TL;DR: A 2026 study in PNAS from Oregon Health & Science University and Anhui University used optogenetics in mice to map a specific serotonin-producing brain circuit that runs straight to the auditory system, showed that activating this circuit produced tinnitus-like behavior, and traced a likely mechanism for why some patients on SSRI antidepressants report worsened …
TL;DR: A 2026 scoping review in Sleep Science linked seasonal timing, daylight exposure, daylight saving time (DST), sleep-wake rhythm disruption, and driver drowsiness to traffic-crash risk, but found that few studies directly integrate seasonality with chronobiology in one model. Key Findings 1,758 records screened: The scoping review used PRISMA-ScR methods and screened 1,758 records before …
TL;DR: A 2026 population-based matched cohort study in British Journal of Psychiatry found that risperidone use was associated with increased stroke risk, adjusted hazard ratio 1.28, while absolute stroke incidence was especially high in people with prior stroke or cardiovascular disease. Key Findings Matched dementia comparison: The analysis compared stroke risk among risperidone users and …
TL;DR: A 2026 randomized pilot trial in European Journal of Psychotraumatology found no overall PTSD advantage when refugee-focused emotion-regulation skills training was added before narrative exposure therapy, but refugees living with high visa or family insecurity showed preliminary self-report gains from the skills-first approach. Key Findings 71 adult refugees were randomized: Participants met DSM-5 criteria …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Journal of Pain Research described 3 adults with type I complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a severe neuropathic pain condition with sensory, autonomic, motor, and skin changes, whose pain scores improved after pregabalin and who were then able to participate more fully in rehabilitation. Key Findings Case-series evidence: Researchers reported …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Journal of Pain Research found that spinal cord stimulation and dorsal root entry zone lesioning reduced pain for selected patients with refractory postherpetic neuralgia, but the evidence came from a 10-patient single-center series. Key Findings 10 refractory PHN patients: The retrospective series included 6 men and 4 women treated between …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found that nonverbal Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to infer another person’s beliefs or perspective, varied in 44 adults with post-stroke aphasia and was more closely tied to vascular brain-health markers than to aphasia severity. Key Findings Study group: 44 adults with aphasia after mostly left-hemisphere stroke completed 2 …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint linked higher blood inflammatory markers with diffusion MRI signs of altered white-matter microstructure in 457 dementia-free middle-aged and older adults, especially for a combined cytokine score and orientation dispersion index. Key Findings 457 dementia-free participants: The cross-sectional study examined adults with a mean age of 63.82 years and used blood …
TL;DR: A 2026 European Journal of Pediatrics study found that children with phenylketonuria, or PKU, had higher depression scores and lower quality of life than controls, with the worse pattern in children diagnosed later. Key Findings Children studied: The study included 76 children ages 8-15, split into early-diagnosed PKU, late-diagnosed PKU, and healthy control groups. …
TL;DR: A 2026 Neurological Sciences study followed 216 early Parkinson’s patients for 2 years after levodopa started and found that several non-motor symptom differences between men and women persisted or emerged despite adjustment for baseline scores and levodopa dose. Key Findings 216 early Parkinson’s patients completed 24-month follow-up after starting levodopa, including 139 men and …
