Summary: Researchers at the University of Utah identified a distinct sublineage of microglia—Hoxb8-lineage microglia—that protects mice from obsessive-compulsive-like overgrooming and anxiety. When these cells are dysfunctional, mice show excessive grooming behaviors reminiscent of human trichotillomania. The team also found that female sex hormones amplify these OCD-like and anxiety symptoms. Source: University of Utah Overview Anxiety … Read more

Brain cell insulation abnormalities caused in part by genes Schizophrenia is among the most disabling psychiatric disorders. It commonly begins in adolescence or early adulthood and can profoundly disrupt thinking, perception and daily functioning. For decades researchers have sought to understand its causes and to identify targets for prevention and treatment. Decades of research point … Read more

NIH-supported research underscores value of screening for toxoplasmosis Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have identified which strains of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii are most strongly linked to premature birth and severe congenital damage in the United States. Using a novel, strain-specific blood test developed at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious … Read more

Summary: New research identifies the protein TIMP3 as being overproduced in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and implicates it in early disease processes. By targeting downstream inflammation pathways and enzymes tied to drusen formation, scientists reduced early AMD features in human stem cell models, pointing to promising new therapeutic directions. Current treatments for AMD are limited … Read more

Summary: Deficiencies in the SHANK3 gene are associated with sleep disturbances in both people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in mouse models. Patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome—a genetic condition linked to SHANK3 and often associated with autism—report trouble falling and staying asleep. In mouse models, animals lacking part of the Shank3 gene experienced poorer deep … Read more

Summary: A large UK cohort study finds that people with hearing loss who do not use hearing aids have a higher risk of developing dementia than those without hearing loss; hearing aid users with hearing loss show no increased dementia risk. Source: The Lancet New research published in The Lancet Public Health suggests that untreated … Read more

Summary: By combining neuroimaging with advanced artificial intelligence, researchers have mapped a distributed brain network that represents the meaning of spoken sentences. Source: University of Rochester Medical Center How do we hear a sentence and instantly grasp its meaning, even though the same words in a different order can mean something completely different? A recent … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a broad perceptual skill, called “o,” that predicts how well people learn and perform tasks requiring object recognition and other perceptual decisions. Source: The Conversation People differ in many ways. You’re likely familiar with differences in personality and in cognitive abilities such as reasoning, memory and problem-solving. By contrast, many assume … Read more

Summary: Scene-selective cortical regions show greater age-related sensitivity than face-selective regions in both perception and memory. Source: UT Dallas Healthy brains generally become less efficient with age, but this decline is neither uniform across tasks nor across brain regions. Mapping these differences helps clarify how the brain supports perception and memory throughout life. Researchers at … Read more

Summary: Decoding brain activity can advance brain–computer interfaces, improving treatments and enabling people with neurological conditions to interact more effectively with their environment. Source: Stanford. For more than a century, people have imagined linking the human brain—remarkably adaptable but vulnerable—to precise, reliable machines. Early science fiction speculated on clockwork enhancements and transplanted brains piloting starships. … Read more