Summary: Researchers have identified a protective brain pathway that may slow Parkinson’s disease progression by preserving dopamine-producing neurons, with this neuroprotective effect observed only in female models. The study shows that increasing the presence of nicotine-responsive receptors on nerve cells — without exposing the brain to nicotine itself — preserved neural integrity and reduced degeneration. … Read more

Summary: Forming social connections online creates a clear cognitive trade-off: as networking performance improves, attention to and learning from actual content declines. A collaborative research program shows that joining online communities, following pages, or connecting with people shifts mental effort away from content learning toward mapping social relationships. Paradoxically, this effect is strongest in people … Read more

Summary: As artificial intelligence energy demand is expected to surge, researchers are developing hardware inspired by the human brain’s remarkable energy efficiency. This study focuses on neuromorphic computing: a design approach that merges memory and processing in the same physical location—similar to biological synapses—to dramatically reduce power consumption. Using organic transistors engineered to emulate synaptic … Read more

Summary: Once dismissed as a vestigial remnant, the primary cilium is now emerging as a vital architect of the developing brain. New work using large-scale proteomics reveals that these tiny, antenna-like organelles house an unexpectedly complex set of proteins — including machinery that may allow them to synthesize proteins locally — and that disruptions in … Read more

Summary: Building social connections online changes how people allocate their attention: networking performance improves while engagement with and retention of actual content declines. A collaborative study shows that joining online communities or following others shifts cognitive effort from “content learning” toward “social mapping.” This shift is strongest in people with higher working memory, who tend … Read more

Summary: Use of cannabis among adults aged 60 and older is the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States. Until recently, little was known about why older adults choose cannabis, which products they select, and how they make those choices. A new qualitative study shows that most older adults are motivated by a desire to … Read more

Summary: For years the primary cilium was dismissed as a vestigial cellular appendage. New research now shows this tiny, antenna-like structure is a key organizer of early brain formation. A comprehensive study of over 1,000 mouse embryonic brains reveals the primary cilium contains an unexpected assortment of proteins linked to human developmental disorders. Most strikingly, … Read more

Summary: Regret is a universal emotion, but the way people experience and manage it changes with age. New research from the American Psychological Association finds that older adults report fewer recent regrets than younger adults and respond to long-term regrets with less anger and frustration. These findings suggest that aging brings a tempering effect: regret … Read more

Summary: Cannabis use among adults over 60 is the fastest-growing demographic in the United States. New research shows that this increase is driven less by a desire to “get high” and more by a search for improved quality of life—relief from chronic pain, better sleep, and help with mental health symptoms. Many older adults rely … Read more

Summary: Speech has long been seen as a huge jump in brain complexity. New research, however, shows that the neural changes needed to produce complex vocalizations can be surprisingly small. Comparing ordinary laboratory mice with Alston’s singing mice, a Central American species known for rapid duets, researchers found that the difference is not a larger … Read more