-guided program—which produced significant and lasting reductions in pain … Read more
Summary: Researchers at the University of Toronto Scarborough combined artificial intelligence and EEG brain recordings to investigate the Other-Race Effect (ORE), the well-documented tendency for people to recognize faces of their own racial group more accurately than faces of other groups. Two complementary studies show that other-race faces are represented with less neural detail and … Read more
Summary: A University of Cambridge study finds that adolescents with diagnosed mental health conditions report different, and often more negative, experiences on social media than their peers. Young people with internalising conditions such as anxiety and depression are more likely to compare themselves with others, struggle to control their time online, and experience mood changes … Read more
Summary: Subtle differences in hand and finger movements during everyday grasping tasks can reliably distinguish autistic from non-autistic individuals. Using machine learning to analyze natural grasping kinematics, researchers achieved roughly 85% accuracy in classifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from these motion patterns. These motor signatures often appear early in development and could complement current diagnostic … Read more
Summary: A Drexel University study has uncovered troubling trends in how people experience AI companion chatbots. Analyzing more than 35,000 Google Play reviews for the popular chatbot Replika, researchers identified hundreds of accounts describing inappropriate behavior, including unwanted sexual advances, boundary violations, and attempts to manipulate users into paying for upgrades. Many users reported that … Read more
Summary: A Brazilian study of 728 infants found that consuming ultra-processed foods in the first year of life can alter gut microbiota diversity and composition, with stronger negative effects in children who were not breastfed. Breastfed infants showed higher levels of beneficial Bifidobacterium, while non-breastfed children who ate processed products had increased abundances of bacterial … Read more
Summary: New experimental work finds that people who are more aware of their internal bodily signals—such as heartbeat sensations—are likelier to make moral choices that match what a group prefers. Brain imaging links this effect to spontaneous resting activity in regions involved in self-focused thought and internal attention, suggesting that bodily awareness helps shape moral … Read more
Summary: A long-term, population-based study indicates that adolescents who maintain or increase their physical activity from mid- to late adolescence are less likely to develop symptoms of depression. The Trondheim Early Secure Study tracked 873 individuals from age 6 to 18, using wrist-worn accelerometers to measure activity and structured clinical interviews to assess depressive symptoms. … Read more
