The broad cytokine story failed its most direct community test: in 972 adults, depression, alcohol use, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) were not associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) or a pre-registered pro-inflammatory cytokine index. The only multiple-testing-corrected cytokine hits ran opposite the hypothesis — AUD was linked to lower IL-1β, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-12 — …
A 2026 methylome-wide association study by Shen et al. found 48 CpG methylation sites tied to the quadratic CYP2C19 metabolizer-status term in 18,396 Generation Scotland participants, with 19 sites showing non-linear patterns and targeted replication in 1,238 older adults.1 That supports CYP2C19 as real biology beneath SSRI pharmacogenomics, but it does not prove universal antidepressant …
A 2026 Nature Communications study found that Mecp2 overexpression deregulated approximately 5,000 genes in mouse neural progenitor cells but only approximately 500 mostly small-change genes in mature neurons, with the same progenitor-vs-neuron split reproduced in human iPSC-derived cells.1 For Rett syndrome gene therapy, that is the useful calibration: extra MeCP2 is most dangerous when it …
A 2026 ALSPAC analysis tested a narrow claim behind routine genetic screening for childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD): whether rare copy number variants (CNVs; deleted or duplicated DNA segments) make young-adult outcomes worse than ADHD/ASD status alone would predict. In 8,414 people with usable CNV data, ADHD and ASD predicted worse …
A 2026 RNA-seq analysis of 1,711 autistic probands found 3 gene-expression clusters: 425 people with more severe restricted and repetitive behaviors than the other clusters, 282 with milder symptoms and better adaptive function than the other clusters, and 1,004 with stronger social-communication impairment than the other clusters.1 The supported claim is molecular stratification, not a …
Until recently, Alzheimer’s pathology could only be confirmed in living patients via PET imaging or lumbar puncture. Plasma p-tau217 changed that calculus — but how to interpret a positive result depends substantially on APOE genotype.1 Research Highlights Plasma p-tau217 is a blood biomarker that rises years before Alzheimer’s symptoms. The 2024 Alzheimer’s Association revised criteria …
Multiple system atrophy is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease with no proven disease-modifying therapy. A 2026 review by Jeong and colleagues tracks two decades of repurposed-drug trials, with one recent positive Phase 2 result.1 Research Highlights Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a fatal α-synuclein disorder distinct from Parkinson’s disease. It progresses faster than PD (median …