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

Summary: Researchers have developed CAPPSID, a new cancer therapy that coordinates bacteria and viruses to infiltrate and eliminate tumors. The approach conceals an oncolytic virus inside tumor-seeking Salmonella typhimurium, allowing the virus to evade immune detection and reach cancer sites. Once inside cancer cells, the bacteria release the viral genome so the virus can replicate … Read more

Summary: New research shows that friendships formed during adolescence shape wellbeing into adulthood. Both the type of connections teens form and the timing of those relationships matter: broad social acceptance in early adolescence predicts better mental and physical health later on, while the quality of intimate friendships in late adolescence relates to stronger job satisfaction … Read more

Summary: Researchers suggest that activating specific immune checkpoints in microglia could help restore the balance between neuroprotection and neurotoxicity in several neurodegenerative diseases. Source: Mass General. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) propose that targeting immune checkpoints—molecules that regulate immune activity—in microglia may reduce the damaging inflammation that accompanies major neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s … Read more

Giving machine-learning systems “partial credit” during training improves image classification. Machine learning, the foundation of many modern artificial-intelligence applications, operates on probabilistic principles. For example, an image-recognition model might infer that a picture contains a dog with 60 percent probability and a cat with 30 percent probability. Traditional training approaches treat every incorrect label the … Read more

Summary: Optogenetic stimulation of the amygdala increases the motivation to consume cocaine in rats, producing behavior that resembles aspects of addiction. Source: University of Michigan. Activation of an Amygdala Circuit Intensifies Cocaine Seeking Researchers at the University of Michigan have identified a region within the amygdala that can dramatically amplify an animal’s motivation to obtain … Read more