When people try to hear in environments with competing speakers, subcortical brain responses are increasingly smaller and delayed as more speakers come into play.

Rat study suggests that Type 2 diabetes may weaken a projection in the brain that drives reward and spatial processing.

Maintaining a healthy diet rich in plant-based foods, with low to moderate intake of healthy animal-based foods and lower intake of ultra-processed foods, was linked to a higher likelihood of healthy aging—defined as reaching age 70 free of major chronic diseases and with cognitive, physical, and mental health maintained, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and University of Montreal. The study is among the first to examine multiple dietary patterns in midlife in relation to overall healthy aging.

Researchers from Mass General Brigham developed olfactory tests—in which participants sniff odor labels that have been placed on a card—to assess people’s ability to discriminate, identify and remember odors. They found that participants could successfully take the test at home and that older adults with cognitive impairment scored lower on the test than cognitively normal adults.