Summary: Early treatment with alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonists (alpha blockers) may reduce the risk of cytokine storm in some COVID-19 patients. These drugs appear to interrupt the inflammatory signaling that can lead to runaway immune responses. Animal studies showed reduced cytokine release and lower mortality when alpha blockers were administered to infected mice, and retrospective … Read more

Summary: Between 2010 and 2012, suicides and drug overdoses accounted for nearly 20% of postpartum deaths among women in California. Source: UC Merced Overview A new population-based study finds that drug overdoses and suicide were among the leading causes of death for mothers in California within one year after childbirth. The research examined statewide hospital … Read more

Summary: New meta-analytic research challenges the long-held belief that each emotion produces a single, consistent physiological pattern. Instead, bodily responses to emotions appear to form a diverse population of possible reactions. Source: Northeastern University. How do you feel when you’re angry? Tense, jittery, drained? Is it always the same, and is it the same for … Read more

Summary: Live music produces markedly stronger emotional responses in the brain than recorded music. Using real‑time measurements of amygdala activity, researchers found that live performances trigger more intense and consistent emotional processing, and they drive wider engagement across cognitive and affective brain networks. The study, conducted by a team at the University of Zurich, also … Read more

Summary: A new study finds that spending time in nature reduces behavioural problems and anxiety in preschool children and supports overall health. Source: University of Hong Kong. Urban living is often blamed for disconnecting young children from nature, contributing to sedentary habits, poor eating patterns and rising psychological distress. In Hong Kong, about 16% of … Read more

Summary: A six-week course of midday bright light therapy that has been effective for seasonal depression also relieved symptoms and improved functioning in people with bipolar depression, according to a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Source: Northwestern University Midday Bright Light Therapy Reduces Bipolar Depression and Restores Function A controlled clinical trial from Northwestern Medicine found … Read more

Summary: Despite decades of medical progress, a new analysis finds that gains in human life expectancy have slowed since the 1990s, suggesting a biological ceiling to how long people typically live. The authors argue that continued medical advances are producing diminishing returns for lifespan because the fundamental biology of aging increasingly limits further extension of … Read more

Summary: Training focused on cognitive control—attending to relevant cues while ignoring distractions—boosts information processing in the brain and promotes an ability to “learn to learn.” Source: NYU New research in mice shows that targeted cognitive control training (CCT) improves how the brain processes information, producing lasting changes in the hippocampus that enable greater adaptability and … Read more

Research over recent decades increasingly indicates that stored memories are encoded by long-lasting changes in neuronal communication and the strength of connections between neurons. Learning triggers distinct patterns of electrical activity in these cells that alter how they respond to incoming signals, modify gene expression, and change cellular morphology beyond the immediate learning event. “You … Read more

Summary: Researchers developed a computer model that sheds light on how cooling specific brain regions could help reduce or stop epileptic seizures. Source: PLOS. Computer Simulations Reveal How Focal Brain Cooling May Treat Epilepsy Using detailed computer simulation methods, researchers have clarified mechanisms by which lowering the temperature of targeted brain areas—focal brain cooling—might suppress … Read more