Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Why do people's pupils dilate when they're surprised? Researchers explain

When people encounter new information that challenges their expectations, their pupils are likely to dilate. This physiological response is a sign that something is happening in the brain to help the person adapt to the new ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Study uses living human brain tissue to map how electric stimulation affects neurons and genetic activity

Neurons that once encoded a person's memories are now helping researchers identify genetic targets that may one day help preserve memory and slow cognitive decline in others.

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / A 'molecular switch' that heals the gut—and that colorectal cancer hijacks to spread

Digestion is hard on the cells that line the human gut, and they are constantly being shed and replaced. This renewal is driven by a population of tireless stem cells. These stem cells can both replace the various types of ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Common neuroscience sensors sometimes get their signals crossed

Cells in the brain communicate in different ways. The classical mode involves tight connections between individual cells that signal only to each other. But over the last decade, new tools have allowed scientists to focus ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Structural studies reveal how lipid-transport proteins may influence neurodegenerative disease

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have conducted the first comprehensive structural analyses of a class of proteins whose dysfunction is associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / IL-1 pathway may stop Candida fungus from turning fatal in weakened immunity

An immune pathway has been discovered that prevents a normally harmless fungus from developing into a fatal infection. The King's College London study, published in Nature Microbiology, provides the first potential clue as ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Language models identify psychiatric symptoms nearly as accurately as early-career clinicians

A study led by the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) provides initial evidence that large language models can identify complex psychopathological findings in transcripts of psychiatric interviews with accuracy comparable ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / New model maps where HIV is concentrated and the disease is more advanced

A new biostatistical modeling approach has the potential to support health decisions by pinpointing where HIV is concentrated and where people living with HIV are showing signs of severe immune suppression or delayed treatment. ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / AI companions may worsen loneliness for vulnerable users

AI companions are becoming increasingly popular, with millions of users forming deep connections with persona-based chatbots and simulated AI partners. But if you're considering leaning on an AI companion for emotional support, ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Cannabis-derived THC shows promise for treating PTSD-related nightmares

Drastic or even life-threatening events can have lingering effects, like an echo. This is referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The brain is unable to process these overwhelming experiences and stores the ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Tumor-secreted protein makes lung vessels leakier, promoting metastasis

A protein secreted by common cancer types makes blood vessels leakier to allow metastatic tumors to form in the lungs, according to a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Pretrained AI could help clinics analyze brain MRIs with few labeled scans

When it comes to medical imaging, a chatbot doesn't know its backside from its elbow. Or, at least, it can't tell a spine from a knee. But if a Boston University research team is successful, a smarter AI system for evaluating ...

Aug 5, 2026