THE LATEST RESEARCH
New findings about the brain, behavior and mental health—with the evidence and limits in view.
TL;DR: In a small trial of 29 older adults with pre-frailty or frailty, a month of daily pectin fiber led to more chair stands than placebo. The inflammation blood tests it targeted did not change, and it was too small to be conclusive. Key Findings Main goal…
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TL;DR: After a burst brain aneurysm, patients given the heart drug milrinone through an IV had about half the odds of delayed brain injury from narrowed arteries. There was no clear recovery or survival benefit, and the finding was fragile. Key Findings 7 stud…
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TL;DR: Linking 10 placebo-controlled trials statistically, lumateperone ranked top among add-on depression drugs, improving scores 4.7 points more than placebo on a 60-point scale. Its maker paid for the analysis, and each drug rests on just two trials. Key Fi…
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TL;DR: In 52 healthy adults, how strongly a tiny brainstem alertness hub responded during waking tasks was linked to the intensity of their REM sleep measured in the lab. The direction of the link depended on the task and on age. Key Findings 52 adults: 34 you…
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TL;DR: In a Hong Kong study of 6,935 people and a pooled review, lithium and valproate showed no clear difference in suicide risk in bipolar disorder, and both were linked to lower risk than no treatment. Observational studies cannot show cause. Key Findings H…
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TL;DR: A newborn with severe brain bleeding had seizures that three standard drugs could not stop. After doctors added ketamine, visible seizures stopped, and brain-wave seizures ended once phenytoin was added too, so ketamine's own role is unclear. Key Findin…
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TL;DR: In a small 21-day trial of 30 people with Parkinson's, insulin sprayed into the nose caused no low blood sugar and only mild side effects, mostly nasal irritation and nosebleeds. It did not improve thinking more than placebo. Key Findings 30 people, 4 g…
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TL;DR: Levels of immature white blood cells, proposed as a simple blood marker of inflammation in migraine, were the same in people with migraine, during or between attacks, as in people without it. Two other blood ratios shifted slightly during attacks. Key F…
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TL;DR: Mice given a graft of human stem-cell-derived brain cells a week after a stroke walked better and had more new blood vessels over the next 6 weeks than mice given a sham injection. This is an early animal study in mice bred without a full immune system.…
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TL;DR: In a 2026 lab study, researchers ran a steady electric current for 15 or 60 minutes through tiny balls of rat brain cells grown in a dish. After 60 minutes, the balls spread outward about half as much over 3 days while their nerve fibers grew longer and…
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