Rare, pathologic version of tau protein can pass directly from neuron to neuron. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have identified a specific mechanism that helps explain how neurofibrillary tangles — one of the defining hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease — spread through the brain. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study pinpoints a rare … Read more

Summary: Among adults aged 80 and older, maintaining a healthy lifestyle—regular physical activity, a balanced diet, moderate or no alcohol use, not smoking, and healthy body weight—was linked to substantially lower odds of cognitive impairment, even for people who carry the genetic risk variant APOE ε4. Source: PLOS New analysis of data from the oldest-old … Read more

Summary: Cannabidiol (CBD) blocks lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) from amplifying neural signals in the hippocampus. LPI weakens the signals that normally restrain seizures, offering an explanation for CBD’s effectiveness against many treatment-resistant epilepsies. Source: NYU A new study identifies a previously unrecognized mechanism by which cannabidiol (CBD), a non-euphoric cannabis-derived compound, reduces seizures in several treatment-resistant pediatric … Read more

Summary: A large retrospective study of over 75,000 adults found that moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with an increased risk of developing malignant brain tumors. Within three to five years after a moderate or severe TBI, about 0.6% of patients developed malignant brain tumors—higher than the rate observed in people without TBI or … Read more

Summary: Physical activity produces a twofold benefit for people with depression: it reduces clinical symptoms and enhances the brain’s capacity to adapt and learn, researchers report. Source: RUB (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) Physical activity supports brain health and boosts the brain’s ability to change. A study conducted by the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Ruhr-Universität … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that spanking is associated with lower social development in 3- and 4-year-old children. Source: University of Michigan Spanking may be more harmful to young children worldwide than previously understood, a new University of Michigan study suggests. Most prior research on corporal punishment has focused on families in high-income countries such as the … Read more

Summary: For years, researchers treated mRNA levels as a blueprint for protein production in the brain. New research shows that this blueprint can be misleading. Using Ribo-STAMP, a novel technique that directly monitors translation, scientists mapped real-time protein synthesis across nearly 20,000 individual cells in the mouse hippocampus and uncovered major differences between mRNA abundance … Read more

Summary: The specific kinds of words toddlers learn first—especially nouns organized by shared shape—can help predict which children will have ongoing language difficulties. Source: University of Miami Researchers led by Associate Professor Lynn Perry report that the types of words children acquire early in life can serve as an early indicator of later language outcomes. … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that neurotransmitter release is impaired in the brains of people with schizophrenia who carry a deletion in the neurexin 1 gene (NRXN1). Source: UMass A multidisciplinary team has demonstrated that a rare, single-gene mutation linked to neurodevelopmental disorders disrupts neurotransmitter release in neurons derived from schizophrenia patients. The study found that neurons … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a specific brain region in rats that plays a decisive role in economic choices under uncertainty, revealing how value is represented when animals face lottery-like decisions. The frontal orienting field (FOF) emerged as a principal site that encodes the value of risky options, while the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) showed only … Read more