Background and hypothesisCannabis use initiation during adolescence has increased globally, raising concerns about neurodevelopmental consequences during this critical period when the brain undergoes extensive remodeling in cannabinoid receptor-rich regions.Study designThis systematic review examines neurodevelopmental consequences of adolescent cannabis use, focusing on structural brain changes, cognitive impacts, addiction vulnerability, and long-term outcomes. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (2000-2025) for studies examining cannabis effects in adolescent populations. Following PRISMA guidelines, two reviewers screened 3,421 records and assessed 156 full-text articles, including studies with neuroimaging, cognitive assessments, or longitudinal follow-up.Study resultsThirty-six studies involving 8,432 participants met criteria: 23 longitudinal cohorts (62.2%), 8 cross-sectional (22.2%), 4 RCTs (11.1%), and 1 case-control study (2.8%). Neuroimaging revealed dose-dependent alterations including reduced prefrontal cortical and hippocampal/amygdala volumes, accelerated cortical thinning in longitudinal studies, and impaired white matter connectivity correlating with initiation age. Cognitive findings were mixed — some showed persistent deficits after prolonged abstinence in adolescent-onset users, others found no effects after controlling for confounders. Epidemiological studies consistently showed elevated addiction risk (ORs 3.9–7.2) in adolescents versus adults. Long-term associations included educational difficulties, mental health problems, and functional impairment, though causal relationships remained unclear.ConclusionsAdolescent cannabis use associates with structural brain changes, elevated addiction risk, and variable cognitive effects, suggesting greater vulnerability versus adult-onset use. However, methodological limitations including confounders, heterogeneous definitions, and observational designs limit causal inference. Findings support age-specific prevention and specialized interventions while highlighting needs for rigorous longitudinal research establishing causality.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifierCRD420251165329.
Electrophysiological and morphological alteration in the visual pathway of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
IntroductionAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Visual evoked potentials (VEP) are common non-invasive diagnostic techniques. Researchers can use these techniques to identify possible biomarkers and explore the neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying ADHD.MethodsThe ADHD group (37 cases, average age 8.81 ± 1.44 years) and the healthy controls (38 cases, average age 8.97 ± 1.43 years), had the OCT and VEP. The retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), optic disc parameters, and macular parameters were measured through OCT. The latencies of P100 and the amplitudes of N75-P100 and P100-N135 waves at three different spatial frequencies (visual angles of 15’, 30’, and 60’) were tested through VEP.ResultsThe average RNFL and RNFL in each quadrant between the two groups were no statistically significant (all p > 0.05). The optic disc area, average cup-to-disc ratio, and cup volume in the ADHD group were all significantly larger than those in the control group (all p < 0.05). At three visual angles (15’, 30’, 60’), P100-latency in the ADHD group were all more significant than those in the control group (all p < 0.05). The amplitudes of N75-P100 and P100-N135 in the ADHD group were all statistically significantly lower than those in the control group (all p ≤ 0.001).DiscussionFrom the perspective of electroencephalophysiology, children with ADHD may have early visual information processing disorders. This provides a theoretical and practical basis for further early intervention in children with ADHD from the field of visual perception. The study protocol followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, was approved by the local ethics committee (No 2023-2240), and was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (ChiCTR2400086223).
From collective restriction to critical action: the indirect effects of critical motivation and radical hope
IntroductionHistorically, Women of Color (WOC) in the United States have experienced systemic restrictions to their freedom and autonomy, which can have a lasting impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Conceptually, this type of collective autonomy restriction (CAR) experience may be associated with increased critical consciousness (CC), reflected in greater awareness of social and systemic oppression, commitment to and belief in one’s capacity to address social issues, and engagement in action; however, there is a dearth of research examining this association. Building on critical consciousness and hope literatures, we hypothesized that the association between CAR and critical action would be explained through serial pathways of increased critical motivation and greater radical or collective hope.Materials and MethodsA sample of 408 WOC completed an online survey administered through Prolific and hosted on Qualtrics. The survey included indicators of CAR, critical consciousness (critical motivation and critical actions), psychological hope, and radical hope. ResultsWe conducted structural equation modeling to test a serial mediation model exploring the associations among CAR, critical motivation, hope, and critical action. Findings indicated the association between CAR and critical action was fully mediated by the proposed serial mediation pathways (CAR → Critical Motivation → Radical Hope → Critical Action). The pathway through radical hope was stronger than through psychological hope. The direct effect of CAR on critical action was non-significant, indicating full mediation.DiscussionThese results highlight the role of radical hope as a potential pathway connecting critical awareness of collective autonomy restriction and critical motivation to engage in critical action aimed at social change. We extend the existing literature by demonstrating that awareness of oppression and motivation alone may be insufficient to explain the link between the first two dimensions of critical consciousness (critical reflection and critical motivation) and critical action. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.
