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Study sheds new light on how structural brain changes are tied to memory decline in aging

A landmark international study that pooled brain scans and memory tests from thousands of adults has shed new light on how structural brain changes are tied to memory decline as people age.

13 Jan 2026

Fruit fly study identifies genes regulating dopamine and sleep

Dopamine in the brain influences movement, learning, motivation and sleep. In humans, problems with dopamine are linked to conditions like Parkinson's disease, depression and sleep disorders.

13 Jan 2026

Heavy coffee drinking may weaken bone density in older women

Researchers investigate the longitudinal associations of coffee and tea consumption with bone mineral density in older women.

12 Jan 2026

Chronic back pain predicts poor sleep in older men

Researchers investigate the prevalence of back pain and sleep issues in men 65 years of age and older.

12 Jan 2026

Study highlights prevalence of GLP-1/GIP medication use for weight loss in UK

In early 2025, around 4.9 million British adults - almost one in ten - are estimated to have recently used, or expressed interest in using, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) or dual GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist medications to support weight loss. The findings, which are based on a nationally representative household survey of 5,260 British adults, are published in BMC Medicine.

8 Jan 2026

Physical activity shows comparable benefits to therapy for treating depression

Exercise may reduce symptoms of depression to a similar extent as psychological therapy, according to an updated Cochrane review. When compared with antidepressant medication, exercise also showed a similar effect, but the evidence was of low certainty.

7 Jan 2026

Injectable nanomaterial reduces secondary brain injury after ischemic stroke

When a person suffers a stroke, physicians must restore blood flow to the brain as quickly as possible to save their life.

7 Jan 2026

Homeless shelters for seniors pop up, catering to older adults’ medical needs

Just outside Salt Lake City sits an old, two-story, brick hotel. It's been given new life as a homeless shelter for seniors. The Medically Vulnerable People shelter — or MVP shelter, as it's known — is for people 62 and older or for younger adults with chronic health issues.

7 Jan 2026

Catching up on weekend sleep may protect adolescents against depression symptoms

Sleeping in on the weekend to catch up on sleep lost during the week may be good for adolescents' mental health, according to new research by the University of Oregon and the State University of New York Upstate Medical University.

6 Jan 2026

Siblings of people with Prader-Willi syndrome face hidden emotional burdens

New research from the University of East Anglia (UK) reveals the hidden struggles experienced by the brothers and sisters of people with Prader-Willi syndrome.

6 Jan 2026

The CDC just sidelined these childhood vaccines. Here’s what they prevent.

The federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations, sidelining six routine vaccines that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death.

6 Jan 2026

Neighborhood deprivation predicts poorer lower-limb strength

Neighborhood-level disadvantages are linked to reduced lower limb strength and mobility in older adults, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.

6 Jan 2026

New exercise-sensing pathway offers hope for osteoporosis treatment

A research team from the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has uncovered a key biological mechanism that explains how exercise maintain strong bones, paving the way for novel treatments for osteoporosis and bone loss in people who are unable to engage.

6 Jan 2026

Diabetes could drain up to INT$78.8 trillion from the global economy by 2050, study finds

This global macroeconomic analysis estimates that diabetes mellitus will cost the world economy INT$10.2 trillion between 2020 and 2050, rising to INT$78.8 trillion when unpaid informal caregiving is included. Using a health-augmented economic model across 204 countries, the study shows that informal care is the dominant and most underestimated driver of diabetes-related economic losses worldwide.

5 Jan 2026

Common blood signals explain why chronic diseases cluster as we age

This population-based study shows that shared and pattern-specific blood biomarkers reflect biological vulnerability underlying multimorbidity and the pace at which chronic diseases accumulate in older adults. Metabolic and systemic stress markers such as GDF15, HbA1c, cystatin C, and insulin consistently tracked higher disease burden and faster accumulation, with findings replicated across cohorts.

5 Jan 2026

Maintaining a healthy weight may help avoid low back pain

Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition associated with disability, work loss and economic burden to healthcare. Significant risk factors include poor sleep, physical and psychological stress, inactivity, advanced age and smoking.

5 Jan 2026

Study uncovers a possible biomarker linked to MS disease progression

A new University of Toronto-led study has discovered a possible biomarker linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression that could help identify patients most likely to benefit from new drugs.

2 Jan 2026

Depression links to chronic headaches through weight and diet, not physical activity alone

Depression was associated with a higher likelihood of chronic headaches in Iranian adults, with statistical models identifying body mass index and dietary iron intake as partial mediators. Physical activity was linked to depression but did not independently mediate headache outcomes, highlighting interconnected, non-causal pathways.

1 Jan 2026

Periodontal bacterial load associated with disease severity in multiple sclerosis

Increasing evidence suggests that the severe gum disease, periodontitis, may contribute to central nervous system disorders through chronic inflammation.

30 Dec 2025

$Neighborhood disadvantage shapes recovery after hip fracture$

Neighborhood disadvantage shapes recovery after hip fracture

Older adults who live in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods spend significantly fewer days at home in the year after a fall-related hip fracture than those living in more affluent areas, according to a large national study published today in JAMA Network Open.

23 Dec 2025