<strong>Background:</strong> As Taiwan enters a super-aged society, the prevalence of dementia continues to rise, highlighting the need for scalable, noninvasive approaches to identify behavioral alterations associated with cognitive decline. AI-based analysis of spontaneous affective facial responses has emerged as a potential digital phenotyping tool, but its feasibility for assessing cognitive performance remains underexplored. <strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to examine the feasibility of using AI-derived spontaneous affective facial response metrics, including affective expression congruency and onset latency, to characterize differences across cognitive performance levels in older adults with healthy cognition (HC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia. <strong>Methods:</strong> A total of 60 participants (HC, MCI, and dementia; 20 per group) were presented with positive and negative emotion-eliciting videos and completed Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) recall and calculation tasks. Facial expressions were video-recorded and analyzed using a convolutional neural network–based AI system. AI-derived metrics included affective expression congruency, categorized as congruent, neutral, or incongruent according to the detected facial response, and affective expression onset latency, defined as the time from stimulus presentation to the emergence of a nonneutral facial expression detected by the AI model. Group differences were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA, Pearson chi-square or Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact tests, Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise post hoc comparisons, analysis of covariance adjusting for age and education, and exploratory receiver operating characteristic analyses. <strong>Results:</strong> Affectively congruent responses were generally less frequent among participants with lower cognitive performance. During the 14-second positive stimulus, congruent positive expressions were observed in 65% (13/20) of HC participants, 20% (4/20) of MCI participants, and 0% (0/20) of participants with dementia. During the 48-second negative stimulus, congruent negative expressions were observed in 60% (12/20) of HC participants compared with 5% (1/20) of both MCI and dementia participants. Onset latency differed significantly across groups for the 14-second positive stimulus (<i>F</i><sub>2,57</sub>=19.63; <i>P</i><.001; η<sup>2</sup>=0.41), 52-second positive stimulus (<i>F</i><sub>2,57</sub>=4.25; <i>P</i>=.02; η<sup>2</sup>=0.13), 48-second negative stimulus (<i>F</i><sub>2,57</sub>=15.61; <i>P</i><.001; η<sup>2</sup>=0.35), and MMSE-based cognitive-task condition (<i>F</i><sub>2,57</sub>=11.28; <i>P</i><.001; η<sup>2</sup>=0.28). After adjustment for age and education, the group effect remained significant for all latency outcomes (<i>F</i><sub>2,55</sub>=3.89-10.68; all <i>P</i>≤.03; partial η<sup>2</sup>=0.12-0.28). Exploratory receiver operating characteristic analyses showed stronger separation in several HC vs MCI and HC vs dementia comparisons, whereas MCI vs dementia comparisons showed limited separability. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> AI-assisted analysis of spontaneous affective facial responses revealed differences in expression congruency and onset latency across cognitive performance levels. These preliminary findings suggest that AI-derived facial behavioral metrics may serve as noninvasive adjunctive features for observational cognitive assessment. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the exploratory design, modest sample size, and absence of internal or external validation.
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Wishing you a colorful Día de los Muertos. Remembering my grandmother, in particular, a zoology professor who sparked my penchant for all things biological. Her dissertation was on shrimp chromatophores, I believe.
The need-to-know this morning
UniQure said the Food and Drug Administration accepted the marketing application for its AMT-130 gene therapy to treat Huntington’s disease. The approval decision date is May 1, 2027. The FDA is “tentatively planning” an advisory committee meeting to review the AMT-130 data, the company said.
Scant evidence for a next-gen, destination IVF business
A fertility treatment framed as a way to rewind the biological clock has spawned an international medical tourism business — with precious little evidence to back it up. An eight-month STAT investigation found clinics and middlemen marketing mitochondrial replacement, or “three-parent IVF,” to older women willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a shot at a genetically related child.
BackgroundSuicidal behavior among adolescents and young adults remains a major public health concern. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, qualitative work that captures both youth and caregiver perspectives is still limited. This study explored the experiences of suicidal behavior, perceived triggers and responses to it among young people and their caregivers attending a tertiary facility in Nairobi, Kenya.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted at the outpatient youth mental health clinic of a tertiary facility in Kenya, which receives both walk-in clients and referrals. It included 42 young people aged 13–24 years with personal experience of suicidal behavior and 11 caregivers. Participants were recruited purposively, and semi-structured interviews were conducted separately with young people and caregivers. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using NVivo.FindingsYoung people described suicidal behavior as developing gradually through cumulative and interacting stressors. Perceived triggers included academic and work-related pressure, family conflict, relationship difficulties, harmful social media experiences, socioeconomic hardship, and psychological or health-related challenges, including depression, substance use, trauma, and abuse. Caregivers expressed concern and willingness to help but frequently reported uncertainty about recognizing distress and responding appropriately.ConclusionSuicidal behavior in this setting reflected the interaction of personal and structural disadvantage rather than a single precipitating event. Prevention should combine youth-friendly mental health care, caregiver psychoeducation, family involvement, school-based support, and community-level action on poverty, stigma, and service access.
