Irregular Bedtimes in Early Childhood Linked to Increased Behavioural Difficulties, UCL Study Finds Summary: Researchers at University College London (UCL) report that children with inconsistent bedtimes are more likely to experience behavioural difficulties. Published in the journal Pediatrics, the study suggests that irregular sleep schedules disrupt circadian rhythms and can lead to sleep deprivation that … Read more

How the Human Hippocampus Encodes Episodic Memories Summary: A small, distinct subset of hippocampal neurons becomes active for each episodic memory, a new study published in PNAS reports. Source: UCSD Researchers at the University of California San Diego and UC San Diego School of Medicine, together with collaborators in Arizona and Louisiana, provide direct evidence … Read more

Summary: New research indicates that gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) delivers high levels of satisfaction for people who use it to align their bodies with their gender identity, improving both physical and psychological well-being. Source: European Society of Endocrinology Researchers reporting from Portugal describe strong patient-reported satisfaction after at least one year of gender-affirming hormone therapy. … Read more

Summary: New experiences are encoded by linking them to pre-existing activity patterns in the brain. Memory consolidation occurs when those patterns become connected across brain regions through brief, synchronized bursts of neural activity. Source: Osaka Metropolitan University Neuronal ensembles that represent a memory appear to be present in the brain before the experience is even … Read more

Humans are intuitive physicists from birth, predicting how objects will fall, topple, or roll under gravity. New research identifies brain cells that appear to underlie this inborn understanding. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University discovered neurons in a region of the visual cortex traditionally associated with recognizing color, texture, and shape that use large-scale visual cues … Read more

Summary: Researchers found no link between prenatal exposure to SSRI antidepressants and an increased risk of depression in children during middle childhood. Source: WUSTL In one of the first large-scale investigations of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and early brain development, scientists from the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN) Lab at Washington University in … Read more

Summary: New research indicates that humans possess a stereo sense of smell that unconsciously influences how we orient and move through space. Source: Chinese Academy of Science “If in doubt, always follow your nose,” Gandalf advised in The Lord of the Rings. Despite this literary counsel, many people consider themselves to be microsmatic—having a relatively … Read more

Summary: BIN1, a gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease, influences hippocampal neural activity. Neurons with elevated BIN1 levels show increased firing and are more likely to become hyperexcitable. This study identifies BIN1 as the first gene connected to hyperexcitability as a potential driving factor in Alzheimer’s disease. Source: University of Alabama Birmingham Researchers at the University … Read more

Summary: Researchers recorded brain activity and eye movements of basketball fans watching March Madness games to examine how people experience and respond to surprise. Source: Princeton The gasp at an unexpected play. Fans rising from their seats. The collective shout that follows a dramatic twist. These visceral reactions capture a basic human response: surprise. In … Read more

Summary: Researchers have uncovered the processes that lead to noise-induced hearing loss and demonstrated that a straightforward middle-ear injection of a salt- or sugar-based solution can help protect hearing after exposure to intense blast-like noise. Source: USC. Exposure to extremely loud sounds — from explosions and roadside blasts to fireworks and very loud concerts — … Read more