Expecting feedback from an avatar compared to a real human facilitates risk-taking behavior in a gambling task, and a brain region called the amygdala is central to this facilitation, according to a study published April 22^nd in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Toshiko Tanaka and Masahiko Haruno from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan.

The University of Louisville and Kosair for Kids will dramatically expand capacity and improve services provided through the Kosair for Kids Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery. Supported by a $1 million grant from Kosair for Kids, $2 million in federal HRSA funding and a bequest, this project will renovate the fourth floor of UofL Health - Frazier Rehab Institute, creating a 12,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art space that consolidates all therapy, research and clinical services for the center.

Integrating these functions will enhance research collaboration, improve patient care and increase treatment capacity by 50%, allowing up to 24 children per day to receive life-changing therapies.

A new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine study found virtual group singing can be an effective tool for promoting well-being and social connection during isolation. The study assessed the feasibility of virtual group singing for adults over 55 — including those with neurocognitive disorders like dementia — during the COVID-19 pandemic when older adults were experiencing health declines due to isolation. The next step in the research will be a nationwide trial funded by the National Institutes of Health Music Dementia Research Network. 

A new FAU survey reveals that more than two-thirds of Floridians are moderately or extremely concerned about hurricanes increasing in strength and frequency, and more than half are worried about the ability to afford and maintain homeowners insurance due to climate change. Nearly two-thirds of Floridians believe that state and federal governments should be doing more to address the impacts of climate change. Most also support expanding the use of renewable energy. About 88% of all Floridians believe climate change is happening.