Summary: The Weed Care study in Switzerland examines how regulated, legal access to cannabis affects patterns of use and mental health among adult consumers. In the first randomized controlled trial of its kind, participants given legal access to cannabis purchased through pharmacies showed a modest decline in problematic use, with the strongest benefit observed among … Read more

Summary: Scientists have built a personalized virtual brain that can replicate the brain activity of someone with epilepsy. This model improves understanding of the condition and may help clinicians plan treatment and surgery. Source: CNRS. Researchers from CNRS, INSERM, Aix‑Marseille University and AP‑HM have created, for the first time, a personalized virtual brain capable of … Read more

Summary: A small implanted array of electrodes can precisely stimulate peripheral nerves to produce controlled, fatigue-resistant limb movement, offering new hope for people with spinal cord injuries. Source: Oregon State University Tiny implanted electrode arrays that deliver precisely controlled electrical pulses to peripheral nerves may one day help people with spinal cord injuries regain use … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a connection between the immune regulator STAT1 and hyperactive behaviors in mice, offering fresh insight into mechanisms that may underlie neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). STAT1, a central mediator of interferon-driven immune responses, also affects neuronal function—most notably in dopamine-producing cells that control motivation, … Read more

New NIH grants will enable SDSU psychologist Ralph-Axel Müller to study the autistic brain using fMRI, EEG, and MEG imaging technologies together. Recent brain imaging research increasingly shows that neural connections in children with autism differ from those in typically developing children. Early work emphasized reduced connectivity between key brain regions, but more recent studies … Read more

New research reveals how nerves — whether damaged by disease or traumatic injury — begin to die, uncovering targets for drugs that could slow or stop peripheral neuropathies and major neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Peripheral neuropathy damages nerves in the hands, feet and other extremities, producing persistent pain, … Read more

Summary: Researchers have advanced our understanding of universal emotions across languages by applying colexification analysis, a linguistic method that traces when a single word expresses multiple related concepts. Their cross-linguistic network study highlights four emotion-related concepts—“GOOD,” “WANT,” “BAD,” and “LOVE”—as central hubs that show the most associations with other emotion words across diverse languages. This … Read more

Summary: Older men who have higher blood pressure at night than during the day may face an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Source: Uppsala University Nocturnal high blood pressure — when nighttime blood pressure exceeds daytime levels — could be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in older men. This conclusion comes from a … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a method to print microelectrode arrays directly onto gelatin candies and other soft substrates, a step that could enable new diagnostic and therapeutic bioelectronic devices. Source: TUM Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) enable direct measurement of electrical signals from tissues such as the brain and heart, but conventional MEAs are typically rigid. A … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that synthetic marijuana products sold under names such as K2 or Spice can cause severe health problems — including psychosis, seizures, kidney and heart injury, dependence, and even death. These products are chemically different from cannabis and are not safe substitutes. Source: Cell Press. Synthetic marijuana compounds are promoted as legal, undetectable … Read more