ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

People taking certain drugs to lower blood sugar for type 2 diabetes had less amyloid in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease, when compared to both people with type 2 diabetes not taking the drugs and people without diabetes. The new study also found people taking these drugs, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, showed slower cognitive decline than people in the other two groups.

A new study shows that people who walk or garden at least three to four hours per week, or bike at least two to three hours per week, or the equivalent after having a stroke may have a 54% lower risk of early death from any cause. The study found the most benefit for younger stroke survivors. When people under the age of 75 exercised at least that amount, their risk of early death was reduced by 80%.

In an effort to better characterize -- and quantify -- sensorimotor abilities and their impact on the development of people with ASD, scientists have published research that compared the fine motor control and eye movements of more than 200 people from age 5 to 29. The study showed key differences in the ways that individuals with ASD processed or reacted to stimuli compared to those who were more neurotypical, with implications for future research across age range, intelligence and setting.

A study conducted in Hungarian schools showed that seating students next to each other boosted their tendency to become friends -- both for pairs of similar students and pairs of students who differed in their educational achievement, gender, or ethnicity.

A new survey study links belief in the concept of social Darwinism with certain dysfunctional psychological characteristics, such as exploitative attitudes towards others, hostility, and low self-esteem.

Evidence of cognitive deficits in people who have recovered from COVID-19 has been discovered in a new study of over 80,000 individuals.

A set of brain signals known to help memories form may also influence blood sugar levels, finds a new study in rats.

The discovery that the anaesthetic ketamine can help people with severe depression has raised hopes of finding new treatment options for the disease. Researchers have now identified novel mechanistic insights how the drug exerts its antidepressant effect.

Hearing conservation programs and policies aim to protect workers from noise-induced hearing loss, but it remains unclear whether stress reactions caused by noise exposure might also lead to other negative health outcomes. Researchers now describe how data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey do not support an association between loud noise exposure and changes in biomarkers for cardiovascular disease or outcomes.

A new paper comparing the ability to match pitch and duration in speech and song is providing valuable insight into vocal imitation deficits for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder.

New research has found that otherwise healthy young people diagnosed with COVID-19, regardless of their symptom severity, have problems with their nervous system when compared with healthy control subjects.

An alarming percentage of children and adolescents are experiencing a global-wide mental crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to a new study.