Claims of an “autism epidemic” imply a true increase in ASD occurrence and changing underlying risk yet largely rely on rising prevalence estimates rather than incidence. Both measures are influenced by diagnostic practices, service access, documentation, and ascertainment; prevalence is additionally affected by service-related migration. Incidence studies follow a defined population previously not identified, to examine outcomes over a specified period and study area; incidence is more likely to capture temporal changes in underlying risk.
Encoded Therapeutics’ reports good interim safety and early efficacy findings from its ongoing Phase I/II trials of its gene therapy for treatment of the rare neurological condition Dravet syndrome.
As reported at the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy conference in Hamburg, results from 21 patients treated in three open label Phase I/II trials showed no serious adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector therapy ETX101.
In addition, positive efficacy results were seen including a significant reduction in seizures and improvements in neurodevelopment in the children treated with ETX101 including better communication, cognition, and skills acquisition.
Dravet syndrome is a rare, severe, lifelong genetic epilepsy, impacting around one in 20,000 births in the U.S., that usually begins in the first year of life. It causes prolonged seizures and is difficult to control with medicines. As children get older, development typically slows and learning, language, movement, and behavior are all adversely affected.
Most cases of Dravet syndrome are caused by a disease-causing variant in the SCN1A gene, which encodes a sodium-channel protein involved in nerve-cell signaling.
There are approved treatments available to control Dravet seizures, but to date no genetic therapies are approved to address the root cause of this condition. ETX101 delivers instructions for an engineered protein that increases SCN1A activity selectively in inhibitory neurons. Rather than replacing or editing the faulty gene, it aims to boost production of NaV1.1, the sodium-channel protein deficient in most Dravet cases.
Speaking at the conference, Salvador Rico, MD, PhD, chief medical officer at Encoded Therapeutics, described the interim results from the three studies, which are open-label, without a control. The team treated 21 children aged six months to seven years with a single brain-ventricle injection of ETX101, while continuing standard antiseizure medicines. Four different doses of the therapy were tested.
Seizure reduction was good particularly at the higher two doses. Three children at dose level 3 had a median reduction of approximately 76% through one year. At the highest dose, four children receiving prednisolone without sirolimus had an approximately 84% reduction between enrollment and week 16.
“Seeing this level of effect in a population this refractory, especially in that period of time … is really remarkable and without precedent,” said Rico.
The researchers also reported communication and adaptive-skill gains after treatment. Children treated at or before age two appeared to acquire cognitive skills at a pace approaching typical development.
“Rather than entering the expected pattern of stagnation, these patients are showing an acquisition of skills that is most consistent with typical development,” explained Rico. “This is suggesting that we may be rescuing learning abilities.”
No serious adverse events were reported to date, but six children developed elevated liver enzymes.
Based on these early promising results, Encode is now testing ETX101 in a larger Phase II clinical trial. Another gene-targeted approach being developed by Stoke Therapeutics/Biogen for treatment of Dravet syndrome, zorevunersen, uses repeatedly administered antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) molecules to increase NaV1.1 production. It has also produced encouraging seizure and developmental findings and is currently in Phase III testing.
Communicator Fellow, SNF Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute Read More
The second annual Global Summit on Youth Mental Health led by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center at the Child Mind Institute was held during the 81st United Nations General Assembly Week in New York. The opening remarks at this event reminded us that systems are often built for young people without them sitting at the table. Looking back, the whole week felt like a shared effort to change that. Young people and experts from around the world engaged in important conversations that combined science research with advocacy and lived experience.
From beginning to end, the summit was co-organized by the Global Youth Advisory Council (GYAC) at the SNF Global Center. Its members hail from Brazil, Greece, and South Africa: Jennifer Matibi,Kayla Coetzer, Spyros Chronis,Faidra Kamperidi, Mariana Chaves and Denny Oliveira Curini. The chosen theme was “Redefining Mental Health Care: Youth Perspectives in a Changing World” and the event featured panels, workshops, breakout sessions, new research, and interactive activations. The issues that affect young people’s mental health are complex, and complexity demands collaboration.
A dedicated youth networking hour preceded the main summit program on September 24, welcoming the participation of professionals from different organizations. Throughout the week, I had the chance to meet young people and experts from more than 30 countries, all working to push the needle forward for youth mental health. The atmosphere was teeming with collaboration and a deep sense of respect.
