ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Scientists have discovered a convergent mechanism that may be responsible for how two top-ranked genetic risk factors for autism spectrum disorder/intellectual disability (ASD/ID) lead to these neurodevelopmental disorders.

A small tweak to hospitals' prescribing systems might make a big difference in reducing risk from leftover opioid pain medication, while still making sure surgery patients get relief from their post-operation pain, a new study suggests.

Scientists have identified a new gene called MGMT that increases the risk of Alzheimer's in women.

Research on the effects of exercise in low-oxygen environments on the brain demonstrated that cognitive performance worsens when lower-than-usual amounts of oxygen are carried by the blood. Consequently, tissue in brain regions with less critical functions may receive inadequate oxygen supply to maintain normal activity levels.

Researchers have found that extracting drawing features from a combination of five drawing tasks -- rather than from any single task alone -- leads to more accurate classification of people with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease by capturing different, complementary aspects of cognitive impairments. Their proposed portable, easy-to-use screening test may improve patient diagnosis, leading to earlier and more effective treatments.

Researchers have discovered an important link between vascular health and late-life dementia, discovering the calcification of plaques within the abdominal aorta to be a reliable marker for late-life dementia.