Learning French, reading the latest Andy Weir novel, hanging out with friends for St. Patrick’s Day – language is central to all these everyday activities. Seemingly effortless from childhood, language, it turns out, is quite complex, not constrained to one set of genes or one region in the brain. Cognitive neuroscientists are now using a … Read more
An insightful mini-review published in Genomic Psychiatry synthesizes the rapidly expanding landscape of molecular genetic research on common epilepsies, assembling evidence from genome-wide association studies, whole-exome sequencing projects, and advanced statistical modeling to illuminate the polygenic architecture that underpins these heterogeneous neurological disorders. The synthesis, led by Dr. Olav B. Smeland of the Centre for … Read more
Researchers have discovered that mutations in the FOXJ3 gene act as a “master switch” failure, disrupting how the brain builds its layers and leading to FCD, a primary cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. The study reveals how FOXJ3 controls the formation of brain cortical layers during brain development by regulating the PTEN–mTOR signaling pathway. The PTEN-mTOR … Read more
A new study published in Neurology and led by Queen Mary University of London has revealed that people of South Asian, African , and European ancestry share many of the same genetic risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS). This new study is one of the most ancestrally diverse genetic analyses of MS conducted in the UK. MS affects around 150,000 people in the UK and more than two million people … Read more
Han, J. et al. Infection biology of Salmonella enterica. EcoSal Plus 12, eesp-0001-2023. https://doi.org/10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0001-2023 (2024). Google Scholar European Food Safety Authority The European union one health 2021 zoonoses report. EFSA J. 20, e07666. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7666 (2022). Google Scholar Barton, A. J., Hill, J., Blohmke, C. J. & Pollard, A. J. Host restriction, pathogenesis and chronic carriage … Read more
Alzheimer’s disease is widely believed to be caused by accumulating amyloid plaques in the brain, which trigger cascading effects that cause damage. But efforts to reduce amyloid plaques haven’t reversed cognitive decline, causing some to wonder whether something else is going on. Leyla Akay, director of biology at the Boston area startup TAC Therapeutics, is … Read more
Herpes simplex virus partially liquifies the tightly packed, gel-like interior of human cell nuclei to copy itself faster, a new study shows. The research centers on how the nucleus of each human cell houses the genetic machinery used to copy DNA-encoded instructions when it divides and multiplies as part of growth. Viruses invade human cells … Read more
In time for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology has launched a new clinical study aimed at helping improve how patients with colorectal cancer share information about the genetic risks to their family members. Supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the trial, “Family Communications After Genetic … Read more
Medication nonadherence among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a result of affordability and lack of knowledge about medications, among other factors, and leads to increased exacerbations and faster lung function decline, according to two new studies. The studies are published in the January 2026 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of … Read more
A sweeping new peer-reviewed study published in Genomic Psychiatry has introduced a concept that could reshape how psychiatrists and geneticists think about mental illness: genetic specificity. Led by Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler at Virginia Commonwealth University, the research team analyzed data from over two million individuals born in Sweden between 1950 and 1995, asking a … Read more