Genetic variants linked with higher risk of developing bipolar disorder

About 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) each year—one person every six minutes. While most people associate PD with tremors and stiffness, the condition is far more complex than these symptoms and may affect more than just movement.

24 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On 17 July 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean launched the Regional Coalition for Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention. A webinar held for the launch brought together civil society organizations (CSOs) working on mental health and substance use from across the Region. Speakers from the Regional Office included Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy, Director of Programme Management Dr Adham Ismail, Regional Advisor Dr Khalid Saeed, and Technical Officer Dr Dalia Elasi.  Other speakers included the Director of Partnerships and Secretariat Lead at the Global Mental Health Action Network (GMHAN) Dr Antonis Kousoulis, GMHAN Officer Ms Divya Sharma, President of Justice for Health Sasha Hajj-Assaf, and representatives from key member organizations. The Coalition aims to promote mental health literacy, prevent substance use and reduce stigma by meaningfully engaging and empowering people with lived experience (PWLE) and their organizations. It is hosted on an interactive platform in collaboration with GMHAN, led by United for Global Mental Health. The platform includes links to the websites of member organizations and a unique engagement space GMHAN Circle. The dedicated page Civil Society Speaks highlights success stories on programmes, initiatives and campaigns for mental health and substance use, implemented and shared by CSOs across the Region. The Coalition’s mandate aligns with the WHO’s Read more...

The combination of a recently approved blood test for detection of Alzheimer's disease combined with two medications that slow progression of the disease is drastically improving outcomes for patients and their families, according to a neurologist and surgeon at Yale New Haven Health.

A GOP-led Congress has approved $186 billion in cuts to the food assistance program through 2034. The second Trump administration has said that healthy eating is a priority.

Ancient bacteria that have evolved to become integral to our cells—converting nutrients from food into energy—may also contribute to neurologic disorders, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and autism, according to research in the lab of Yongchao Ma, Ph.D., from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

Computer scientists at the University of Rochester have developed an AI-powered, speech-based screening tool that can help people assess whether they are showing signs of Parkinson's disease, the fastest growing neurological disability in the world.

A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus shows that free, open-source artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help doctors report medical scans just as well as more expensive commercial systems, without putting patient privacy at risk.

In a key advance for regenerative medicine and gut health, scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have uncovered a precise and unexpected communication system in the gut. Support cells known as telocytes use fine extensions—like neurons in the brain—to deliver signals directly to intestinal stem cells.

COVID-19 is rising in prevalence in many states nationally following the July 4 holiday week, but the role of the main therapy to treat it—the antiviral drug Paxlovid—is less clear.

Ketamine is a highly effective, fast-acting antidepressant that works even for patients who have not responded to other medications. However, the brain mechanisms important for these rapid treatment effects are yet to be determined.

The Food and Drug Administration, making good on a Trump administration promise to examine the usage of antidepressants, on July 21 convened a panel largely of antidepressant skeptics to discuss the health impacts of taking such medicine while pregnant, though several panelists have no particular expertise on pregnancy research.

Menopause remains one of the most under-discussed stages of life, even though more than 1 million women in the United States experience this natural biological transition each year. Often shrouded in stigma and misinformation, menopause is rarely addressed openly—even though it can profoundly affect a person's physical, emotional and mental health.

The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman, new federal data released Thursday shows.

Health officials in Colorado say the state's measles outbreak is over, and the U.S. added just 10 confirmed cases nationally in the last week.

For military veterans, many of the deepest wounds of war are invisible: Traumatic brain injuries resulting from head trauma or blast explosions are a leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and suicide among veterans. Few treatments have been effective at diminishing the long-term effects of TBI, leaving many veterans feeling hopeless.

Signs reading "slippery when wet" frequently warn about the dangers of slipping and falling. But floors made slick by dry spills are also a significant hazard—one that's overlooked and understudied, according to University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers who developed a new way to assess floor slipperiness caused by dry contaminants.

A groundbreaking study led by Oregon State University scientists shows that multiple Portland neighborhoods have levels of noise that are likely unhealthy.

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has released the "Alternative Treatments to Selected Medications in the 2023 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria," an updated clinical resource designed to help health care professionals identify safer, more appropriate treatment options for older adults. It is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.