Depression and Alcohol Polygenic Scores Improved Comorbidity Prediction

Depression and Alcohol Polygenic Scores Improved Comorbidity Prediction

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Behavior Genetics found that combining major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder polygenic scores improved prediction of their comorbidity in 7,965 Add Health participants, but added little for either condition alone. Key Findings Add Health dataset anchored the analysis: The study used 7,965 European, African, and Admixed American ancestry participants …

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Brief Yoga Raised Heart Rate but Not Cortisol in Stress Pilot

Brief Yoga Raised Heart Rate but Not Cortisol in Stress Pilot

TL;DR: A 2026 randomized pilot study in JMIR Formative Research found that one brief yoga session did not significantly change salivary cortisol compared with quiet sitting, but it did raise heart rate during the active movement phase. Key Findings Yoga pilot sample: The pilot randomized 19 adults, with 10 participants assigned to a 24-minute yoga …

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Brain-Derived p-tau217% Better Classified Alzheimer Pathology

Brain-Derived p-tau217% Better Classified Alzheimer Pathology

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv found that brain-derived p-tau217%, a blood marker designed to isolate central nervous system tau, classified Alzheimer disease pathology better than standard plasma p-tau217 in several Alzheimer cohorts. Key Findings CNS-selective ratio: The proposed marker, brain-derived p-tau217%, estimates the share of circulating tau that is both brain-derived and phosphorylated at …

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Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms Correlated With Perfectionism

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms Correlated With Perfectionism

TL;DR: A 2026 meta-analysis in BMC Psychiatry found a moderate cross-sectional association between body dysmorphic disorder symptoms and perfectionism across 34 studies and 13,107 participants. Key Findings 34-study meta-analysis: The review pooled 34 studies with a total of 13,107 participants. Moderate main association: Body dysmorphic disorder symptoms correlated with perfectionism at r = .32, 95% …

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Astrocyte Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling Restricted Visual Cortex Plasticity

Astrocyte Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling Restricted Visual Cortex Plasticity

TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Nature found that the astrocyte glucocorticoid receptor pathway helped mature visual cortex circuitry and restricted ocular dominance plasticity, linking light exposure, stress-hormone input, and astrocyte-driven circuit closure. Key Findings 70,907 cells profiled: SHARE-seq mapped RNA expression and chromatin accessibility across visual cortex development in normal-reared and dark-reared mice. Five …

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ASPECTS and CT Perfusion Predicted Stroke Outcomes Similarly

ASPECTS and CT Perfusion Predicted Stroke Outcomes Similarly

TL;DR: A 2026 study in the International Journal of General Medicine found that rapid ASPECTS scoring on non-contrast CT and CT perfusion core-infarct volume predicted 90-day outcomes similarly in 82 acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular therapy. Key Findings 82 stroke patients: The retrospective single-center study included acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular …

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Adaptive DBS Reduced Falls in Parkinson’s Gait Feasibility Trial

Adaptive DBS Reduced Falls in Parkinson's Gait Feasibility Trial

TL;DR: A 2026 randomized feasibility trial in Nature Medicine found that gait-synchronized adaptive deep brain stimulation was feasible and safe in 5 people with Parkinson’s disease, with early findings of improved gait symmetry, lower variability, and fewer reported falls than continuous stimulation. Key Findings 5 Parkinson’s patients: The 1-center feasibility trial enrolled people with Parkinson’s …

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Autism fMRI Subtypes Linked to Synaptic and Immune Pathways

Autism fMRI Subtypes Linked to Synaptic and Immune Pathways

TL;DR: A 2026 Nature Neuroscience study used cross-species functional MRI (fMRI) connectivity to identify hypoconnectivity and hyperconnectivity autism subtypes linked to different synaptic and immune-related biological pathways. Key Findings 20 mouse models: Autism-relevant mouse models clustered into 11 hypoconnectivity-dominant and 9 hyperconnectivity-dominant fMRI patterns. 1,976 human scans: The human dataset included 940 autistic individuals and …

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GLP-1 Agonists Show Mixed Neurology Trial Evidence Despite Strong Mechanisms

GLP-1 Agonists Show Mixed Neurology Trial Evidence Despite Strong Mechanisms

TL;DR: A 2026 review in Drug Design, Development and Therapy argued that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, drugs that mimic a metabolic hormone involved in glucose control, have credible brain-protection mechanisms, but clinical evidence for neurological disorders remains mixed. Key Findings 15-page review: Li et al. summarized GLP-1 receptor agonist mechanisms and evidence across neurodegenerative, …

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Azocinoindole 5-HT2A Agonists Suppressed Mouse Head-Twitch Response

Azocinoindole 5-HT2A Agonists Suppressed Mouse Head-Twitch Response

TL;DR: A 2025 study in Journal of the American Chemical Society used photochemistry to turn amino-acid-linked tryptamines into azocinoindoles that activated serotonin 5-HT2A signaling while suppressing the mouse head-twitch response. Key Findings C4 indole route: The method used light-induced cyclization to functionalize the indole ring at the C4 position. Amino-acid inputs: Amino acids were coupled …

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