Summary: Facial expression analysis shows bronze medalists were more likely to smile on the podium than silver medalists, while gold medalists displayed the happiest expressions overall. Source: University of Minnesota This Friday, when the Summer Olympics begin in Tokyo, gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded across more than 300 events. Earlier research—based on … Read more

Friendships with mentally healthy peers protect adolescents from depression, University of Warwick-led study finds A new study led by researchers at the University of Warwick shows that having friends with healthy moods does not harm others’ mental health—in fact, it can substantially lower the risk of developing depression and increase the likelihood of recovery among … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that when the brain decodes a sentence in English or Portuguese, the neural activation patterns are essentially the same. Same Neural Signatures for Sentence Meaning Across English and Portuguese An international research team led by Carnegie Mellon University has demonstrated that the brain represents the meaning of sentences in English and Portuguese … Read more

Summary: Researchers say resolving a key debate about how multiple items are held and evaluated in working memory is essential to understanding how the brain maintains its “sketchpad of conscious thought.” Source: MIT Researchers debate the mechanisms behind working memory—specifically whether the prefrontal cortex sustains information through continuous neural firing or through brief, coordinated bursts … Read more

Genetic Factors Play a Significant Role in Adult Insomnia, Twin Study Finds Summary: A large longitudinal twin study indicates that genetic influences substantially contribute to insomnia symptoms in adults and that these genetic effects are stronger in women than in men. While genetics account for a meaningful portion of insomnia risk, individual environmental factors remain … Read more

Summary: Watching someone appear to be touched or hurt on screen can activate your own brain’s touch-processing systems in an organized, body-specific way. Visual regions of the brain contain hidden body maps that let sight alone evoke echoes of touch sensations normally produced by physical contact. These vicarious body maps align both with where a … Read more

TAU researchers find chemicals in marijuana could help treat MS. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the central nervous system, damaging nerve fibers and their insulating myelin sheaths. The condition can cause a wide range of disabling motor, sensory and cognitive symptoms. The causes of MS … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a connection between age-related hearing loss and a decline in cholesterol levels within the inner ear. This reduction particularly affects outer hair cells (OHCs), specialized sensory cells that amplify sound. The findings suggest that replacing lost cholesterol with cholesterol-like plant compounds could preserve OHC function and slow or prevent some forms … Read more

Summary: Camostat mesylate, an oral medication commonly used to treat pancreatitis, was associated with reduced loss of smell and taste in people with early COVID-19 infection. Source: Yale Researchers at Yale School of Medicine found an unexpected benefit of camostat mesylate: patients who received the drug in an early outpatient trial experienced less loss of … Read more

Summary: A new, custom-built microscope gives neuroscientists an unprecedented close-up view of how a synapse works in living tissue. Source: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Custom-built microscope reveals how neurons communicate at the synapse The brain contains an immensely complex network of nerve cells that exchange electrical and chemical signals at remarkable … Read more