Summary: A new study finds that violence within Italian mafia groups spreads in a contagious way: individuals who commit violent acts together are far more likely to carry out further violence than those who act alone. Researchers analyzed the criminal careers of 9,819 people convicted of organized crime and report that prior violent co-offending substantially … Read more

Summary: A new longitudinal study examines how adolescent BMI relates to cognitive performance in midlife and how socioeconomic position shapes that relationship. Source: Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Study of Israeli adolescents demonstrates the influence of socioeconomic position on later cognitive function Rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents have risen sharply over recent decades, affecting … Read more

Loss of BRCA1, long known for its role in cancer, disrupts neuronal DNA repair and may contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes report that the DNA repair protein BRCA1 is essential for normal learning and memory and is markedly reduced in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Their … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that brief daily meditation or music listening may change blood markers linked to cellular aging and Alzheimer’s disease, and these changes are associated with improvements in memory, cognition, sleep, mood, and quality of life in older adults with memory concerns. Source: IOS Press. A research team led by Dr. Kim Innes, professor … Read more

Summary: A new study finds that people can recognize images they briefly saw years earlier—even up to a decade after the initial exposure. Source: CNRS Human memory sometimes surprises us. We can recall the names of classmates from five decades ago or remember a childhood television show with remarkable clarity. While strong emotions and repeated … Read more

Summary: New research finds that greater willingness among older adults to give money away correlates with subtle cognitive patterns associated with early Alzheimer’s disease, a link that may help explain increased vulnerability to financial exploitation. Source: USC Researchers aim to identify which older adults are most at risk for financial exploitation by examining connections between … Read more

Summary: A twin study finds that both proactive and reactive aggression in early childhood share much of the same genetic basis at age six, but whether aggressive behaviour increases or decreases between ages 6 and 12 is driven largely by environmental influences. Source: University of Montreal Genetics Provide a Starting Point; Environment Shapes the Course … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a synaptic mechanism that computes escape decisions in the brain. How does the brain decide what to do in a threatening situation? A new study published in Nature reveals how brain circuits assess threat level and trigger escape behaviour. Escaping imminent danger is essential for survival, but indiscriminate flight is costly. … Read more

Early Maternal Nurturing Predicts Larger Hippocampus in School-Age Children Children who experienced nurturing care from their mothers during early childhood show a larger hippocampus by school age, according to research by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The hippocampus is a vital brain region involved in learning, memory … Read more

Summary: New research links intestinal inflammation and the gut microbiome to the development and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Source: University of Illinois Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are investigating whether changes in the gastrointestinal tract can serve as early indicators of Lou Gehrig’s disease and whether modifying the gut microbiome can … Read more