Summary: Researchers identified a specific structural brain change associated with depression in older adults. Examining high-resolution MRI scans from 2,009 cognitively unimpaired adults aged 50 to 90, the team discovered…
Category: Humans
ChatGPT Predicts Human Personality Test Results
Summary: A new study demonstrated a novel method using ChatGPT (GPT-4) to construct, validate, and predict population-level responses for personality assessment questionnaires derived from any source text. The team tested…
First mRNA flu shot approved by FDA bodes well for improving drugs of the future – though a few hurdles remain before mRNA can move beyond vaccines
Vaccines have been reliably and affordably protecting people from diseases worldwide for centuries. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, however, vaccine development was still a long and idiosyncratic process. Traditionally, researchers had…
Taxi drivers rarely die of Alzheimer’s – how complex mental maps and spatial reasoning protect your brain
Taxi and ambulance drivers are less likely than workers in almost any other job to die of Alzheimer’s disease. That was the surprising result of a 2024 study examining the…
What is emotional regulation? A child psychologist explains
If you’ve followed mental health topics on TikTok or Instagram lately, you have probably heard the term emotional regulation. But emotional regulation isn’t just a trendy buzzword. It’s a nuanced…
7,000-year-old fish traps rewrite the history of early resource management
Archaeologists have uncovered compelling evidence that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers deliberately introduced brown trout into Norway’s mountain lakes around 7,000 years ago, representing one of the earliest known examples of environmental management…
Nonordinary Experiences Lead to Long-Term Personal Growth
Summary: Researchers investigated how individuals perceive and process nonordinary experiences (NOEs), such as out-of-body experiences, extrasensory perception, and sensing an unseen presence. Utilizing a newly validated 47-item Inventory of Nonordinary…
Bullfrogs may have an antidote to deadly shellfish poisoning
In warm, sunny weather, certain marine algae along American coasts and elsewhere can flourish into harmful algal blooms, producing a substance known as saxitoxin. This neurotoxin is deadly for many…
Philadelphia’s failing air quality hits hardest in neighborhoods near industry and highways, where asthma rates soar
Philadelphians who live near industrial land and major roads – those who live in the Port Richmond and Bridesburg neighborhoods along I-95, or the Delaware River port-industrial corridor, for example…
Brain PET Scans Link Late-Onset Psychosis to Tau and Amyloid
Summary: A new study demonstrates that first-episode hallucinations and delusions appearing after age 40 are frequently driven by underlying neurodegenerative pathology. Using molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, the team…
