https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved bemotrizinol (BEMT) for use in over-the-counter sunscreen products. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fda-sunscreen-ingredient-decades.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:00:03 EDT news700315169 Fewer than one in four people with stroke and fewer than one in seven people with traumatic brain injury receive inpatient rehabilitation care after being hospitalized, according to a study published in Neurology Open Access. Researchers found disparities in access across sex, race, insurance coverage and income level. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-patients-brain-injury-inpatient-rehab.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:00:06 EDT news700241401 Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have uncovered a fundamental principle underlying how the human brain processes meaning across multiple languages. In a new study posted to the bioRxiv preprint server, scientists recorded the activity of individual neurons in the human hippocampus and found that bilingual people appear to organize concepts in a shared neural structure—even when speaking entirely different languages. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-bilingual-brains-concepts-aligned-languages.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:20:01 EDT news700321058 To better understand what drives the emergence of symptoms in Rett syndrome, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital took a closer look at brain cells in mice modeling Rett syndrome before symptoms appeared. They identified a set of dysfunctional genes and specific cell types that are vulnerable early to genetic changes. The study appears in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-early-rett-syndrome-clues-emerge.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:04 EDT news700303441 Have you heard someone say online or in casual conversation, when responding to someone's struggles, "well, the body keeps the score"? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-body-score-trauma-debunked-idea.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:40:01 EDT news700307462 People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at higher risk of developing dementia. Indeed, many of them experience a gradual decline in cognitive performance over time. Smartphone- or tablet-based memory tests can capture this subtle decline more quickly than conventional testing. These findings come from a study by DZNE in collaboration with university hospitals in Germany, the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States, and the startup neotiv. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-smartphone-cognitive-decline-faster-standard.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:40:04 EDT news700306638 People who attended or experienced the same event often remember it in completely different ways. For instance, one person might remember a family dinner as warm and enjoyable, while another might recall that the same dinner was uncomfortable or emotionally demanding. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-recollections-events-linked-similar-brain.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:20:01 EDT news700303796 A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology challenges the traditional, reactive model of mental health care by demonstrating that proactive brain training can strengthen the human mind before mental health challenges take root. Additionally, it can support the wellness of those with a history of mental illness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-flips-mental-health-paradigm-proactive.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 08:20:01 EDT news700296888 Social networks may help protect cognitive functioning in later life, particularly among older adults who are no longer working, according to a new IIASA-led study. Drawing on data from 27 European countries, the researchers found that social connections can help compensate for the loss of mentally stimulating interactions linked to work, with different types of relationships benefiting women and men. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-life-social.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:20:03 EDT news700232033 New research from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has discovered subtle but widespread differences in the brain's communication networks in people with bipolar disorder, offering new insight into how illness severity and treatment may relate to brain wiring. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-network-linked-bipolar-disorder.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:20:01 EDT news700234227 Can a simple scent released while you sleep improve your sense of smell, your memory or even the quality of your sleep? New research explores the benefits of passive olfactory stimulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-beneficial-brain.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:20:06 EDT news700223762 Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychoactive compound found in mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus. These mushrooms may have existed on Earth for nearly 65 million years, dating to the asteroid impact that caused the dinosaurs' extinction. While Mesoamerican civilizations have used them for at least 3,000 years for therapeutic benefits, scientists have only recently begun investigating psilocybin and realizing its potential as a treatment for neurodegenerative and other brain-related disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-high-dose-psilocybin-temporarily-lost.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:20:04 EDT news700197403 New research has found an association between taking glucosamine, a popular over-the-counter supplement used for joint pain, and a higher likelihood of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. The finding by University of Florida neuroscientists is based on a large retrospective analysis of patients' records as well as supporting data from advanced imaging technology used to scan human brain specimens and Alzheimer's disease mouse models. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-popular-joint-pain-supplement-dementia.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:00:09 EDT news700152841 Smartphones have been connected to a host of modern problems including loneliness, decreased physical activity, sleep problems and all the mental and physical health issues associated with those conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-qa-screen-healthy.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:00:01 EDT news700126081 It can be incredibly difficult for adults with ADHD to fit in socially. But trying to hide the telltale signs of ADHD could cost their mental health and well-being, a study says. Adults with ADHD might better fit in if they pretend to pay attention, suppress their urge to fidget, rehearse conversations or over-prepare for meetings, researchers said. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-adhd-masking-people-blend-mental.