A new study published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease has found that the retinas of people with Parkinson’s disease react to light in a distinctly different way than those of healthy individuals. 

Today, Parkinson’s is typically diagnosed only after noticeable motor symptoms, like tremors or stiffness, begin to disrupt daily life. And by then, the disease has already been present for several years, and the affected neurons are already engaged in an irreversible degenerative process. So researchers believe that this new discovery could pave the way for a non-invasive, accessible screening method using routine eye exams. Check it out: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996125000889?via%3Dihub

atai Life Sciences announced that the first patient in its exploratory Phase 2 study of EMP-01 (R-MDMA) has been dosed. EMP-01 is designed to treat adults with social anxiety disorder (SAD). A condition that affects more than 15 million people in the U.S. alone. 

The Phase 2 study is an exploratory, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of EMP-01 in approximately 60 adults with SAD. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive two double-blind administrations of either EMP-01 or placebo, spaced four weeks apart. Symptoms will be monitored for six weeks following the first dose. The primary objective of the study is to assess the safety and tolerability of EMP-01 in adults with SAD. The secondary objective is to estimate any improvements in social anxiety symptoms compared to placebo. Here’s more: https://ir.atai.com/news-releases/news-release-details/atai-life-sciences-announces-first-patient-dosed-phase-2-study

A new study published in the journal NeuroImage has revealed that all human senses (sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing), activate the same deep brain regions linked to consciousness when attention is sharply focused. 

Using fMRI data from over 1,500 healthy participants, researchers found that sensory input, regardless of the type, engages the midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus. These areas are crucial for regulating alertness, attention, and awareness. 

This discovery highlights how key these central brain regions are in regulating not only disorders of consciousness, but also conditions that impact attention and focus, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

This latest finding could lead to better targeted medications and brain stimulation techniques for patients. Check it out: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925002277?via%3Dihub

Did you know that Large Language Model (LLM) AI agents (a type of artificial intelligence that can interact with their environment and take actions to achieve specific goals) can spontaneously develop social normals like humans? 

According to researchers from City St. George’s, University of London, populations of AI agents, similar to ChatGPT, can develop shared social conventions through just interaction alone. Their data suggest AI agents communicate in groups, and do not just follow scripts or repeat patterns, but self-organize, reaching consensus on linguistic norms much like human communities.

As LLMs begin to populate online environments, researchers envision their work as a stepping stone to further explore how human and AI reasoning both converge and diverge. It’s a fascinating study, which you can check out for yourself here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adu9368