From childhood to old age, the human brain doesn’t just slowly fade or steadily grow, it changes in stages. A new study suggests our brains go through four major turning points that shape how we think, learn and connect. Researchers said those shifts happen around the ages of 9, 32, 66 and 83. The findings, published Nov. 25 in the journal Nature Communications, show that brain development isn’t a straight path. Instead, it moves through different “epochs,” or stages, where the brain’s network of connections is rewired in unique ways. “It’s not a linear progression,” Alexa Mousley, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the study, told NBC News. “This is the first step of understanding the way the brain’s changing fluctuates based on age.” The team analyzed MRI brain scans from about 3,800 people, from newborn babies to adults up to 90 years old. These scans track how water moves along the brain, helping researchers map how different parts of the brain are connected. Here’s what they found: Birth to age 9: The brain rapidly increases in gray and white matter. Ages 9 to 32: The brain goes through an extended period of rewiring, where rapid communication happens and strong connections are made between different regions. It’s also when many mental health disorders are first diagnosed. Ages 32 to…  read on >  read on >

New clinical trial results bode well for what could be the first GLP-1 weight loss drug taken as a pill, not by injection. The daily pill, orforglipron, is currently under investigation by drugmaker Eli Lilly, which funded the study. In the 18-month trial, people with type 2 diabetes and obesity who took the highest (36 milligram) dose of the drug lost an average 10.5% of their starting body weight, researchers reported. Blood sugar readings also improved significantly, and the drug appeared to have no more side effects than those seen from injected GLP-1s. “We know it is harder for individuals with diabetes to lose weight. It is exciting to have an oral medication that provides double-digit weight loss, which on average was 23 lbs,” said study lead author Dr. Deborah Horn, professor and director of obesity medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. She said the drug might also prove to be more affordable. “Once FDA approved, orforglipron is scheduled to be available in 2026 at a significantly decreased cost compared to current injectables,” Horn noted in a University of Texas news release.  “This could position it to be the ‘metformin’ of obesity and become widely covered by insurance plans, opening the door to treatment for all,” according to Horn. The clinical trial results were published Nov. 20 in The Lancet. Although there is…  read on >  read on >

New clinical trial results bode well for what could be the first GLP-1 weight loss drug taken as a pill, not by injection. The daily pill, orforglipron, is currently under investigation by drugmaker Eli Lilly, which funded the study. In the 18-month trial, people with type 2 diabetes and obesity who took the highest (36 milligram) dose of the drug lost an average 10.5% of their starting body weight, researchers reported. Blood sugar readings also improved significantly, and the drug appeared to have no more side effects than those seen from injected GLP-1s. “We know it is harder for individuals with diabetes to lose weight. It is exciting to have an oral medication that provides double-digit weight loss, which on average was 23 lbs,” said study lead author Dr. Deborah Horn, professor and director of obesity medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. She said the drug might also prove to be more affordable. “Once FDA approved, orforglipron is scheduled to be available in 2026 at a significantly decreased cost compared to current injectables,” Horn noted in a University of Texas news release.  “This could position it to be the ‘metformin’ of obesity and become widely covered by insurance plans, opening the door to treatment for all,” according to Horn. The clinical trial results were published Nov. 20 in The Lancet. Although there is…  read on >  read on >

Add one more malady to the potential risks from untreated sleep apnea: Parkinson’s disease. A new study involving 11 million U.S. veterans finds that a person’s odds of developing Parkinson’s nearly doubled if they were diagnosed with sleep apnea but hadn’t used a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to help control it.  Having untreated sleep apnea isn’t “a guarantee that you’re going to get Parkinson’s, but it significantly increases the chances,” said study co-author Dr. Gregory Scott. He’s assistant professor of pathology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and a pathologist at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Portland. The research was published Nov. 24 in JAMA Neurology. According to information supplied by the researchers, about one million Americans are currently diagnosed with Parkinson’s, an incurable neurodegenerative illness characterized by increasing disability. Risks for the illness rise steadily after the age of 60. In the new study, Scott and colleagues looked at the medical records of 11 million U.S. military veterans who received VA care between 1999 and 2022.  Even after adjusting for potential confounding conditions such as obesity, age and high blood pressure, the team found that having untreated sleep apnea nearly doubled the odds for Parkinson’s compared to folks whose apnea was treated by CPAP. Sleep apnea involves frequent breathing difficulties during sleep that can affect the amount of oxygen going to the…  read on >  read on >

Add one more malady to the potential risks from untreated sleep apnea: Parkinson’s disease. A new study involving 11 million U.S. veterans finds that a person’s odds of developing Parkinson’s nearly doubled if they were diagnosed with sleep apnea but hadn’t used a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to help control it.  Having untreated sleep apnea isn’t “a guarantee that you’re going to get Parkinson’s, but it significantly increases the chances,” said study co-author Dr. Gregory Scott. He’s assistant professor of pathology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and a pathologist at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Portland. The research was published Nov. 24 in JAMA Neurology. According to information supplied by the researchers, about one million Americans are currently diagnosed with Parkinson’s, an incurable neurodegenerative illness characterized by increasing disability. Risks for the illness rise steadily after the age of 60. In the new study, Scott and colleagues looked at the medical records of 11 million U.S. military veterans who received VA care between 1999 and 2022.  Even after adjusting for potential confounding conditions such as obesity, age and high blood pressure, the team found that having untreated sleep apnea nearly doubled the odds for Parkinson’s compared to folks whose apnea was treated by CPAP. Sleep apnea involves frequent breathing difficulties during sleep that can affect the amount of oxygen going to the…  read on >  read on >