Summary: Over half of U.S. college students experience harm caused by others’ drinking, highlighting the widespread impact of alcohol misuse on campuses. These harms range from babysitting intoxicated peers to experiencing verbal abuse, emotional distress, or even physical assaults.Students in Greek life, athletics, or higher socioeconomic groups are particularly at...
Emotional News Alters Men’s Financial Choices
Summary: New research reveals that men are more likely than women to let emotions from unrelated situations affect their financial decisions. After watching emotional news stories, men opted for safer financial choices, while women’s decisions remained unchanged.This challenges the stereotype that women are more emotional, suggesting higher emotional intelligence may...
Habits at Work that Can Hurt You from Sleeping
Summary: A study of over 1,000 employees found that sedentary jobs and nontraditional work schedules significantly increase the risk of insomnia symptoms and disrupted sleep patterns. Sedentary workers experienced a 37% rise in insomnia symptoms, while those with nontraditional schedules were 66% more likely to need “catch-up sleep,” such as...
AI uses novel genetic tools to predict the development of autoimmune disease.
Summary: Researchers have developed a Genetic Progression Score (GPS) using artificial intelligence to predict the progression of autoimmune diseases from preclinical symptoms to full disease. The GPS model integrates genetic data and electronic health records to provide personalized risk scores, improving prediction accuracy by 25% to 1,000% over existing models.This...
False thoughts are more difficult to create than they once were.
Summary: A new analysis challenges long-standing claims about the ease of implanting false memories, often cited in court cases to discredit witnesses. Researchers re-evaluated data from a 2023 replication of the “Lost in the Mall” study, finding that none of the participants formed fully false memories of a fabricated childhood...
Short-Term Rhythms Shape Sleep Spindles and Brain Health
Summary: Sleep spindles—brief bursts of brain activity crucial for memory and sleep stability—are guided primarily by short-term timing patterns lasting less than 15 seconds. Researchers found these patterns are highly individualized, consistent across nights, and change with age, outweighing the influence of other factors like brain rhythms or sleep depth.This...
Brain Trauma Does Restore Dormant Viruses, Increasing Alzheimer’s Danger
Summary: New research suggests that concussions and repetitive head trauma may reactivate dormant viruses like HSV-1 in the brain, potentially triggering neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Using a brain tissue model, scientists observed that head trauma caused latent HSV-1 to awaken, leading to hallmark Alzheimer’s markers such as amyloid plaques,...
Head Waste Clearance and Vascular Dementia are linked by a new marker.
Summary: A new study has identified a biomarker, DTI-ALPS, which connects glymphatic system dysfunction to vascular dementia. By analyzing over 3,750 participants, researchers found that lower DTI-ALPS scores correlated with worse executive function, highlighting the glymphatic system’s role in clearing brain waste.The study also uncovered a potential pathway linking impaired...
Capillary Risk Factors and Brain Health Are Different Affecting Brain Health in Older People.
Summary: A new study reveals that common cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, known to damage brain blood vessels in younger populations, are not linked to increased brain vessel harm in individuals aged 90 and older.Researchers analyzed data from 267 participants in the National Institute on Aging’s 90+...
Unlocking Spinal Cord Regeneration: Astrocytes Lead the Way
Summary: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are challenging to treat due to the limited regenerative capacity of the central nervous system. A new study reveals that while ependymal cells in the spinal cord show minimal repair potential, astrocytes can transdifferentiate into oligodendrocytes, aiding in remyelination.Researchers also found that modifying the injury...