MentalHealthDaily

tDCS for Empathy: rTPJ Increased Other-Pain Signals, DLPFC Did Not

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for tDCS empathy and rTPJ versus DLPFC social cognition.

A 2026 Psychological Medicine study involving 196 healthy adults found that transcranial direct current stimulation over the right temporoparietal junction increased cognitive empathy signals across pain and video tasks, while left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex stimulation produced narrower and less consistent effects.1 The useful finding is anatomical calibration: rTPJ looked more like an other-state representation target, …

Severe Infections Predicted Dementia After 27 Comorbidities in Finland

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for severe infections, comorbidity, and dementia risk.

A nationwide Finnish registry study found that 2 severe infection categories still predicted dementia after adjustment for 27 noninfectious comorbid diseases.1 Cystitis and bacterial infection of an unspecified site both had adjusted rate ratios of 1.19 after comorbidity adjustment, meaning the infection-dementia association did not disappear when prior hospital-treated illnesses were modeled. Research Highlights The …

Alzheimer’s Plasma Protein Structure Panel Reached AUCs Above 0.93

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for Alzheimer's plasma protein-structure biomarkers.

A 2026 Nature Aging study involving 520 participants found that plasma protein-structure signatures classified healthy control, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease groups with 83.44% three-way accuracy.1 The result is a serious biomarker signal, but it is not a clinic-ready replacement for established Alzheimer’s testing. Research Highlights Classification was strong: The plasma structural-proteomics panel reached …

SPP1 Marks Cross-Disease Microglial Activation in Neurodegeneration

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for SPP1 microglia and neurodegeneration transcriptomics.

A 2026 Glia analysis found a shared microglial transcriptional program across 5 neurodegenerative contexts: ALS, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, aging, and Parkinson’s disease.1 The standout marker was SPP1, a gene encoding osteopontin, but the finding is a cellular-state signal rather than a ready diagnostic test. Research Highlights Cross-disease microglia converged: the integrated dataset covered ALS, …

Image Memorability, Not Recognition Success, Drove N400 Encoding Signals

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for image memorability and N400 EEG signals.

A 2026 EEG study found that image memorability predicted recognition strongly, z = 9.17, p < 0.001, and the N400 encoding signal tracked memorability after later recognition success was included in the same model.1 The result weakens the common shortcut that every hit-vs-miss brain signal is purely an encoding-success signal. Research Highlights Memorability predicted recognition: …

Depression Brain Energy Landscape Showed State 3 Trapping in MDD

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for depression brain energy landscape state trapping.

A 76-person Nature Communications fMRI study found that people with major depressive disorder spent a higher share of time in a model-derived State 3 than healthy controls, 27.63 vs. 25.65, p(FDR) = 0.035, and State 3 occupancy correlated with QIDS depression severity, r2 = 0.268, p(FDR) = 0.008.1 The result points to altered brain-state transitions …

CB1 Receptor Autophagy Did Not Explain p62 Obesity in Mice

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for CB1 receptor autophagy and p62 obesity mice.

A 2026 neuron and mouse study found that CB1 receptors accumulate when autophagic flux is blocked, but p62 deficiency did not significantly increase steady-state CB1 receptor abundance in brain or hypothalamus and did not make CB1 signaling the primary explanation for late-onset obesity.1 The result separates 2 claims that are easy to blur: CB1 can …