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Dementia risk factors associated with cardiovascular health may have increased over time compared to factors such as smoking and having less education, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The Lancet Public Health , explored how the prevalence of dementia risk factors had changed over time and how this could impact rates of dementia in the future.

Neuroscientists at UCL have discovered how the brain reacts to threats in order to escape if needed, in a new study in mice. These findings could help unlock new directions for discovering therapies for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study, published today in Current Biology , outlines how researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at UCL studied a region of the brain called the periaqueductal gray (PAG), which is known to be hyperactive in people with anxiety and PTSD.

The risk of developing Parkinson's is at least twice as high in people with anxiety compared to those without, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The research, published in the British Journal of General Practice , investigated whether there was a link between people over the age of 50 who had recently developed anxiety and a later diagnosis of Parkinson's.

The proportion of vapers using high-strength nicotine has increased sharply in England since 2021, when disposable e-cigarettes first became popular, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published in the journal Addiction and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that a third of vapers (32.5%) used high-strength nicotine in January 2024 compared to just 3.8% on average between July 2016 and June 2021.

Researchers at UCL, the Francis Crick Institute and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) have designed a new genetic therapy in mice, that could alleviate debilitating giant moles that occur in a rare skin condition. The treatment could be used to reverse moles, and therefore prevent affected children and adults from developing cancer.

High levels of a key gene in volunteers who managed to fight off infection quickly suggests it has a protective effect against SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study from researchers at UCL, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Imperial College London. The study, published in Nature , provides the most detailed view of how the body responds when exposed to an infectious disease.

A team of researchers, led by scientists at UCL and University Medical Center Goettingen, Germany, have developed a simple blood test that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict Parkinson's up to seven years before the onset of symptoms. Parkinson's disease is the world's fastest growing neurodegenerative disorder and currently affects nearly 10 million people across the globe.

Momentary shifts in mood, even those lasting just a matter of seconds, profoundly alter the brain's response to pleasurable experiences in people with bipolar disorder, finds a new study by UCL researchers. Previous research shows that mood can make us experience events in more positive or negative light - irrespective of having bipolar disorder.

The structure and function of the kidneys is altered by space flight, with galactic radiation causing permanent damage that would jeopardise any mission to Mars, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL. The study, published in Nature Communications , is the largest analysis of kidney health in space flight to date and includes the first health dataset for commercial astronauts.

Adolescents who experience higher levels of social anxiety symptoms are more likely to report increased suicidal thoughts and other depressive symptoms two years later, finds a new study involving UCL researchers. The findings, published in JCPP Advances, highlights the need for early interventions to address society anxiety in young people.

Comment: Study claiming antidepressant withdrawal is uncommon fails to account for long term users Writing in The Conversation, Professor Joanna Moncrieff and Dr Mark Horowitz (both UCL Psychiatry) respond to new research that antidepressant withdrawal is less common than previously thought by highlighting the risks among long-term users.

Increasing the levels of a key protein in the cells at the back of the eye could help protect against the leading cause of vision loss among older adults, finds a new study co-led by a UCL researcher. The findings from an international team based in the UK, US, Germany and Australia are published in Science Translational Medicine .

PhD candidate Ben Williams (UCL Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research and ZSL's Institute of Zoology) writes with a colleague about why they built SurfPerch, an AI led system to make it faster and easier for marine scientists to answer ecological questions. Coral reefs cover only 0.1% of the ocean's surface - yet they host 25% of all known marine species.

A new biological pathway that is a principal driver of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and related conditions, and which can be targeted using existing drugs, has been discovered by researchers at UCL, the Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London. About 5% of the world's population, and one in ten people in the UK, are currently affected by an autoimmune disease, such as IBD, the umbrella term for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, which cause swelling and irritation of the digestive tract.

Training exercises designed to improve cognitive control in children do not make a significant difference to their ability to delay gratification or to their academic achievement, nor do they lead to any brain changes, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience , appear to debunk the popular idea that brain training could improve cognitive control - the mental processes that allow us to set and pursue shortor long-term goals - and thereby lead to tangible benefits to other real-life outcomes.

Adolescents with an internet addiction undergo changes in the brain that could lead to additional addictive behaviour and tendencies, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The findings, published in PLOS Mental Health , reviewed 12 articles involving 237 young people aged 10-19 with a formal diagnosis of internet addiction between 2013 and 2023.

Participants reacted quicker and made fewer errors during menstruation, despite believing their performance would be worse, according to new research from UCL and the Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health (ISEH). The study, published in Neuropsychologia , is the first to assess sport-related cognition during the menstrual cycle and is part of a larger research project supported by the FIFA Research Scholarship.

Unpaid care has a huge impact on mental health and is more likely to be provided by people from low-income households, finds a landmark Europe-wide study by researchers at UCL and St George's, University of London. The Eurocare research was supported by UK charity Carers Trust and research teams in Spain, Norway and Germany.

A series of ancient South American engravings are thought to be the largest prehistoric rock art in the world, reveals a new study by an international team of archaeologists involving UCL researchers. The team co-led by researchers at Bournemouth University and Universidad de los Andes in Colombia published their results in the journal Antiquity .

Common debilitating health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and neck and back pain, may be under-diagnosed in autistic people, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe , analysed whether autistic people experience similar rates of five common mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, self-harm, harmful alcohol use, and substance use), and three common physical health conditions (migraine, neck/back pain, and gynaecological issues), compared to people of the same age and sex who have not been diagnosed as autistic.