Encouraging children to indulge in reading for pleasure can enhance their cognitive and mental health during adolescence, a recent study reveals. The study, involving over 10,000 young adolescents from the US, discovered that an optimal reading duration of 12 hours per week contributed to improved brain structure and mental health.

New research has investigated associations of adverse childhood experiences with changes in epigenetic age acceleration.

Researchers have discovered a new depression subtype, the ‘cognitive biotype,’ affecting 27% of patients who respond poorly to typically prescribed antidepressants. These patients struggle with planning, self-control, sustained focus, and suppressing inappropriate behavior, with brain scans revealing reduced activity in the regions responsible for these tasks.

A team of researchers has developed a predictive model to recognize patterns of persistent negative thinking, or rumination, using machine learning.

A new study involving over 22,000 people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has identified a genetic variant associated with the disease’s faster progression. The research discovered a genetic variant that significantly affects disease severity. This development brings us closer to understanding and combatting the progressive form of MS. The identified genetic variant accelerates disability, undermining patient mobility and independence over time.

Regularly finding time for a little snooze is good for our brain and helps keep it bigger for longer, say researchers.

Do intelligent people think faster? Researchers made the surprising finding that participants with higher intelligence scores were only quicker when tackling simple tasks, while they took longer to solve difficult problems than subjects with lower IQ scores. 

Finally this week, new research provides the first physiological evidence supporting the scientific theory of how the brain consolidates memory during sleep.