Summary: Acute sleep loss can raise levels of serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptors within 6–8 hours. Altered 5-HT2A receptor activity is linked to hallucinations, cognitive impairment and psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia. Source: University of Arizona The serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) is abundant across the brain and plays a central role in perception, cognition and psychosis. … Read more

Summary: Researchers measured real-time changes in brain metabolism during transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Source: Elsevier. Applying a very low level of electrical current across the scalp—just enough to produce a mild tingling—may influence brain activity. This method, known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), has generated growing interest because studies report it can alter … Read more

New brain imaging technology is helping researchers bridge the gap between art and science by mapping how the brain responds differently to poetry and prose. Researchers at the University of Exeter used advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to visualise which areas of the brain become active when people read different kinds of written material. … Read more

Summary: Researchers at USC report an AI-driven system that can rapidly analyze potential SARS-CoV-2 variants and compress vaccine design cycles from months to minutes, enabling faster identification of promising vaccine candidates. Source: USC USC engineers have created an artificial intelligence framework that accelerates vaccine design and helps counter emerging coronavirus mutations. A research team at … Read more

Summary: New research finds that the way owners perceive their dogs—as friends, family members, or practical helpers—significantly shapes how they care for them. In an online survey of about 800 dog owners, people who treat their dogs like family tend to spend more time and develop closer bonds, while others focus on companionship or practical … Read more

Summary: New research from Oregon Health & Science University indicates that when mothers consume a high‑fat diet during pregnancy, their offspring may face a higher risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms later in life. In a controlled nonhuman primate model, researchers linked maternal high‑fat diet exposure to disrupted development of the central serotonin system. Notably, … Read more

Summary: A recent study found that trace concentrations of lithium in drinking water are associated with slower increases in Alzheimer’s disease mortality. The research also linked those low lithium levels to reduced rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the same regions. Source: IOS Press. Trace Lithium in Drinking Water Linked to Reduced Alzheimer’s … Read more

Certain retinal neurons hand off worn-out cell parts to neighboring support cells for disposal. For decades, biologists have described individual cells as largely self-sufficient cleanup units that break down and recycle their own damaged or aged components. A new study challenges that assumption by showing that some neurons in the eye transfer damaged mitochondria—the cell’s … Read more

Summary: In people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), levels of norepinephrine and serotonin remain high during REM sleep, which undermines the brain’s normal ability to use rhythmic signals between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala to suppress fear-expression neurons. Models indicate that individuals with PTSD require faster neural rhythms to extinguish fear memories. Therapies that restore … Read more

Summary: For the first time, researchers have identified a coordinated gene expression program that operates during active neurotransmission in the living human brain. Previous work mainly relied on postmortem tissue, offering only static snapshots; this study combines real-time intracranial recordings from over 100 neurosurgical patients with molecular profiling to reveal which genes are engaged during … Read more