Study in humans and rats finds increased FGF9 and physical changes in depressed brains Depression often evokes images of loss, low mood, and diminished function. However, new research reveals that some molecular factors may be elevated, not reduced, in depressed brains. Scientists have identified increased levels of fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) in the hippocampus … Read more

Summary: Responsive deep brain stimulation targeting the nucleus accumbens reduced binge episodes and supported weight loss in two patients with loss-of-control binge eating disorder. Source: University of Pennsylvania Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report encouraging results from a small clinical pilot in which an implanted device detected craving-related … Read more

Summary: A new study from the University of Iowa identifies three distinct strategies people use to recognize spoken words: “Wait and See,” “Sustained Activation,” and “Slow Activation.” These approaches appear across people with normal hearing and those who use cochlear implants, highlighting that real-time word recognition varies considerably between individuals. The findings illuminate how the … Read more

Summary: Scientists have identified a rare, potentially harmful population of senescent neurons in human brains that may offer a new therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease. Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center For the first time, researchers have found a distinct population of senescent brain cells in humans that could be targeted by future Alzheimer’s disease … Read more

Approaching black people may cause time expansion effects. White Americans who experience anxiety around people of a different race may perceive approaching Black individuals as moving more slowly or lasting longer in view, a series of experiments suggests. The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, highlight how intergroup anxiety can alter basic … Read more

Summary: Many people mistakenly use the terms Alzheimer’s disease and dementia interchangeably. Alzheimer’s is one specific form of dementia, but there are multiple types. Researchers at Texas A&M explain how Alzheimer’s and other dementias affect patients and families, and offer practical insights for reducing the risk of neurodegenerative conditions. Source: Texas A&M. Not all dementia … Read more

Summary: A 16-year longitudinal study of more than 10,000 adults aged 50 and over shows a consistent association between higher psychological wellbeing and stronger memory performance in middle and later life. Participants who reported greater life satisfaction, autonomy and purpose were more likely to score higher on episodic memory tests across the study period. These … Read more

Summary: New long-term brain monitoring technologies that continuously record neural activity beneath the scalp could transform how epilepsy is diagnosed, tracked and treated. Source: Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering Today, physicians rely largely on patients’ own seizure diaries to estimate how many seizures a person with epilepsy experiences outside the clinic. Despite advances in … Read more

The term intellectual disability covers a wide range of clinical conditions, some with well-defined causes and others that remain unexplained. For example, Down syndrome results from an extra copy of chromosome 21, while Rett syndrome is often linked to mutations in the MeCP2 gene, a critical regulatory switch. Many autism spectrum disorders and other intellectual … Read more

Summary: Researchers have discovered two distinct groups of neurons in the ventral striatum that separately encode outcomes that are better than expected and worse than expected. These neural populations together represent the full range of possible rewards a decision can yield, allowing the brain to evaluate risk and reward more precisely. In mice, inhibiting either … Read more