Summary: Researchers urge parents to check on sleeping children to spot signs of sleep-disordered breathing that can affect health, behaviour and learning. Source: University of South Australia Most parents are familiar with the evening struggle to get children to bed and the relief when they finally fall asleep. But sleep quality matters: what happens while … Read more

Research shows that spending time in natural settings protects against a wide range of illnesses—including depression, diabetes, obesity, ADHD, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and more. For years, the mechanisms behind these health benefits remained unclear. After reviewing hundreds of studies on nature’s effects, Ming Kuo, an environment and behavior researcher at the University of Illinois, … Read more

Summary: Certain early symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), such as blurry vision and sphincter dysfunction, appear to be associated with higher odds of long-term disability. A recent clinical analysis found that people who experienced these symptoms at disease onset were more likely to develop more severe functional impairment over time. This research may help clinicians … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a new protein-based tool that can modify brain activity and memory in targeted ways without using drugs or chemicals. Source: USC. GFE3 may help researchers map the brain’s connections and control neural activity. Scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have created a novel protein tool that can selectively alter … Read more

Summary: Using optogenetics, researchers precisely controlled oxytocin-producing neurons and found that oxytocin can amplify both friendly and aggressive social behaviors. Source: Max Planck Institute During pandemic lockdowns many couples experienced intensified emotions—some grew closer while others grew apart. Oxytocin, a peptide made in the brain, may help explain this duality. As a neuromodulator, oxytocin can … Read more

Summary: A new multi-site study of 74 participants shows strong potential for intravenous (IV) ketamine to rapidly relieve severe depression and bipolar disorder that have not responded to standard treatments. The Bio-K study found that after three IV ketamine infusions delivered over 11 days, 52% of participants reached remission. Among those who had frequent suicidal … Read more

Summary: National survey data show that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is diagnosed nearly twice as often in sexual minority adults as in heterosexual adults. Researchers suggest this disparity may reflect clinician bias and a failure to account for the stressful, stigmatizing environments many lesbian, gay and bisexual people face. Source: University of Michigan Health care … Read more

Summary: A large-scale study from Aarhus University found that unusually strong synchronization between brain activity and the stomach’s slow rhythmic waves is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. Using functional MRI together with electrogastrography in 243 participants, the researchers observed that stronger stomach–brain coupling correlated with greater self-reported mental distress, suggesting … Read more

Summary: New research links a specific speech sound—the trilled “/r/”—with words for rough textures across many of the world’s languages. Source: University of Birmingham Researchers report that words for rough surfaces in many languages are far more likely to include a trilled /r/ sound—a pattern that their evidence suggests has persisted for millennia. The study … Read more

Summary: Researchers identified a protein that helps zebrafish rebuild severed spinal cord tissue, a discovery that may guide new approaches to human tissue repair. Source: Duke. Healing Protein Bridges Severed Tissue in Fish A common freshwater zebrafish may cost little at a pet store, but it demonstrates an extraordinary ability: its spinal cord can fully … Read more