TL;DR: Researchers rebuilt 10-second movie clips that mice had watched, using only recordings from about 8,000 neurons in each mouse’s visual cortex. The blurry, low-resolution results matched the originals fairly well, but this is not mind reading. Key Findings 50 clips rebuilt: Ten 10-second movies from each of 5 mice. Pixel match of 0.57: About …
TL;DR: An iPad app that tracks 52 facial movements told apart people with Parkinson’s from people without it about 4 times in 5 in a 70-person study. Lopsided expressions mattered as much as smaller ones. Key Findings 34 people with Parkinson’s, 36 without: Each made 53 cued faces in front of an iPad. Best model …
TL;DR: Among 100 college students, those more distressed by unusual experiences like odd perceptions or suspicious thoughts made more jerky “catch-up” eye jumps while following a moving dot. The link was modest, and it was strongest when the dot briefly disappeared. Key Findings 100 students, average age 19: Recruited to span low to high distress …
TL;DR: Brain scans of 48 women with borderline personality disorder showed less gray matter in the insula and parts of the frontal lobe than in 54 women without it. Some of those frontal areas were more strongly in sync with other brain regions, and that syncing was linked to symptom severity, self-harm and childhood trauma. …
TL;DR: In a small pilot study, immune cells from people in an untreated schizophrenia episode made more of their energy by burning sugar than cells from healthy people or from patients stable on medication. There was no sign of higher inflammation in the blood. Key Findings 23 people in 4 groups: Healthy volunteers, untreated acutely …
TL;DR: In rats trained to spot a brief flash of light, a drug that blocks one nicotine-type receptor (alpha-7) made them better at telling flash from no flash, even with distractions. Drugs that boosted the same receptor made them worse at high doses. Key Findings Alpha-7 blocker helped: Moderate doses of MLA improved detection, mostly …
TL;DR: In a small Polish trial of 22 children aged 6 to 9 with coordination problems, coordination exercises with and without moves that cross the body’s center line both improved movement planning and two-sided coordination. Final scores were about the same in both groups. Key Findings 22 children finished: Out of 32 who started, split …
TL;DR: In 159 young adults, people whose eyes were drawn to reward cues rather than to the rewards themselves glanced first at alcohol images slightly more often than one comparison group, but not the other. They did not drink more, contrary to an earlier study. Key Findings 159 volunteers aged 18 to 35: All at …
TL;DR: In 144 Norwegian tinnitus patients, an online program of retraining therapy and CBT was linked to less tinnitus distress after 6 months, most in severe cases. With no comparison group, the program can’t take full credit. Key Findings 144 patients: A 6-hour seminar, then 19 online modules over up to a year. Distress score …
TL;DR: In four online experiments with Chinese university students, a study-app assistant with a friendly face or chatty wording led to more positive feelings than a plain version. The boost was bigger in students who felt lonelier. Key Findings 4 experiments, 741 students: Each saw either a human-like or a plain study assistant. Happier with …
