Summary: Open-world video games can significantly improve relaxation and mental health, especially for postgraduate students. These games, offering expansive environments and player autonomy, provide a form of cognitive escapism that…
Category: Humans
New study reveals how children misunderstand medical jargon
Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new University of Minnesota Medical School study published in Pediatrics highlights how children interpret common medical phrases, revealing surprising—and sometimes alarming—misunderstandings. The University of Minnesota’s…
Study Ties Visual Errors to Paranoid Beliefs
Summary: A new study suggests complex beliefs like paranoia may have roots in visual misperception. Participants prone to paranoia or teleological thinking were more likely to wrongly identify one moving…
Genetic testing changes course of care in children with neurodevelopmental conditions
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Adding genetic testing to the evaluation of pediatric patients with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) resulted in more individualized care, including changes in medication, referrals to clinical trials…
Drinking a moderate amount of wine may lower the risk of serious cardiovascular disease in high-risk people
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Drinking a small or moderate amount of wine may lower the risk of serious cardiovascular disease in people at a higher risk who are following a…
Gold tongues discovered in the mouths of mummies at Oxyrhynchus
Excavations at the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus near Al-Bahansa, Egypt, have uncovered 52 Ptolemaic-era mummies, some of which have gold tongues placed in their mouths. This ritual act was intended…
Study confirms safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is no longer classified as a pandemic, a significant number of infections continue to be reported globally. The World Health Organization…
Teen Brain’s Blunted Reward Response Predicts Depression Onset
Summary: A new study reveals that a reduced neural response to rewards in teens predicts the first onset of depression, but not anxiety or suicidality. Researchers used EEG scans to…
Ketamine Reduces “Giving Up” by Targeting Brain Support Cells
Summary: Researchers have found that ketamine’s antidepressant effects target astroglia, a type of brain support cell, rather than neurons, challenging conventional views. Using zebrafish, scientists observed that ketamine suppressed the…
AI Tweaks Personality Tests to Appear More Likable
Summary: Large language models (LLMs) can identify when they are being given personality tests and adjust their responses to appear more socially desirable. Researchers found that LLMs, like GPT-4, showed…
