Are they watching Graying Anatomy? The idea of TV rotting your brain is apparently not just an old wives tale. Spending too much time watching TV in middle age may literally shrink the brain, increasing the risk of dementia and other complications, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. This screen-induced cerebral shrinkage … Read more
Sugar-free foods and beverages may help your waistline, but they could come at a cost to your brain. A study from the University of São Paulo in Brazil suggests that artificial sweeteners may speed up cognitive decline — with two groups appearing to face the greatest risk, including people with a disease affecting more than … Read more
Jeans that fit perfectly. The ideal Netflix show for a Tuesday night. Your one and only soulmate. Modern life promises that with enough options, you will happily find the best of everything. But behavioral scientists say the increasing flood of choices — whether it comes to shopping, social lives or relationships — is doing the opposite. Behavioral scientists say … Read more
Neurologists are warning that popular weight-loss medications could have severe negative effects on neurodegenerative conditions like ALS. Jinsy Andrews, MD, a neurologist and director of NYU Langone’s ALS Center, says the very mechanism that makes these drugs popular — rapid weight loss — can go against the biological needs of patients with neuromuscular disorders. GLP-1 agonists have shown … Read more
A cutting-edge immunotherapy could help kids fight — and even banish — brain tumors, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. The new treatment falls under a category called T-cell therapy, which trains the immune system to identify and attack cancer on its own. T-cell therapy has already proven effective against blood cancers like … Read more
Speaking two or more languages may help slow brain aging, according to new research. The study, presented at the 2026 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies Forum, found that people who spoke multiple languages appeared to have younger brains than those who spoke only one language. Researchers analyzed brain activity from hundreds of people in Spain’s Basque region … Read more
Women who use Depo-Provera face a higher risk of developing a slow-growing brain tumor, known as a meningioma, while the contraceptive’s maker, Pfizer, faces hundreds of lawsuits claiming that it was aware of the potential risks. The brand name for depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), Depo-Provera, contains the synthetic progestin hormone and is used by roughly 1 in 4 … Read more
Move over, Batman. A new group of “superhumans” has emerged — and they’re all 80-plus. A study published in Neurology has identified a rare group of older adults called “super movers” who appear to have a remarkable advantage: a significantly lower risk of cognitive decline, even when their brains show the same Alzheimer-related changes seen … Read more
Talk about a wriggly situation. When a man in Spain went to the hospital with chronic headaches, brain scans showed poorly-defined lesions, or tissue where the edges are blurred due to abnormal cell growth. Doctors believed all signs were pointing to deadly cancer that had spread — until they took a closer look. The good … Read more
Former baseball executive David Samson revealed the tragic news on Wednesday that his daughter, Kyra, died one day prior after a nearly yearlong fight with brain cancer. She was 28. Samson, former president of the Marlins and EVP of the now-defunct Expos, said Kyra was diagnosed with glioblastoma nearly 10 months ago and fought against … Read more
New York Times bestselling author and founder of the popular Scary Mommy blog Jill Smokler died Monday of brain cancer. Smokler, a mom of three, was 48. She made a name for herself with unflinching honesty about the realities of marriage and parenting, and developed one of the biggest parenting blogs as the genre was … Read more
“My neighbor tiled my roof for free. He said it was on the house.” While that dad joke might elicit a heavy sigh from family members, experts say a silly pun can alter internal body chemistry and lower stress, potentially providing real health benefits. Dad jokes are uniquely distinguished by their structure, content and comedic devices, according … Read more
Higher levels of vitamin C were linked to healthier brain structure in older adults, suggesting a potential role for nutrition in brain aging. That’s according to new research from Japan, published in the journal PLOS ONE. The observational study included 2,044 participants living in Hirosaki City, Japan, who were originally included in a study exploring dementia and … Read more
It’s easy to get caught up in tending to your weight or the look of your biceps — but don’t forget about gains for your brain. “The brain is a part of our body. The same things that create wellness within our body create wellness within our brain,” Dr. Randy D’Amico, director of the Brain … Read more
An eight-month-old infant with rare but severe epilepsy was cured after receiving an experimental gene replacement in a historic medical moment. The child was one of the first in the world to be treated with gene replacement therapy to restore the function of a crucial gene that regulates nervous system development. It was delivered via … Read more
Don’t sleep on a few troubling behaviors that could increase your risk of developing dementia. Known risk factors for dementia include age, high blood pressure, hearing loss, smoking, high cholesterol, genetics and sleep — and a new study has found that a few key behaviors related to how we rest up can impact our brain … Read more
The old saying that laughter is the best medicine may be true, according to new research that suggests it is also a vital catalyst for children’s development. Laughter and play are fundamental to healthy brain growth, emotional well-being and social bonding, according to Jacqueline Harding, Ph.D., an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London. In her book, “The … Read more
While the pandemic may be over, its enduring effects are being felt by millions. While most people who test positive for COVID recover within a week or two, some continue to report symptoms — and even develop new ones — months and even years later. Known as long Covid, this debilitating post-infection condition can cause … Read more
Lisa Fasone desperately wanted to give her daughter a little brother or sister. But when she and boyfriend, Larry Brastad, started trying, they joined the millions of Americans battling infertility. “I thought I was never going to have another child,” said the 32-year-old woman from McHenry, Ill. told People. “It was an awful feeling.” More … Read more
The world’s largest and longest-running biohacking conference just wrapped — and peptides were among the hottest topics on the floor. It’s not hard to see why. In recent years, these experimental compounds have exploded across the worlds of longevity, beauty and fitness, with devotees touting benefits ranging from muscle building and injury recovery to slower … Read more