Summary: New research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC)—a brain region commonly linked to understanding others—is more responsive to uncertainty than to social content itself. Functional MRI (fMRI) scans indicate that DMPFC activation increases when people face uncertain inferences across domains, including other people’s minds, human bodies, and … Read more

Summary: People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often bring cognitive strengths to entrepreneurship. Recent research from West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics shows that entrepreneurs with ADHD can gather and organize diverse stimuli from their surroundings and convert those inputs into practical resources for starting and running businesses. By developing … Read more

Summary: A study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience presents evidence that bacterial DNA and associated inflammation may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers report a markedly higher ratio of Actinobacteria to Proteobacteria in Alzheimer’s post-mortem brains compared with brains from cognitively healthy donors. Source: Frontiers. Altered bacterial profiles detected in Alzheimer’s disease brains … Read more

Researchers gain new evidence that local brain clocks help control sleep and wakefulness All animals, from insects to humans, have internal circadian clocks that track daily light-dark cycles and help coordinate when the body sleeps and when it is active. A master clock in the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is known to synchronise many of … Read more

Summary: Scientists have mapped how genetic variants influence the risk of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and bipolar disorder. By combining live human neural cell models with DNA sequencing and gene-regulation assays, researchers identified thousands of context-dependent, non-coding variants that act like regulatory switches during brain development. These non-coding variants … Read more

Summary: Maternal exposure to air pollution during mid-to-late pregnancy was associated with lower scores on tests of cognition, language, and motor skills in children at the age of two. Source: University of Colorado Toddlers whose mothers experienced higher levels of air pollution during mid- to late-pregnancy tended to score lower on measures of cognition, motor … Read more

Summary: Researchers at Columbia University report that targeting a specific serotonin receptor can strengthen memory formation. The study highlights the 5-HT4 receptor as a promising target to improve cognitive function. Source: Columbia University. Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) researchers have identified a serotonin receptor that, when targeted, can enhance memory formation — a discovery … Read more

Summary: Researchers have uncovered a key biological mechanism that promotes myelin repair and regeneration by studying the interaction between the Daam2 protein and the kinase CK2α. Myelin, the insulating sheath that enables fast, accurate nerve signaling, is essential for healthy brain function; when it is damaged, it contributes to serious neurological conditions. This research highlights … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that visual features which modulate the optokinetic reflex are encoded in the retina. Source: LMU. Contrast affects the optokinetic reflex—the mechanism that helps us keep the landscape in focus while riding a moving train—and LMU researchers now show that the retinal circuitry encodes the visual features that modulate this ability. When we … Read more

Summary: In an early Stanford Medicine review of U.S. COVID-19 patients, 31.9% reported gastrointestinal symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Loss of appetite and nausea or vomiting were each reported by about 22% of patients, while 12% experienced diarrhea. Abnormal liver tests were common: roughly 40% had elevated liver enzymes, which correlated with higher rates of … Read more