Older adults with higher baseline apathy, as well as those with increasing apathy over time, were at higher risk of developing dementia. Neither baseline depression nor developing depression symptoms over time had a noticeable impact on a later diagnosis of dementia.
A new artificial neural network based on the human brain sheds light on how we process moving images.
Researchers speculate what the future may hold for artificial intelligence technologies, and us.
A newly developed questionnaire can detect autism in children between the ages of 18 to 30 months.
Autistic adults are more vulnerable to negative life events, including employment difficulties, domestic abuse, and financial hardships. Negative life events may explain higher rates of depression and anxiety, and lower life satisfaction in those on the autism spectrum.
Autistic individuals are more likely to experience chronic physical and mental health problems than their peers without ASD. Additionally, those on the autism spectrum are more likely to report inadequacies in health care services provided to them.
While those with autism are less likely to use substances than those who are not on the autism spectrum, those who do are more likely to self-medicate for their mental health symptoms. Those with ASD who self-medicate report they do so to improve focus and attention and, in some cases, to mask ASD symptoms.
The father's genes drive a fetus' demand for larger blood vessels and more nutrients, while maternal genes in the placenta try to take control over how much nourishment the mother provides.
Felodipine, a common hypertension medication, induces autophagy and clears aggregate-prone proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases. The study reveals the drug clears mutant alpha-synuclein in the brains of mice at plasma concentrations to those seen in humans taking the medication. Felodipine appears to have some neuroprotective properties in mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases.
Women expecting male babies often face more complications during pregnancy. Researchers found the sex of a baby affects how well the placenta functions, along with other factors including maternal stress and diet-induced maternal obesity. Designing individual plans and encouraging women to make lifestyle choices based on their child's sex could provide long-term health benefits and reduce complications during pregnancy.
New brain charts span the entire lifespan, from 15 weeks of gestation to 100 years old. The charts plot the expansion and rapid growth of the brain during early life and the slow shrinkage that occurs during the aging process.
University of Cambridge researchers report cholesterol may play a role in the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers discovered cholesterol can trigger amyloid beta to aggregate, which can lead to neuron death.