TL;DR: A 2026 modeling study in Journal of Mathematical Biology found that delayed unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular stress program that slows protein production, could make toxic prion protein either die out, persist, or oscillate as it spreads through a brain-connectome model. Key Findings The model tracked PrPC and PrPSc: Researchers modeled normal cellular …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found psychomotor retardation, meaning slowed movement, speech, and thinking during depression, was linked to higher later Parkinson’s diagnosis risk in 6,327 London mental-health records. Key Findings Psychomotor retardation was common: Among 6,327 people with depression at age 40 or older, 2,402 patients, or 38.0%, had psychomotor retardation documented in records. …
TL;DR: A 2026 cross-sectional study in Nature and Science of Sleep linked 9 hours or less of nighttime sleep with higher parent-rated anxiety scores in 1,589 preschool children in China, but the design can show association rather than prove that shorter sleep caused the symptoms. Key Findings 1,589 preschoolers: Researchers analyzed parent questionnaires from two …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Neuropsychopharmacology found that decision-making measures from a stop-signal task, especially evidence accumulation, predicted cigarette and cannabis use better than stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), a common estimate of response inhibition. Key Findings More than 1,000 young adults: The analysis used IMAGEN cohort stop-signal task data from 1,256 participants at age 19 …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint used single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), a brain blood-flow imaging method, and a 68-component NeuroMark template to link depression-related symptoms with frontal, subcortical, cerebellar, salience, and visual network patterns across several psychiatric groups. Key Findings Large imaging pool: Researchers analyzed 2,743 patient SPECT scans with clinical data plus 76 …
TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis posted to medRxiv found that gamma-frequency non-invasive brain stimulation was linked to symptom improvement in schizophrenia and depressive-symptom reduction in major depressive disorder, but the evidence was heterogeneous and still preprint-level. Key Findings 56 controlled studies were included across schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment followed 55 adults after mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and found that neurocognitive test performance improved over time after both Alpha/Delta-era and Omicron-era infections. Key Findings 55-person longitudinal sample: Researchers compared 28 Alpha/Delta-era participants with 27 Omicron-era participants after mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Initial cognitive findings: About half of each group …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint used total-body tau PET in Alzheimer’s disease and found stronger brain-organ network synchrony, a pattern that tracked cognitive impairment through cortical tau burden and MRI markers of glymphatic dysfunction. Key Findings Small imaging cohort: Researchers compared 28 Alzheimer’s disease patients with 23 matched negative controls using positron emission tomography (PET), …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health found that whole-body hyperthermia in adults with major depressive disorder triggered a 30-minute whole-blood RNA-seq response dominated by heat-shock genes and immune pathways, including IL-6 production. Key Findings 18 RNA-seq participants: Whole-blood RNA sequencing was available for 9 adults assigned to whole-body hyperthermia and …
TL;DR: A 2026 Nature Communications paper found that late-stage amyloid beta plaques in APP23 mice recruited CD8 T cells with a type I interferon program, linking Alzheimer-like amyloid pathology to a more adaptive immune response around plaques. Key Findings 21,156 immune cells profiled: The team used single-cell RNA and VDJ sequencing on CD45-positive brain immune …
