Summary: What makes someone “cool” appears to be remarkably consistent across cultures, according to a global psychology study. Researchers surveyed nearly 6,000 people from 13 countries and found that cool individuals are consistently described as extraverted, powerful, open-minded, adventurous, and independent.Though cultural norms vary, the idea of coolness has evolved...

Summary: New research shows that older adults may compensate for age-related cognitive decline by enhancing activity in a specific brain region linked to attention—the locus coeruleus (LC). In a brain imaging study, older participants showed stronger LC responses when interpreting ambiguous facial expressions, compared to younger adults.This LC activity was...

Summary: New research reveals that sugar metabolism in brain cells may be a crucial defense against Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Scientists found that neurons in both flies and human models of tauopathy accumulate excess glycogen, which disrupts cellular stress management when it can’t be broken down.Enhancing the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase...

Summary: A clinical trial has revealed that Ambroxol, a common cough medicine in Europe, may help slow cognitive decline in people with Parkinson’s disease dementia. The 12-month study found that the drug stabilized psychiatric symptoms, protected against brain damage, and even improved cognition in genetically at-risk participants.Ambroxol boosts an enzyme...

Summary: New research shows that safe, non-invasive brain stimulation can enhance math learning in young adults with lower natural brain connectivity. Participants who received transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) to the dlPFC performed better during math training than those who received placebo treatment or stimulation elsewhere.These improvements were most notable...

Summary: A new tool developed by researchers can estimate how fast someone is aging by analyzing a single MRI brain scan, predicting chronic disease risk and dementia years before symptoms appear. Unlike traditional “aging clocks,” this model was trained using longitudinal data from the same individuals, eliminating generational biases.The brain-based...

Summary: A new study links lactose intolerance and food sensitivities to disrupted sleep and frequent nightmares. Researchers surveyed over 1,000 students and found that those with dairy intolerance reported more vivid and disturbing dreams, likely due to nighttime gastrointestinal discomfort.Women were more likely to report food-related sleep issues, and unhealthy...

Summary: Diagnosing PTSD in children is often hindered by limited communication and emotional awareness, but new research is using AI to bridge that gap. By analyzing facial movements during interviews, researchers created a privacy-preserving tool that can identify PTSD-related expression patterns.Their system does not use raw video but instead tracks...

Summary: New research shows that low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can restore key synaptic structures in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that axonal boutons—sites where neurons form connections—had reduced turnover in Alzheimer’s mice, indicating impaired brain plasticity.After a single rTMS session, the turnover of one bouton...

Summary: The long-standing belief that left-handed people are more creative has been challenged by a new meta-analysis of over a century of research. After reviewing nearly 1,000 studies, researchers found no consistent advantage in creative thinking for lefties—in fact, right-handers slightly outperformed on some tests.Left-handed individuals are overrepresented in fields...