Hepatitis B and C Linked to Increased Risk of Parkinson’s Disease, Study Reports Summary: A large retrospective study found that people with hepatitis B had up to a 76% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, while those with hepatitis C had a 51% higher risk compared with a reference population. Source: AAN. New research published … Read more

Summary: A new review finds that 34 of 41 influential organizations (83%) support updates to the U.S. Uniform Determination of Death Act. The 1981 law, which defines death as the irreversible cessation of either whole brain or cardiopulmonary function, is under renewed scrutiny as experts call for clearer alignment between law and current medical practice. … Read more

Summary: Researchers have built a decoder capable of translating neural signals into mood variations. Source: USC. Engineers and clinicians at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have developed a new decoding technology that can translate human brain signals into continuous mood estimates—a capability not previously demonstrated in … Read more

Summary: Researchers at Penn State developed a human-inspired training method for computer vision that incorporates spatial context to improve object recognition. By simulating how infants sample objects from many viewpoints within a stable environment, the team created a contrastive learning approach that delivered up to a 14.99% improvement in performance on key tasks. This technique … Read more

Summary: New evidence shows that many adults who stutter speak fluently when they believe they are truly alone. The study suggests that the perception of being heard — and the social evaluation that comes with it — plays a central role in whether stuttering occurs. Source: NYU The so-called “talk-alone-effect”—the idea that people who stutter … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a soft robotic sleeve that fits around the heart and helps it beat. Source: Harvard. Sleeve attaches directly around the heart. Researchers at Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital have designed a customizable soft robotic sleeve that wraps around the heart and assists its pumping action. The lightweight, flexible device contracts … Read more

Summary: A new computational model reproduces the human visual system’s rapid ability to form detailed descriptions of a scene from a single image. Source: MIT When we open our eyes, we immediately perceive our surroundings in rich detail. Understanding how the brain builds such detailed representations so quickly remains a major question in vision science. … Read more

Study Links Excessive Teen Screen Time to Higher Rates of Depression and Suicide Risk Summary: New research reinforces earlier findings that increased smartphone and screen use among teenagers is associated with higher rates of depression and suicidal behaviors. Excessive daily screen time is linked to greater risk of depressive symptoms and suicide-related thoughts or attempts. … Read more

Summary: Researchers document not only the behavioral and cognitive effects of a single exercise session, but also the neurochemical and neurophysiological changes that occur. Source: IOS Press. Even a single bout of physical activity can produce measurable benefits for mood, cognition, and brain physiology, according to a comprehensive review published in Brain Plasticity. This review … Read more

Summary: New research finds that psychopathy is associated with altered expression of multiple genes and immune-response pathways in brain cells. In cortical neurons, researchers observed increased expression of RPL10P9 and ZNF132 and decreased expression of CDH5 and OPRD1 in individuals with violent psychopathy. In astrocytes, RPL10P9 and MT-RNR2 were elevated. These gene-expression changes explained a … Read more