Summary: Researchers at the University of Tübingen recorded the readiness potential and related brain activity in volunteers immediately before they performed a 192-meter bungee jump, demonstrating that this neural signal can be measured outside the laboratory during extreme, real-world decisions. Source: University of Tübingen. Surjo R. Soekadar, psychiatrist and neuroscientist at the University of Tübingen, … Read more

Summary: Regular physical activity lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease in part by reducing stress-related signaling in the brain. In an analysis of over 50,000 adults, those who met recommended activity levels had about a 23% lower risk of developing heart disease. The protective effect was strongest among people with stress-related conditions such as depression. … Read more

Summary: Men and women tend to judge physical and emotional infidelity differently. Women usually view emotional affairs as more serious, while men more often see physical sexual infidelity as the greater threat. New research shows that when a partner perceives infidelity as threatening to the relationship, forgiveness becomes much harder—regardless of gender. Source: NTNU Infidelity … Read more

Lithium Chloride Reduces Sleep, Memory, and Learning Deficits Linked to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Mice Summary: Researchers at NYU Langone report that a single dose of lithium chloride given to newborn mice shortly after high-dose alcohol exposure prevented later sleep disturbances, hyperactivity, and cognitive decline associated with fetal alcohol syndrome in this animal model. Source: … Read more

Summary: In a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, regions of the olfactory system with higher amyloid beta accumulation showed reduced activation of olfactory sensory neurons and impaired odor detection. Source: DGIST Olfactory dysfunction, including partial loss of smell, is one of the earliest and most common clinical signs of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), affecting roughly 90% … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that piglets born to mothers fed a choline-rich diet showed increases in both white and gray matter in the brain. Source: University of Illinois. Maternal choline intake during pregnancy can shape infant metabolism and brain development, according to a series of studies from the University of Illinois. While prior research on choline’s … Read more

Summary: A review examines whether smell loss linked to COVID-19 could raise the risk of dementia later in life. Source: APS A recent review of research into how SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—affects the olfactory system raises important questions about whether COVID-related smell loss might increase the long-term risk of developing dementia. The review appears … Read more

Summary: Researchers are narrowing in on how cognitive flexibility and adult neurogenesis are linked. Using a newly developed mouse model that increases the complexity of a standard maze task, the team discovered that gamma radiation selectively impairs cognitive adaptability while specific cohorts of adult-born hippocampal neurons respond distinctly to the task. The findings reinforce a … Read more

Congenital transmission of viruses from a pregnant person to the fetus can disrupt normal brain development. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is one such virus that can cross the placenta and infect the fetal brain, alongside other pathogens like rubella and Zika virus. A study published on April 14 in PLOS Pathogens investigates how HCMV alters the … Read more

Summary: Many people experience disenfranchised grief after the loss of a pet—grief that is often unacknowledged and may become complicated if left unresolved. Validating this grief with empathy and understanding, and offering appropriate therapeutic support, can help people work through their loss and maintain a meaningful bond with their deceased companion. Source: CABI A new … Read more