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 / 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 / Severe COVID-19 reactivates dormant viruses, study finds

Chronically infecting viruses—such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpesviruses—are common and often innocuous and asymptomatic. However, emerging evidence suggests their reactivation may contribute to autoimmune ...

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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / Early split in brain precursors creates two neuron lineages, mouse study finds

The cerebral cortex is densely packed with different nerve cells that enable us to perceive, think and act. Yet how these cell types arise as the brain develops is still not fully understood. Irene Varela-Martínez, a postdoctoral ...

Aug 5, 2026
Medical Xpress / Cancer Dependency Map now includes next-generation 3D cancer models

For nearly a decade, the Cancer Dependency Map, or DepMap, at the Broad Institute has helped scientists uncover new cancer dependencies—the genetic changes some cancers need to thrive that can potentially be targeted by new ...

Aug 5, 2026