‘Momnesia’ is real – scientists find a biological explanation for temporary forgetfulness during pregnancy
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 00:17 ET (25-Oct-2026 04:17 GMT/UTC)
A new study by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions has uncovered for the first time a biological explanation for ‘pregnancy brain’ or ‘momnesia,’ or temporary forgetfulness during pregnancy.
The Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Cancer Health (MATCH) study looked at over 500 cancer survivors with varying types and stages of cancer and found that patients experienced less pain, fatigue, and sleep problems after participating in the interventions. The study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, was a collaborative effort between researchers at the University of Calgary, University of Toronto and Mass General Brigham in Boston, Massachusetts.
A new perspective led by University of Alabama Professor Rebecca K. Ivic, PhD, with CUNY SPH Distinguished Lecturer Scott C. Ratzan, MD and Emory University School of Medicine Professor Emerita Ruth M. Parker, MD, introduces the concept of health-literate artificial intelligence and proposes four principles for designing and governing AI-mediated health communication: comprehension, agency, accountability, and proportionality.
When policymakers and city officials plan for climate change, they rely on economic studies showing how extreme heat impacts violent crime, public health, energy grids and crop yields. However, a new study published in the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists reveals a hidden problem in that research: the temperatures used in many climate-impact studies can contain substantial measurement error, leading researchers to misestimate the true impacts of temperature and, on average, potentially understate climate impacts by at least 15%.
University Hospitals has named Melissa Cohen, MBA, Vice President of Venture Development and Investment at UH Ventures, the health system’s innovation and commercialization arm.
In the newly created leadership role, Cohen will oversee the design, operation and deployment of UH Ventures’ investment vehicles. Her responsibilities will include fund strategy and governance, investment and portfolio management, new venture formation, capital development and strategic partnerships with investors, health systems and other members of the innovation ecosystem.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Associate Professor Lucas Cheadle and postdoc Irene Sanchez Martin have discovered that inflammation during a specific window of pregnancy contributes to autism-like traits in males only. Their study establishes a link between placenta health and autism risk, which could point to new therapeutic targets and earlier interventions. It may also help explain why autism is more common among boys.