Summary: Researchers report that artificial intelligence systems can predict a person’s lifespan by analysing CT images of their organs. Source: University of Adelaide. Artificial intelligence that estimates a patient’s lifespan by examining standard medical scans has moved closer to clinical reality, according to a new study led by the University of Adelaide. The study, published … Read more

Summary: A mouse study identifies two groups of neurons in the posterior amygdala that act like behavioral “on-off switches” by communicating with the hypothalamus to control male mating and aggression. Source: NYU Langone Health Researchers report that two distinct sets of nerve cells in the posterior amygdala regulate male sexual and aggressive behaviors by sending … Read more

Summary: New research strengthens evidence linking personality traits to Alzheimer’s disease risk. The study found that brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s—amyloid and tau accumulation—can be detected earlier in people who score higher in neuroticism and lower in conscientiousness. Source: Florida State University Researchers at the Florida State University College of Medicine report that personality traits … Read more

Summary: New genetic research indicates that the cognitive capacity for human language existed at least 135,000 years ago, with language becoming widely used for social communication by about 100,000 years ago. By combining results from 15 genomic studies, researchers identify an early regional splitting of Homo sapiens populations around 135,000 years ago, a date that … Read more

Simvastatin Trialled as a Potential Neuroprotective Treatment for Parkinson’s Cholesterol-lowering drug Simvastatin is being tested as a potential neuroprotective treatment for Parkinson’s disease. A new multicentre clinical trial is underway across the UK to assess whether simvastatin, a widely used cholesterol-lowering drug (a statin), can slow progression in people living with Parkinson’s. Led by Plymouth … Read more

Summary: Researchers used neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers from people with the familial form of frontotemporal dementia (f-FTD) to build models of clinical and biomarker progression. These models reveal the likely temporal sequence of brain, fluid, and cognitive changes that occur before symptom onset and help define practical endpoints and enrollment strategies for prevention and early-treatment … Read more

Summary: Researchers have trained deep neural networks to accelerate the reconstruction of neural circuits and to infer synaptic connectivity from large-scale electron microscopy data. Neurobiologists Program a Neural Network to Map the Brain’s Wiring Understanding how consciousness and complex behaviors emerge from neural activity depends critically on knowing how neurons connect to one another. These … Read more

Summary: New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows that adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus not only adds new neurons to hippocampal circuits but also redistributes synaptic connections from older, mature neurons to those newly born cells. The study also uncovers a role for the Bax gene in synaptic pruning within this … Read more

Summary: A new study reveals how the brain’s perception of meaning shifts when a person is under the influence of LSD. Source: University of Zurich. Researchers at the University of Zurich have identified how LSD alters the brain’s assignment of personal meaning. The study shows that activation of the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor drives these … Read more

Summary: A new study indicates that carriers of a specific mutation in the serotonin 2B receptor may have lower risk of obesity and increased insulin sensitivity, which could influence risk for type 2 diabetes. Source: University of Helsinki. Researchers at the University of Helsinki report that a point mutation in the serotonin 2B receptor gene … Read more