Ngā māuiui kai: a cross-sectional study of elevated eating disorder risk and related experiences among trans people in Aotearoa
PurposeLittle is known about disordered eating and eating disorders (ngā māuiui kai) among transgender and non-binary (trans) communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. This cross-sectional study sought to provide evidence of the prevalence and experiences of ngā māuiui kai among these communities.MethodsWe analyzed data from a national trans health survey of people using chi-square tests of independence to examine associations between sociodemographic characteristics and elevated eating disorder risk measured by the SCOFF screening tool. A content analysis of open-text survey comments identified themes across participants’ self-reported experiences of ngā māuiui kai.ResultsOverall, 34.3% of participants met criteria for increased risk for an eating disorder. Age, neurodivergence, material hardship, functional impairment, and Māori ethnicity were associated with elevated risk among this sample. No associations were found for gender, self-identified disability, or other ethnicities. The content analysis found that several participants reported connections between their māuiui kai and gender incongruence, broader mental health issues, or structural barriers. Some reported challenges seeking related healthcare, and a lack of providers’ awareness of the relationship between gender-affirming healthcare needs and ngā māuiui kai.ConclusionsA high proportion of trans participants met the criteria for elevated risk of eating disorders, with higher risk among those belonging to other marginalized groups. These findings highlight the unique risk factors among trans people who belong to multiple marginalized groups. They signal need for appropriate prevention and provision of responsive care for trans people at the intersections of ngā māuiui kai and gender-affirming healthcare.
The All of Us Research Program’s wearables dataset
Nature Medicine, Published online: 27 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04352-3
The authors present the All of Us Research Program dataset, containing Fitbit data from 59,000 participants spanning 14 years, 39 million steps and 31 million sleep observations.
STAT+: Intellia says CRISPR-based treatment for rare disease reduced swelling attacks in pivotal trial
Intellia Therapeutics said Monday that a single dose of its gene editing treatment dramatically reduced swelling attacks in patients with a rare genetic disorder in a Phase 3 trial, setting up a potential approval.
The therapy, known as lonvo-z, would be the second approved CRISPR-based medicine, after Vertex Pharmaceutical’s sickle cell treatment Casgevy. Intellia has already initiated a rolling submission with the agency. It would be the first in vivo treatment, meaning it edits patients’ DNA directly in the body.
In the 80-patient study, volunteers with hereditary angioedema (HAE) who received lonvo-z saw their attack rates drop 87%, relative to placebo. Just over 60% were entirely attack-free over the period, compared to 11% for the placebo patients.
STAT+: Oruka’s long-acting psoriasis therapy posts strong results in mid-stage study
A long-acting injectable treatment for plaque psoriasis helped 63% of patients achieve complete skin clearance in a mid-stage clinical trial, its maker, Oruka Therapeutics, reported Monday.
Separately, Oruka said an updated analysis of blood exposure levels supported the potential for the drug, ORKA-001, to be injected just once per year.
Oruka still needs to conduct late-stage clinical trials, but Monday’s results bolster ORKA-001’s potential to become a new treatment for the autoimmune skin disease with remission rates equal to or greater than current commercial blockbusters Skyrizi and Bimzelx, while requiring fewer injections.
Abdominal Contractions May Drive Brain Fluid Flow, Aiding in Neural Waste Clearance
Data from a new study in Nature Neuroscience shows that the brain may be more mechanically connected to the body than previously appreciated. Using mice and computational simulations of fluid motion, the team identified a possible biological mechanism that helps explain why exercise benefits brain health. Specifically, they found that abdominal contractions compress blood vessels that are connected to the spinal cord and brain, which helps the organ move gently within the skull. This movement facilitates the flow of cerebrospinal fluid over the brain, potentially washing away neural waste and preventing the development of neurodegenerative disorders.
