Summary: Researchers report that a long-established antidepressant may slow progression of Parkinson’s disease by blocking the aggregation of alpha-synuclein proteins. Longstanding Antidepressant Shows Early Potential to Slow Parkinson’s Progression Michigan State University researchers have produced early evidence that nortriptyline, an antidepressant used for more than five decades, could slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. In … Read more

Summary: Prenatal stress can leave lasting epigenetic marks that influence an individual’s vulnerability to stress and mental health conditions later in life. Adult children of mothers who experienced stress, anxiety, depression, or medically induced glucocorticoid exposure during pregnancy show molecular changes linked to altered stress responsiveness. Source: Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University assistant professor … Read more

Summary: Researchers answer a long-standing philosophical question about objective perception. For visual experience, the conclusion is that people cannot fully separate their perspective from the way objects appear. Source: Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins Study Finds Perspective Shapes Visual Perception Researchers at Johns Hopkins University applied methods from cognitive science and experimental psychology to test … Read more

Summary: Researchers propose a new forensic term to help classify non-psychotic behavior driven by extreme beliefs that can lead to criminal violence. Source: University of Missouri School of Medicine. Researchers propose a clearer definition for non-psychotic violent behavior In the wake of high-profile violent incidents such as mass shootings, the public and media often assume … Read more

Summary: A new case report describes a woman who developed persistent muscle pain after receiving a tattoo while taking long-term immunosuppressive medication. Although the precise cause remains uncertain, clinicians suspect the tattooing process played a role and that her weakened immune system may have amplified the reaction. Source: BMJ. Doctors issue a caution after treating … Read more

Summary: New research indicates that nightmares — more than other sleep disturbances — are associated with an increased risk of nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior, and emotional dysregulation appears to explain this link. Source: Florida State University Nightmares linked to self-injury, Florida State University study finds Researchers at Florida State University report a specific connection between nightmares … Read more

Summary: Regular consumption of fish was associated with a lower burden of vascular brain disease on MRI scans in older adults, a condition that can increase the risk of stroke and vascular dementia. Source: Alzheimer’s Research UK Researchers in France report that higher fish consumption is linked to reduced signs of vascular brain disease. Vascular … Read more

Summary: A large meta-analysis from the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence finds that human-AI collaboration is powerful but task-dependent. Reviewing 106 experiments and 370 results, researchers report that AI alone often outperforms human-AI teams on decision-making tasks, while combined human-AI teams tend to excel on creative tasks such as text and image generation. The study … Read more

Summary: Researchers identified a reduction in function in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex of obese mice. Source: University of Calgary University of Calgary researchers find diet-induced obesity is linked to a functional change in the brain. A study published in Nature Neuroscience reports that diet-induced obesity in mice is associated with reduced function in a brain … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a new, noninvasive technique to selectively remove dysfunctional brain circuits, enabling potential surgical treatment of neurological conditions without conventional open-brain surgery. The method, called PING, combines low-intensity focused ultrasound with microbubbles to transiently open the blood-brain barrier and deliver a targeted neurotoxin to problematic brain regions. Source: University of Virginia Researchers … Read more