Summary: A new study assessed the long-term cognitive effects of reduced sugar exposure in early life by taking advantage of the historical end of World War II sugar rationing in the United Kingdom. Researchers compared later-life dementia outcomes among people born before and after rationing ended. The analysis included 64,737 individuals born around the time … Read more

Summary: A new mathematical framework explains when organisms depend on memory versus immediate sensory cues to make decisions, revealing a sharp resource-driven shift from reactive to memory-based strategies and showing that memory is most beneficial at moderate levels of sensory uncertainty. Researchers modeled the tradeoff between decision accuracy and the bioenergetic cost of maintaining memory … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified the tRNA-binding protein TRNAU1AP as a critical driver of glioblastoma (GBM) stem cell survival and tumor progression. A multidisciplinary team showed that elevated TRNAU1AP expression in tumors correlates with poorer clinical outcomes for glioblastoma patients. TRNAU1AP organizes into liquid-like intracellular clusters that selectively enhance the translation of selenoproteins. These selenoproteins, which … Read more

Summary: In a randomized clinical trial, oral semaglutide significantly reduced heavy drinking days, daily alcohol cravings, and alcohol-related problems in adults with moderate-to-severe Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Researchers evaluated 50 adults seeking treatment for AUD and found that oral semaglutide—a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist already prescribed for type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management—consistently … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a metabolic paradox in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep: although brain blood volume and markers of fuel delivery increase during dreaming, the energy molecule used directly by neurons—adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—falls. Using wide-field fluorescence imaging through a transparent skull window in naturally sleeping mice, the team tracked three simultaneous signals in real … Read more

Summary: Researchers have created CapuchinAI, an open-source, battery-powered platform that automates cognitive testing of wild primates by combining facial-recognition vision, touchscreen tasks, and automated food rewards. Tested in Costa Rica’s Taboga Forest Reserve, the system uses a YOLO-based computer-vision pipeline to detect and identify white-faced capuchins with high accuracy, runs individualized touchscreen experiments on a … Read more

Summary: Researchers have found that retinal photoreceptors run their own intracellular waste-disposal system using lysosomes, overturning a long-held view that these light-sensitive cells depend almost entirely on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) support cells for degradation of damaged components. The new study shows photoreceptors contain a self-sufficient quality-control pathway governed by the lipid kinase PIKfyve. In … Read more

Summary: Researchers found that eye contact acts as an intentional switch that synchronizes brainwaves between infants and adult speakers, directly supporting selective language learning. A cross-cultural study recorded brain activity in 8- to 10-month-old infants with electroencephalography (EEG) while they listened to novel, nonsense languages. The research team discovered that infants learned a new language … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed an energy-efficient artificial intelligence model inspired by hippocampal mechanisms in the brain. The system reproduces how the human brain builds cognitive maps, performs stochastic computations, and uses compositional codes to solve complex planning tasks without exhaustive calculation. Presented as a proof-of-concept for alternative AI architectures, the model adapts flexibly to unfamiliar … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed Core2Edge, an advanced human ex vivo tissue model that reproduces the invasive spread and molecular heterogeneity of glioblastoma. By combining patient-derived glioblastoma organoids with organotypic human brain-slice cultures, this platform enables high-resolution spatial tracking of infiltrating tumor cells as they move into healthy brain tissue. Core2Edge integrates expanded light-sheet fluorescence microscopy … Read more