UK-wide trials to begin on blood tests for diagnosing dementia

Cambridge researchers are helping lead countrywide trials to identify accurate and quick blood tests that can diagnose dementia, in a bid to improve the UK’s

Cambridge University News • cambridge
April 4, 2024 ~6 min

Study: Movement disorder ALS and cognitive disorder FTLD show strong molecular overlaps

Single-cell gene expression patterns in the brain, and evidence from follow-up experiments, reveal many shared cellular and molecular similarities that could be targeted for potential treatment.

David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory • mit
March 22, 2024 ~9 min


How much stress is too much? A psychiatrist explains the links between toxic stress and poor health − and how to get help

No one can escape stress, but sometimes it takes a physical and emotional toll that translates to disease and other health effects. The good news is that there are new approaches to treating it.

Lawson R. Wulsin, Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine, University of Cincinnati • conversation
March 19, 2024 ~8 min

For people who speak many languages, there’s something special about their native tongue

An MIT study finds the brains of polyglots expend comparatively little effort when processing their native language.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
March 10, 2024 ~7 min

How sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice

Study finds stimulating a key brain rhythm with light and sound increases peptide release from interneurons, driving clearance of an Alzheimer’s protein.

David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory • mit
March 7, 2024 ~8 min

Deciphering the cellular mechanisms behind ALS

Professor Ernest Fraenkel has decoded fundamental aspects of Huntington’s disease and glioblastoma, and is now using computation to better understand amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Michaela Jarvis | School of Engineering • mit
March 6, 2024 ~8 min

Robber flies track their beetle prey using tiny microbursts of movement

Not much is known about the predator fly Laphria saffrana. New research identified how they count the wingbeats of their favored prey, letting it slip out of focus before adjusting their heads.

Siddhant Pusdekar, Graduate Researcher in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota • conversation
March 5, 2024 ~7 min

How cognition changes before dementia hits

Study finds language-processing difficulties are an indicator — more so than memory loss — of amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News • mit
Feb. 29, 2024 ~7 min


Investigating insomnia: our research shows how chronic sleep problems can lead to a spiralling decline in mental health

We envisage a future in which sleep is a routine target for reducing or preventing symptoms of mental illness, both in psychiatric settings and people’s homes

Aidan Horner, Associate Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience, University of York • conversation
Feb. 26, 2024 ~26 min

From bridge to chess, why men outperform women at ‘mindsports’ – and what to do about it

Male domination in bridge means there can be a lack of recognition of the structural barriers for women.

Samantha Punch, Professor of Sociology, University of Stirling • conversation
Feb. 19, 2024 ~7 min

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