Music’s Universal Pulse: Body and Emotions Unite Across Cultures

Summary: A groundbreaking cross-cultural study has revealed that music universally influences bodily sensations and emotions, transcending cultural boundaries. Researchers from Western and East Asian backgrounds discovered that emotional and structural characteristics of music consistently evoke similar bodily sensations—such as changes in the chest, limbs, and head regions—regardless of cultural background. The study, analyzing responses to … Read more

Stem Cells Model of Early Human Central Nervous System Created

Summary: Researchers have developed the first stem cell culture method that accurately models the early stages of the human central nervous system (CNS), marking a significant breakthrough in neuroscience. This 3D human organoid system simulates the development of the brain and spinal cord, offering new possibilities for studying human brain development and diseases. By using … Read more

Resistant starch intake facilitates weight loss in humans by reshaping the gut microbiota

Study participants The inclusion criteria were (1) age 18–55 years and (2) overweight or obesity, as defined as BMI ≥ 24 kg m−2 or waist circumference ≥85 cm in men and ≥80 cm in women20. The exclusion criteria were acute illness, antibiotic or probiotic supplement use within 3 weeks previously, diagnosis of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, diabetes, current systemic corticosteroid treatment or … Read more

Why syphilis cases are surging in US, Michigan after nearly being eradicated

Detroit — Back from the brink of eradication, syphilis is spiking in Michigan, prompting alarm within the medical community. Mirroring national patterns, the number of syphilis cases doubled in Michigan between 2017 and 2022, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In Detroit alone, which has the highest number of cases in … Read more

Dopamine and serotonin in human substantia nigra track social context and value signals during economic exchange

Experimental framework Parkinson’s disease patients (n = 4) undergoing DBS surgery performed the ultimatum game while we obtained electrochemical estimates of dopamine and serotonin in the SNr (Fig. 1a). Our electrochemistry protocol, which builds on earlier work in both animals34,35 and humans22,23,24,25,26, provides ten samples per second. In brief, the protocol involves the repeated delivery of a … Read more

What happens in the brain?

The peak of the COVID-19 pandemic may be behind us, but for many people, long COVID continues to cause symptoms weeks, months, or even years after the initial illness. Among the more than 200 symptoms reported for long COVID, brain fog — problems with thinking, understanding, focus and memory — is one of the most … Read more