Portable light-based brain monitor shows promise for dementia diagnosis
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 15-Jan-2026 16:11 ET (15-Jan-2026 21:11 GMT/UTC)
Diagnosing dementia early is challenging due to variability in symptoms and limited access to advanced imaging tools. In a pilot study, researchers tested broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (bNIRS), a portable and noninvasive neuromonitoring technology that measures both blood oxygenation and concentration of oxidized cytochrome c oxidase (oxCCO), a metabolic mitochondrial enzyme linked to Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, participants with mild cognitive impairment, early Alzheimer’s dementia, and healthy controls observed a visual stimulus while bNIRS recorded brain responses. Statistical analysis showed a strong correlation between derivatives of bNIRS signals and cognitive test scores, which weakened significantly when oxCCO metrics were excluded. These results suggest that bNIRS, particularly with its ability to measure oxCCO, could provide an accessible portable technique for diagnosing and monitoring dementia.
A new study by University of Kansas scholars argues that traditional educational research has reached a breaking point in the era of AI. Despite massive publication output, the field has had limited impact due to entrenched problems. The study calls for an epistemological rebirth through methodological pluralism, ethical vigilance, and future-oriented approaches that embrace human–AI collaboration.
11 September 2025/Ghent/Kiel. With a four-day meeting at Ghent University, the third phase of the European research project MiningImpact has officially begun. Researchers from nine countries are joining forces to study the ecological consequences of deep-sea mining – both in polymetallic nodule fields and at seafloor massive sulphide deposits along mid-ocean ridges.
Molecular Sustainable Solutions, a spin-off from the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló (UJI), secures €186,000 investment from BeAble Capital, a leading Science Equity fund specializing in disruptive scientific technologies. The disinfection and sterilization methods developed by Molecular Sustainable Solutions —more powerful and sustainable than current ones— are capable of tackling particularly resistant and dangerous microorganisms, such as the fungus Candida auris, popularly known as “the killer fungus.”
With this investment, Molecular Sustainable Solutions will be able to accelerate the maturation of its technology and move towards rapid market entry, strengthening its position as a benchmark in innovative solutions for public health and sustainability. The company, based at Espaitec, the UJI Science and Technology Park, thus becomes the first spin-off from the public university in Castelló to receive funding from a venture capital firm.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic compounds introduced in food due to cooking methods such as smoking, grilling, and frying. Recently, researchers from Seoul National University of Science and Technology have leveraged a new method called QuEChERS-GC-MS to extract and detect PAHs in common food items, finding the highest levels in soybean oil, followed by duck meat and canola oil.