Academic Stress Protocol Will Track Depression, Cortisol, Diet, and Sleep

Academic Stress Protocol Will Track Depression, Cortisol, Diet, and Sleep

TL;DR: A 2026 study protocol in PLOS One describes a planned longitudinal study that will track academic stress, depressive symptoms, diet, sleep-related wearable measures, salivary cortisol, and other health indicators across a university semester, but it does not yet report outcome results. Key Findings Study protocol only: The source describes the planned design and hypotheses; …

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Post COVID-19 Condition Linked to Fatigue, Sleep, Mood, and Subjective Cognition

Post COVID-19 Condition Linked to Fatigue, Sleep, Mood, and Subjective Cognition

TL;DR: A 2026 cross-sectional study in PLOS One found that people with post COVID-19 condition reported worse quality of life, fatigue, sleep, psychological wellbeing, and subjective cognition than COVID-19 survivors without the condition, while many objective lung, metabolic, and cognitive tests did not differ. Key Findings 139-person Dutch cohort: The study included 87 people with …

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Alzheimer Plasma Proteomics Favored Continuous Molecular Axes

Alzheimer Plasma Proteomics Favored Continuous Molecular Axes

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv analyzed plasma proteomics in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment and found that four continuous molecular axes described the data better than hard subtype labels. Key Findings 5,895-person AD/MCI sample: The discovery analysis used one record per participant from the Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium. 81.5% module-space variance: Four continuous …

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Alzheimer Biomarker-Clock Analysis Can Create Countdown Paradox

Alzheimer Biomarker-Clock Analysis Can Create Countdown Paradox

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv warned that a standard Alzheimer’s disease biomarker-clock analysis can create a countdown paradox, where later biomarker-clock ages appear linked to faster mild cognitive impairment onset because of the way remaining time is calculated. Key Findings 100% false positives in simple null simulations: The standard countdown analysis rejected the null …

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Creatine Monohydrate Showed Mixed Depression Trial Results

Creatine Monohydrate Showed Mixed Depression Trial Results

TL;DR: A 2026 review in Brain Medicine found mixed randomized-trial evidence for creatine monohydrate as an add-on depression treatment: 2 of 5 trials showed symptom benefits, while 3 did not find a clear advantage. Key Findings Five randomized trials were reviewed: The review summarized 238 baseline participants across trials of creatine monohydrate for mood disorders. …

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DLPFC Pain Maps Converged in Brodmann Areas 8, 9, and 46

DLPFC Pain Maps Converged in Brodmann Areas 8, 9, and 46

TL;DR: A 2026 review and activation-likelihood estimation study in European Journal of Pain found that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), a frontal control region, was repeatedly engaged in acute pain, chronic pain, and placebo analgesia, mainly across Brodmann areas 8, 9, and 46. Key Findings 138 studies included: The review screened 4810 deduplicated records and …

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GRANPA Let Diphenhydramine Inhibit Brain Circuits in Mouse Models

GRANPA Let Diphenhydramine Inhibit Brain Circuits in Mouse Models

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy engineered a modified inhibitory DREADD receptor called GRANPA so the over-the-counter antihistamine diphenhydramine could switch off targeted brain circuits and reduce seizure activity in mouse models. Key Findings Two added receptor mutations: The lead GRANPA receptor combined hM4Di with S85V and Y416F mutations to improve …

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Ketamine and Synthetic Cathinones Appeared in Italian ED Drug Toxicity Cases

Ketamine and Synthetic Cathinones Appeared in Italian ED Drug Toxicity Cases

TL;DR: A 2026 observational study in International Journal of Legal Medicine found that cocaine dominated analytically confirmed recreational drug toxicity cases in one Bologna emergency department, while ketamine was common and all new-psychoactive-substance-positive patients had psychomotor agitation. Key Findings 110 ED patients: The observational study enrolled 110 patients with suspected acute recreational drug toxicity between …

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Immersive VR Reduced Anxiety and Pain in Gastrointestinal Cancer Trials

Immersive VR Reduced Anxiety and Pain in Gastrointestinal Cancer Trials

TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in Journal of Medical Internet Research found that immersive virtual reality reduced anxiety and pain in randomized trials of gastrointestinal cancer care, but wide prediction intervals and low evidence certainty mean the effect may vary across clinical settings. Key Findings 14 RCTs: The review included 14 randomized controlled …

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