Many ideas came to life during the panels and sessions. There was a concrete sense of unity, with GYAC members in meaningful conversations with partners from many organizations including UNICEF, the JED Foundation, Grand Challenges, and the McKinsey Health Institute. Guest speakers also included Shudufhadzo Musida, author, advocate, and UNFPA Global Champion for Women and Girls.
The first panel discussion, “Meeting Young People Where They Are: Bringing Mental Health Support in Schools,” explored the role of schools in redefining mental health care. It was creatively introduced with storytelling from Denny (Brazil) and Kayla (South Africa). The session covered school cultures, how what we measure and reward in academic environments can affect young people’s mental health, and how much it matters for students to be surrounded by a strong network of supportive relationships.
Throughout the morning, we also heard profound discussions on social media and political instability, two of the many pressures young people navigate in an increasingly connected and uncertain world. The panel “Where Young People Connect, Create, and Share: Redefining Youth Mental Health in the Digital Context” highlighted that while conversations about young people and technology tend to focus on the risks, digital spaces are also where many young people express themselves and look for help when they’re struggling. Making these spaces safer should start from the way they are designed, and young people themselves should be involved in shaping them. This topic was later re-addressed during the fireside chat between moderators Kayla and Jennifer (South Africa) and guest speaker Shudufhadzo Musida, who discussed self-care and setting boundaries when advocating for mental health. She also talked about the importance of creating a safe space online for people to reflect and learn about mental health.
Later in the day, the spotlight session “From Aspiration to Action: Reimagining Community Wellbeing” looked at youth mental health from a systems perspective — considering the myriads of factors and stakeholders involved in supporting young people and how mental health support can be reimagined and grounded in communities. The session also reflected on the idea that community well-being cannot be strengthened at scale by one organization alone, and that partnerships are essential to make progress.
With the summit taking place during the same week as the UN General Assembly and Climate Week, the whole of New York City was buzzing. Everything felt like one continuous exchange. During the breaks, I had the chance to reconnect with colleagues and meet many new people working in the field of youth mental health. Two of those conversations have stayed with me, because they both pointed to the same idea: the power of intergenerational dialogue.
Emma Beckwith, a young leader who joined the Child Mind Institute’s Youth Mental Health Academy (YMHA) to work closely with the SNF Global Center during the summer, reminded me that if we want to address the disparities in child and adolescent mental health around the world, going to young people, learning from their lived experience, and working alongside adults to turn ideas into change is essential. And Felipe Paullier, MD, Assistant Secretary General for Youth Affairs at the UN Youth Office, pointed out that young people have a critical role in changing how we approach mental health. He stressed that bringing varied generations into the conversation is also fundamental. These experts come from different seats at the same table. So, hearing them both relay essentially the same message made it resonate stronger for me.
There is so much I am taking home from the summit week. It began with a series of workshops co-hosted with United for Global Mental Health (UGMH). And as an SNF Global Center Communicator Fellow, I co-led a workshop on communications and advocacy with Dave Gill and my fellow colleagues Naomi Grewan and Mary Ann Nobele from Radio Workshop. It was inspiring to see so many people using their own stories to positively influence change in youth mental health care. Stories are powerful, and they are one of the best ways to motivate change.
Vinicius Gaby Vieira Rego, MD Communicator Fellow, Brazil, SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute
One moment I keep coming back to is seeing João Marcos Almeida dos Santos, a Brazilian youth counselor for Gentilmmente — a project supported by the SNF Global Center’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) in Brazil — talk about challenges the digital environment poses to youth mental health. João also won the nationwide Single Session Intervention (SSI) competition, a partnership between CAMHI Brazil and the Felipe Neto Institute that invited young Brazilians ages 16–20 to share their vision for advancing youth mental health through healthier technology habits. Dos Santos highlighted the need for expanded psychosocial support in schools across Brazil:
Schools in Brazil, for example, often don’t have psychologists or counselors to support students. Teachers aren’t always equipped with the necessary resources to support students who are struggling,” said Dos Santos. “Bullying still happens without structured protection in schools. Students are still under pressure from comparison, along with many other sources of distress. We need to implement more psychosocial support in schools, because that’s exactly where young people are and where they need help the most.
His presentation was delivered in Portuguese and translated in real-time. It was inspiring to see him on stage, raising awareness in his own language, and being able to connect with everyone in the room. For me, that is what powerful youth engagement looks like.
As said by Giovanni Abrahão Salum, MD, PhD, senior vice president of Global Programs during opening remarks, “For us, youth engagement is a condition for quality.”
I am deeply grateful to the GYAC and to everyone at the SNF Global Center who made this summit possible. Now that I am back in São Paulo, after connecting with so many people and reflecting on new learnings, one principle is clearer than ever: youth engagement and intergenerational dialogue are critical conditions for meaningful change in child and adolescent mental health care.
