Is brain rot real? Here's what brain health experts say

Children on the autism spectrum, often at odds with their own emotions, may find help in an unlikely place: their own inner voice. A team from the University of Pittsburgh and collaborators tested a novel intervention designed to train autistic children in developing internal speech—and the results suggest it may reduce emotional dysregulation.

Type 2 diabetes patients taking semaglutide, often sold as Ozempic or Wegovy, have a slightly lower risk of stroke compared to patients taking another diabetes drug—empagliflozin. International researchers studied data from 7,899 patients treated with semaglutide and 7,899 treated with empagliflozin to look for differences in the risk of death, heart attack, stroke, heart failure and an irregular heartbeat.

From tiny tree frogs to towering redwoods—to you and me—DNA drives all life on Earth. Embedded in every cell in every organism, DNA acts as a kind of biological instruction manual, containing all the genetic information needed to make life.

The applications of virtual reality far exceed the gaming world as Griffith University researchers investigate its benefits for pediatric burns pain management at the Queensland Children's Hospital.

A new study using one of the world's largest cancer registries shows that patient outcomes can be significantly impacted depending on when colorectal cancer (CRC) is diagnosed related to other cancers. The results are published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Suicide remains one of the most pressing public health crises affecting young adults today, with devastating consequences. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among individuals aged 18 to 25, with a 51% increase in suicide deaths between 2000 and 2021.

A brain imaging technology called tau-PET can improve Alzheimer's diagnostics in health care, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg. The technology enables earlier diagnosis and robustly identifies people at highest risk—even before symptoms appear.

While testing of colorectal cancer tumors for mismatch repair (MMR) defects has been recommended for years, the majority of patients with abnormal results do not complete the next steps, including genetic testing. Skipping those steps can cause missed cancer diagnoses and unnecessary costs, as explained in a Yale study recently published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

COVID-19 appears to be on the rise in some parts of California as a new, highly contagious subvariant—featuring "razor blade throat" symptoms overseas—is becoming increasingly dominant.

From 2016 to 2023, there was an increase in the mean age of mothers at first birth and at higher-order births, according to the June 13 National Vital Statistics Reports.

Allison Harvey knew she'd have to study hard when she enrolled in an 11-week course on parenting techniques earlier this year. A UC Berkeley professor of psychology who researches memory, habits and sleep, Harvey printed her notes and meticulously completed each week's homework. She engaged with the instructors, who were also well-respected clinical psychologists. And she was far more engaged than her classmates, including her husband.

In the late 1980s, researchers identified a rare genetic mutation that leads to Alzheimer's disease, and yet drugs developed in response haven't slowed Alzheimer's progression nearly to the degree researchers had hoped. In the 1990s, scientists dreamed of biological tests—such as brain scans or blood tests—to diagnose psychiatric conditions like depression, and yet diagnoses are still based on symptoms alone.

Rat lungworm disease is on the rise in eastern Australia in dogs—and there have even been recorded cases in humans, including two known lethal incidents. Caused by a parasite naturally found in rats, the disease requires ongoing monitoring to ensure it is controlled and doesn't pose a public health threat.

Scientists have discovered clues that may explain why some treatments stop working for people with bowel cancer—causing about 16,800 deaths in the U.K. every year.

The number of older women living with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. is growing, which is due to new diagnoses in patients over 65 and because many women diagnosed at a younger age are living longer.

Liver transplant is a lifesaving surgery, but a significant number of patients experience organ rejection or other complications. Now a study by scientists from Georgetown University and MedStar Health describes how a single blood sample can be used to catch problems at the earliest stages, allowing tailored treatment to prevent the organ's failure.

Treating rare diseases can be complicated at the best of times, and it gets even more complicated when different patients with the same disease exhibit different symptoms. Now, researchers from Japan have reported a cellular signature that might explain why some patients with autoimmune disease are stable while others face life-threatening complications.

Vaccination experts recently fired by Donald Trump's administration sounded the alarm in a Monday editorial, saying they were "deeply concerned" by the actions of a US health secretary known for his vaccine skepticism.