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 22:00:01 EDT news700132075 HIV can damage the brain and cause memory and cognitive problems. And once HIV enters the brain, it does not leave. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hiv-brain-doesnt-drugs-inflammation.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:20:02 EDT news700144442 Huntington disease is a rare, inherited brain disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells, leading to worsening movement, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene, the fatal disease affects coordination, memory, mood and the ability to think clearly. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-huntington-simpler-drug-path-brain.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:00:03 EDT news699868617 For millions of people around the world, pollen season means weeks of sneezing, itchy eyes, and a blocked or runny nose. The timing varies depending on where you live and which plants are in flower, but grass pollen is one of the most common triggers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hay-fever-antihistamines-evidence-dementia.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT news700140661 Most breast cancers are worsened by estrogens. To combat the recurrence of these cancers, clinicians treat patients with inhibitors for estrogen production, like letrozole. But many patients do not adhere to this treatment due to negative side effects. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-side-effects-breast-cancer-treatment.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:00:07 EDT news699869341 By inducing specific patterns of activity in small portions of the brain in awake mice, researchers have triggered a recalibration of neural connections that normally only occurs during sleep. This new approach offset the effects of sleep deprivation on memory tasks and revealed features of sleep that are key to its restorative effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-trigger-effect-brain.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:40:11 EDT news700133685 A study led by ICREA researcher Raül Andero at the Institut de Neurociències of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (INc-UAB) has found that the relationship between a person's progesterone and estradiol levels at a given moment, measured in saliva, could help predict participants' performance in a learning and memory task. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-effectiveness-memory-saliva.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:40:09 EDT news700133421 Inside the brain is a dense network of neurons that receive, process, and relay information. The synapse, where neurons meet, is the epicenter of this communication. Neurons that send information, called presynaptic neurons, hold tiny packages of neurotransmitters—waiting for a chemical signal from the brain to be released. How this system is regulated by the brain during periods of learning has, until now, been out of reach. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-cellular-3d-reveal-synapses.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:01 EDT news699880261 On April 26, the United States reclassified cannabis from a Schedule I controlled substance, which lacks any medical benefits, to a Schedule III controlled substance, which has accepted medical uses and lower potential for misuse than a Schedule I substance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-qa-expert-discusses-cannabis.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:40:02 EDT news699878043 A class of flu drugs may reduce cognitive decline and premature aging in people living with chronic viral infection, reports a new study led by Northwestern University that began with blood samples from people with HIV and extended into preclinical drug trials. The findings point to a potential new therapy for cognitive problems in people with HIV, with broader implications for other aging-related diseases, such as dementia. The study is published in Med. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-flu-drugs-cognitive-decline.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:03 EDT news699781862 You sit down to start a task you care about. Nothing happens. You open your phone instead. Minutes turn into hours. You feel restless, flat, or oddly exhausted, even though you haven't done much at all. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-dopamine-menus-small-pleasures-unstuck.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:20:07 EDT news699796142 Short-term memories are thought to be formed deep within the brain in structures such as the hippocampus, but little is known about how and where memory-related information is kept in the brain or the process of drawing on this information. A good example is the sound of a car horn—most of us recognize it as a warning and know how to respond, even though not all horns sound the same and the circumstances in which we might hear a horn are different each time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-circuit-links-memory-revealing.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:40:03 EDT news699791102 Women are twice as likely as men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—and new research may offer a biological clue as to why. A Virginia Tech study found that the female brain forms fear memories using a molecular process not seen in the male brain. The findings suggest that treatments for PTSD may need to be tailored differently for men and women, said the study's lead researcher, Timothy Jarome, an associate professor of neurobiology in the School of Animal Sciences located within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-memories-differently-male-female-brains.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:20:09 EDT news699792241 Becoming a mother changes the brain not just temporarily, but for life. Pregnancy and the postpartum period trigger lasting changes in the maternal brain through the brain chemical dopamine, producing long-term benefits to learning, memory, and maternal behavior, a process disrupted by chronic postpartum stress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-motherhood-lifelong-brain-dopamine-linked.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:40:06 EDT news699787921 Over the past few decades, researchers have developed effective treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric disorder some people develop after experiencing trauma. These treatments often involve talking through the trauma and understanding what happened with a therapist. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-wrong-people-nonwestern-backgrounds-recover.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:20:05 EDT news699784681 A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that irregular sleep—including variability in sleep timing and duration—was associated with lower receptive vocabulary and visuospatial memory scores in preschool-age children, even after accounting for total sleep duration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-irregular-preschool-age-children-memory.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:40:01 EDT news699783182