Summary: Researchers report that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have difficulty distinguishing which tactile sensations belong to their own actions and which belong to others. Source: Ghent University. The sense of touch may play a more crucial role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than previously assumed The doctoral research of Eliane Deschrijver, published … Read more

Summary: A new NIH-funded study pinpoints a potential therapeutic target for memory loss in several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Source: NIH/NINDS. NIH-funded mouse study identifies a potential therapeutic target for tau-related disorders Tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, marked by abnormal accumulation of the tau protein inside neurons. New … Read more

Summary: A rare genetic variant called APOE3-R136S, known as the Christchurch mutation, appears to protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease by dialing down inflammatory signaling in microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells. The mutation suppresses the cGAS-STING innate immune pathway, which is abnormally activated in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative conditions. In mouse models, this effect … Read more

Change your attitude. Change your behavior. Change your brain. Discussing the costs of pursuing the unrealistic thin beauty ideal reduces how much you value it. Researchers at the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) report novel findings showing that a brief, dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program known as the Body Project changes how young women’s brains respond … Read more

RI-CART Study Reveals Later Autism Diagnosis for Girls and High Rates of Co-occurring Conditions Summary: On average, girls on the autism spectrum are diagnosed 1.5 years later than boys. More than half of people with autism experience co-occurring mental health or medical conditions, including ADHD and epilepsy. Source: Brown University A new analysis of the … Read more

New Model Shows COVID-19 Spread Is Concave: Impact of Each New Case Diminishes Summary: A new coronavirus model finds that the spread of COVID-19 is concave: the incremental impact of each additional infected person diminishes as more people become infected. Source: WUSTL Key finding: Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis report that COVID-19 transmission … Read more

Summary: Mutation of the FMR1 gene, known for causing Fragile X syndrome, is also linked to premature ovarian failure (POF). New research shows this mutation alters neurons that control reproductive function in both the brain and the ovaries, helping explain early infertility in affected women. Source: UCR Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have … Read more

Bulimic Brains Respond Differently to Food Cues After Stress, Neuroimaging Study Finds Summary: A neuroimaging study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology reports that women with Bulimia Nervosa show different brain responses to images of high‑sugar and high‑fat foods after a stressful task than women without the disorder. Scans revealed reduced blood flow to … Read more

Summary: Researchers have used a purpose-built robotic device to deliver a single, targeted dose of stereotactic radiotherapy to treat wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This minimally invasive approach reduces the frequency of intravitreal injections required to control the disease. A major clinical trial demonstrates that robotically guided radiotherapy can significantly lower injection frequency while … Read more

Summary: New research identifies why many people with severe temporal lobe epilepsy continue to have seizures after surgery and points to imaging markers that may predict postoperative outcomes. Source: University of Liverpool. New work from the University of Liverpool, published in the journal Brain, investigates why a substantial proportion of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy … Read more