Summary: A preclinical, NIH-funded study links gut bacteria and innate immune signaling to cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs), a genetic cerebrovascular condition that can cause seizures and stroke. Source: NIH/NINDS. NIH-funded preclinical research connects gut microbes and immune signaling with a genetic disorder that can lead to stroke and seizures. New animal and human data show … Read more

Summary: New research indicates that spending more time looking at oneself during a virtual meeting is linked to a decline in mood over the course of the conversation. Source: University of Illinois Researchers report that people who focus on their own video feed during an online conversation tend to experience a worsening mood, and that … Read more

Children born to mothers who were vitamin D deficient during early pregnancy appear to face a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in adulthood, according to a report published in JAMA Neurology. Previous research has linked higher vitamin D levels in adulthood with a lower risk of MS, and some studies have also suggested … Read more

Summary: Researchers have discovered that a combination of natural compounds can reverse age-related declines in neuronal energy and promote removal of toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The treatment—nicotinamide (a form of vitamin B3) together with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea antioxidant—restores guanosine triphosphate (GTP) levels in aged neurons, reactivating key cellular cleanup systems … Read more

A star-shaped brain cell known as an astrocyte helps maintain stable blood pressure and blood flow within the brain, researchers report. Astrocytes have finger-like extensions called endfeet that wrap around the brain’s delicate blood vessels. These endfeet continuously monitor conditions inside and around the vessels, functioning much like a clinician watching a patient’s blood pressure, … Read more

Summary: Using artificial intelligence and robotic automation, researchers have stabilized an enzyme that can break down scar tissue formed after spinal cord injury, extending its activity and opening new possibilities for sustained tissue repair. Source: Rutgers Researchers at Rutgers have combined AI-driven design and liquid-handling robotics to develop formulations that stabilize Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), an … Read more

Summary: A new study finds that facial expressions can interfere with our ability to distinguish unfamiliar faces. Source: University of Bristol. Faces are dynamic. Even within a single conversation, expressions shift and head angle changes; over longer periods, features like hair, facial hair, and weight can alter appearance. People we know remain recognizable despite these … Read more

Neurophysiological Evidence of Human Empathy for Robots in Perceived Pain Empathy is a fundamental human capacity: we routinely sense and respond to the pain and distress of others, offering comfort and support. As humanoid robots become more common in daily life, understanding how humans respond to robots in social and emotional contexts is increasingly important. … Read more

Summary: TNFR1 receptors organize into ordered clusters on the cell surface, joining trimers into higher-order oligomers that drive pro-inflammatory signaling linked to many diseases. Source: University of Reading New research reveals that inflammation is regulated by a distinct, highly organized arrangement of receptors that move and assemble across the cell surface. The findings, published in … Read more

Summary: New research shows that prosody—the rhythm, melodic stress, pitch contours and pauses of speech—plays a central role in infants’ language learning and cognitive development. Subtle pitch cues help 9‑month‑old babies detect grammatical relationships between words that are separated in a sentence, improving their ability to identify distant, nonadjacent regularities. The findings emphasize how small … Read more