Can sweets be addictive? First validated tool aims to measure the behavior

Because aging weakens cognitive skills, older people can struggle to read difficult social cues. A brain region involved in attention and arousal—the locus coeruleus (LC)—helps with complex tasks, and its connections to the cortex may adapt as humans age to support cognition.

How does the human brain track emotions and support transitions between these emotions? In a new eNeuro paper, Matthew Sachs and colleagues, from Columbia University, used music and an advanced approach for assessing brain activity to shed light on the context dependence and fluctuating nature of emotions.

In a world flooded with fitness fads and "quick-fix" workout plans, solid evidence can often get drowned out. Yet the science is clear: jogging for just five to ten minutes a day can lower your risk of dying from heart disease and even reduce your overall risk of dying from any cause. This kind of research rarely gets the attention it deserves.

Many of us have gotten into the habit of listening to podcasts, audiobooks and other online content at increased playback speeds. For younger people, it might even be the norm. One survey of students in California, for instance, showed that 89% changed the playback speed of online lectures, while there have been numerous articles in the media about how common speedy viewing has become.

Summer is the UK's best-loved season. It's easy to see why, with the warmer, sunnier weather it brings. But the temperature isn't the only reason people prefer midsummer to the dark days of winter. Many also report their mood is better during the warmer months.

A recent study of outcomes in infants and young deaf children with cochlear implants (implanted electronic hearing device), suggests that socioeconomic status (SES) plays a major role in whether spoken language becomes their primary communication mode. The researchers found that communication primarily using spoken language occurred in 85% of commercially insured children with cochlear implants compared to 33% of Medicaid-eligible children. Results were published in the journal Laryngoscope.

A drug used for Parkinson's disease has been shown to be effective in reducing the symptoms of difficult to treat depression, according to a study led by the University of Oxford.

Nestle has joined a growing list of major food companies pledging to voluntarily eliminate artificial colors from their U.S. products by the middle of next year amid mounting health concerns.

If you've started running for the first time, started again after a break, or your workout is more intense, you might have felt it. A dull, nagging ache down your shins after you exercise.

Millions of adults around the world are diagnosed with ADHD every year, and there is a great need for research in the field. However, much clinical research on adult ADHD suffers from serious methodological shortcomings that make it difficult to use the results in practice, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Sao Paulo show in a new study.

U.K. adults with psoriasis may be compromising their health and risking exacerbating their skin condition by seeking unverified dietary advice on social media, Herts researchers have warned.

A study from Texas A&M University reveals that hospital rooms designed with natural elements—like indoor plants, green decor and views of green nature—significantly enhance relaxation and mental clarity in simulated patients, even when experienced through virtual reality (VR).

Researchers from Monash University, in collaboration with the European Biostasis Foundation and Apex Neuroscience, have revealed that although most neuroscientists agree that long-term memories depend primarily on neuronal connectivity patterns, significant uncertainties persist regarding precisely how these memories are structurally encoded.

A new study from UCLA Health has uncovered how inflammation in brain blood vessels exacerbates damage in vascular dementia and demonstrated that targeting this process with a repurposed drug can promote brain repair and functional recovery in mice.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (commonly known as IBS) affects about 1 in 5 Australians. It's a chronic and often debilitating condition, with symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea and unpredictable bowel movements.

A study led by Cedars-Sinai investigators has uncovered a significant uptick in chronic digestive disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study findings, published in the journal Neurogastroenterology & Motility, highlight a potential link between pandemic-related stress on the gut–brain axis.

A collaboration of leading Chinese research institutions has developed an artificial intelligence-based method called GRAPE, demonstrating high accuracy in detecting gastric cancer from routine noncontrast CT scans.

Cancer is costly for patients and the NHS—but it also has a significant impact on the U.K. economy, according to research led by the University of Leeds.