Why do Parkinson’s disease symptoms differ so widely between patients? A research consortium led by the CNRS Laboratoire d’Enzymologie et Biochimie Structurales has made important progress toward answering this question. Parkinson’s disease is driven by abnormal assemblies of a neuronal protein called alpha-synuclein, which forms fibrillar deposits inside neurons and ultimately contributes to their death. … Read more

Pregnant women with a recent diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder were 35 percent more likely to deliver a premature baby than other pregnant women, a study of more than 16,000 births found. A new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that pregnant women with post-traumatic … Read more

Summary: Weekly musical dance classes can improve daily functioning and motor abilities in people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease. Source: York University A new study published in Brain Sciences finds that people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease (PD) who attended one 75-minute dance class per week experienced slower progression of motor symptoms and better day-to-day functioning over … Read more

Researchers at the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (MRC CDN) within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London have identified a molecular “switch” that adjusts neuronal properties in response to changes in network activity. Published in Science, the study shows that aspects of the brain’s hardware are tuneable and suggests … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a key biochemical mechanism that may allow Huntington’s disease to be detected and studied before symptoms appear, offering new opportunities for early intervention. The team discovered that disrupted dopamine regulation in a specific population of neurons, linked to impaired TrkB neurotrophin receptor signaling, appears to trigger disease onset. By targeting an … Read more

Summary: These findings may provide new insights into the origins of human spoken language. Source: Max Planck Institute. Researchers report the largest collection of Neandertal middle ear ossicles to date and compare them with those of modern humans. A team led by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology used high-resolution imaging to … Read more

Summary: New research shows that a shorter form of the amyloid‑beta protein, Aβ1‑40, accumulates in the walls of small brain arteries, reducing blood flow and potentially contributing to memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Source: University of Manchester A team at the University of Manchester reports a significant advance in understanding how Alzheimer’s disease affects the … Read more

Summary: Children whose parents reported loving, affectionate marriages tended to stay in school longer and delay marriage compared with children whose parents reported weaker emotional bonds. Source: University of Michigan Overview When parents set aside their own relationship needs to focus solely on their children, they may unintentionally miss a critical influence on their children’s … Read more

Summary: Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine applied AI-driven analysis to electronic health records and genomic data to discover hundreds of genes linked to tobacco use disorder (TUD) and to nominate many drug candidates for potential treatment. By combining large-scale clinical records with genome-wide association methods, the team pinpointed genetic … Read more

New Behavioral Science Approach Combines Experiments and Computational Models Summary: Researchers outline a combined method using controlled experiments and computer-based models to better understand group and organizational behavior. Researchers from North Carolina State University and Northwestern University describe an integrated approach that links laboratory experiments with agent-based and other computational models to generate deeper insights … Read more