Summary: A new study finds that children with social communication difficulties face a higher risk of suicidal thoughts, plans, and self-harm with suicidal intent by age 16 compared with peers without those difficulties. Source: Elsevier. Children who struggle with social communication have an elevated risk of self-harm with suicidal intent by age 16, according to … Read more

Summary: New research shows that modern artificial intelligence models that predict the next word in a sentence mirror activity patterns seen in human language areas of the brain, suggesting prediction may be a core mechanism of human language processing. Source: MIT Recent advances in artificial intelligence have produced language models that are exceptionally good at … Read more

Summary: New research indicates that a single, intense stressful event can produce lasting changes in the brain. Source: University of Milan Single Stressful Event Can Cause Long-Term Brain Changes A single episode of intense stress—such as a traffic accident, a natural disaster, or a sudden traumatic incident—can trigger lasting neurobiological changes that may contribute to … Read more

Summary: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has demonstrated promising results for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who did not improve with standard psychotherapy or psychiatric medications. In a randomized, sham-controlled trial of combat veterans, a specialized HBOT protocol produced marked reductions in core PTSD symptoms—such as flashbacks, irritability, and hypervigilance—and was associated with measurable improvements … Read more

Summary: Regular moderate exercise may help prevent or slow the physical brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease in people who are genetically at risk. Source: APA Moderate exercise benefits memory as people age and may also reduce the development of physical signs of Alzheimer’s disease—known as biomarkers—in individuals at elevated risk, according to research presented … Read more

Prolonged Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy Linked to Modest Increase in ADHD and ASD Risk Summary: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem finds that prolonged maternal use of acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy is associated with a modestly higher relative risk of offspring being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) … Read more

Summary: A recent study using high-resolution three-dimensional CT scans of the 6-million-year-old ape Lufengpithecus uncovers new evidence about how human bipedalism evolved. By reconstructing the bony inner ear—specifically the semicircular canals—researchers identified links between inner ear anatomy and locomotor behavior. Their results support a three-phase model for the emergence of upright walking, tracing a path … Read more

Summary: Researchers report the first mammalian study showing that a safe, intermittent physiological stress — mild systemic hypoxia — applied to parents can reprogram heritable traits and protect the retina of untreated first-generation offspring from ischemic injury. Source: LSU A team led by Jeff Gidday, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, and Physiology at LSU … Read more

Summary: Researchers find that plasticity in older brains is not absent but dysregulated; raising GABA levels can help produce longer-lasting changes in the auditory cortex. Source: McGill University. Contrary to the adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, new research shows that older brains can be taught to respond to new sounds … Read more

Summary: Children who regularly take part in household chores tend to show stronger executive functioning, which may relate to better academic performance and problem-solving ability. Source: La Trobe University New research from La Trobe University suggests that expecting children to complete age-appropriate chores on a routine basis is associated with improved cognitive skills that support … Read more