The work, which is described in a paper titled “Brain motion is driven by mechanical coupling with the abdomen,” builds on past studies exploring how sleep and neuron loss influence how and when cerebrospinal fluid flushes the brain, according to Patrick Drew, PhD, a professor of engineering science and mechanics, neurosurgery, biology, and biomedical engineering at Penn State University. Drew is the corresponding author on the study.
“Our research explains how just moving around might serve as an important physiological mechanism promoting brain health,” said Drew. The contraction of abdominal muscles to push blood from the abdomen into the spinal cord acts “just like in a hydraulic system” that puts pressure on the vertebral venous plexus, a network of veins that connect the abdominal cavity to the spinal cavity which causes the brain to move. Computational simulations show “that this gentle brain movement will drive fluid flow in and around the brain” removing harmful waste.
To view this mechanism in moving mice, the scientists used two-photon microscopy, which allows for high-definition imaging of living tissue, and microcomputed tomography, which supports high-resolution three-dimensional examination of whole organs. They observed the brains shifting in the moments before the mouse moved and right after their abdominal muscles tightened, anticipating further movement.
To ensure that the abdominal contractions were the reason for the observed shift rather than other movements, the scientists applied gentle and controlled pressure to the abdomens of anesthetized mice. They observed that the mice’s brains moved in response. “Importantly, the brain began moving back to its baseline position immediately upon relief of the abdominal pressure,” Drew said, suggesting “that abdominal pressure can rapidly and significantly alter the position of the brain within the skull.”
The next step was digging deeper into the fluid’s movement in the brain as well as assessing if the brain’s movement could induce fluid flow. For this task, members of the team developed various techniques to capture this information including conducting imaging experiments of living mice and generating computational simulations of fluid motion.
“Modeling fluid flow in and around the brain offers unique challenges because there are simultaneous, independent movements, as well as time-dependent, coupled movements,” explained Francesco Costanzo, PhD, a professor of engineering science and mechanics, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and mathematics, who led the computational modeling aspects of the project. “Accounting for all of them requires accounting for the special physics that happens every time a fluid particle crosses one of the many membranes in the brain. So, we simplified it” using the analogy of a sponge for the brain. By simplifying it in this way, Costanzo explained, the team could model how fluid flows through a structure with varied spaces.
Sticking with the analogy, “we also thought of it as a dirty sponge—how do you clean a dirty sponge?” Costanzo continued. “You run it under a tap and squeeze it out. In our simulations, we were able to get a sense of how the brain moving from an abdominal contraction can help induce fluid flow over the brain to help clear waste products.”
Further studies are necessary to understand how this mechanism works in human bodies particularly how it cycle cerebrospinal fluid around the brain, and helps to protect against neurodegenerative disease. “This kind of motion is so small. It’s what’s generated when you walk or just contract your abdominal muscles, which you do when you engage in any physical behavior. It could make such a difference for your brain health,” Drew said. Overall, “our research shows that a little bit of motion is good, and it could be another reason why exercise is good for our brain health.”
The post Abdominal Contractions May Drive Brain Fluid Flow, Aiding in Neural Waste Clearance appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
NIH-funded research lags in reporting sex differences, new study finds
Fewer than half of papers published by NIH-funded researchers analyze or report their data by sex, which could make it harder to know what the results mean for men and women, a new study found.
Over a decade ago, the National Institutes of Health set out to promote sex-inclusivity in study design by introducing the expectation that research it funded consider sex as a biological variable (SABV). The guidelines are broad, asking researchers to consider SABV in their design, analysis, and reporting, without mandating that sex differences be examined in the results.
STAT+: Doctor, wife of acting U.S. attorney general appointed to NIH advisory council
Kristine Blanche, an integrative medicine doctor and wife of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, has been named as a member to one of the advisory councils that provides critical funding recommendations to the National Institutes of Health. Her appointment, to serve on the advisory council to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, is the first of such appointments to be made in over a year.
It’s unclear if Blanche’s selection — which has not been publicized by the NIH — is a sign of a thawing in the pipeline of advisory council appointments. But it’s done little to quiet simmering concerns among the wider research community about whether the Trump administration would attempt to stack councils with ideological allies who will use their positions to advance its political goals.
It’s “the worst kind of political patronage,” Joshua Gordon, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, told STAT. He and others worry the move will erode taxpayers’ trust in how the largest funder of biomedical research in the world spends its $48 billion budget. “It’s clearly meant to contribute to an intentional degradation of confidence in the NIH.”