TL;DR: A 2026 study in Journal of Neuroscience found that when people expected sugar, an artificially sweetened drink became more pleasant and produced a stronger midbrain response, even though perceived sweetness was similar. Key Findings Expectation changed the reward readout: The researchers selected participants who reported similar perceptual experiences of sugar and non-nutritive sweetener. 27 …
TL;DR: A 2026 uncontrolled pilot study in BJPsych Open found that SMART, a personalized text-message program for metabolic health in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, improved patient activation, diabetes self-management confidence, health literacy, and recovery scores over 12 weeks, while objective cardiometabolic markers did not significantly change. Key Findings SMART reached a schizophrenia-risk group: Researchers …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports found that cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) undergoes autophagy-linked degradation in mouse cortical neurons, but p62 deficiency did not make CB1R the main driver of obesity and low activity in p62 knockout mice. Key Findings CB1R accumulated up to 10-fold: Blocking autophagic flux with Bafilomycin A1 in …
TL;DR: A 2026 case-series study in Translational Psychiatry tested delayed-release oral acetate from apple cider vinegar capsules in 11 young adults taking psychotropic medications and found high adherence, no product-related adverse events, microbiome shifts, and metabolic improvement in 6 participants, but the uncontrolled design means the findings need placebo-controlled testing. Key Findings 11 completers: The …
TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Nature found that small-molecule glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), obesity and diabetes drugs built around a glucose-linked hormone pathway, suppressed palatable-food intake through central amygdala neurons that lowered nucleus accumbens dopamine. Key Findings Humanized mouse model: Researchers engineered mice so small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonists could be studied despite …
TL;DR: A 2026 biomarker analysis in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health across antidepressant trials found that kynurenine pathway metabolites were elevated in inflammatory depression compared with non-inflammatory depression and healthy controls, while omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid treatment reduced several kynurenine pathway metabolites. Key Findings Study type: a combined analysis of two depression trials testing …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Microbiome found that in older adults at metabolic risk, virgin olive oil was linked to better cognitive preservation and richer gut microbiota, while common refined olive oil pointed the other way. Key Findings Metabolic-risk cohort tracked over time: The analysis followed 656 older adults who were 55-75 years old, cognitively …
TL;DR: A 2025 study in Nutrients found that a systematic review of adolescent diet and mental health found the clearest readout for whole dietary patterns, while single nutrients and supplement-style interventions looked less consistent. Key Findings 19 studies reviewed: The review covered six randomized controlled trials and 13 prospective cohort studies. Diet patterns looked clearer: …
TL;DR: A 2026 human microbiome and intervention study in Nature Communications found that coffee drinkers showed distinct gut microbiome composition and lower several microbial metabolites, while caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee shifted stress and mood measures in the intervention phase. Key Findings Study type: a study of habitual coffee intake, caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, gut microbes, …
TL;DR: A 2026 pilot study in Food & Function found that one month of extra virgin olive oil intake was associated with higher resting-state occipital functional connectivity than regular olive oil in 9 healthy young adults. Key Findings Occipital connectivity was the imaging endpoint: The 9-person neuroimaging substudy came from a larger randomized crossover trial …
