The detailed mechanism of how the placebo effect reduces the perception of pain in rats has been uncovered by RIKEN neuroscientists. These findings, published in Science Advances, could potentially lead to ways to harness the placebo effect in therapy.

As researchers work to improve treatment of Alzheimer's disease, new research by UCLA Health identified a candidate drug that reduces levels of a toxic form of a protein in the brain caused by the disease and improved memory in mice by boosting production of a protective protein.

Changing the way health care staff speak about people living with dementia can lead to significant improvements in care practices, culture, and human connection, new research has found.

During his first administration, President Donald Trump's top health officials gave North Carolina permission to use Medicaid money for social services not traditionally covered by health insurance. It was a first-in-the-nation experiment to funnel health care money into housing, nutrition, and other social services.

More Californians are talking to their therapists through a video screen or by phone than in person, marking a profound shift in how mental health care is delivered as record-setting numbers seek help.

Cancer-related fatigue can be distressing. It is a persistent, subjective sense of physical, emotional and cognitive tiredness and/or exhaustion related to cancer or cancer treatment that is not proportional to recent activity. It interferes with daily function and quality of life. Cancer-related fatigue is different from the usual tiredness we all experience. It's more intense, it's not temporary and it's not relieved by rest alone.

Growing up in a close-knit community in Ghana, Joshua Awua saw firsthand how strong social bonds could also bring pressure to fit in—especially when it came to alcohol.

A majority of U.S. workers (54%) said job insecurity has had a significant impact on their stress levels at work, and more than a third (39%) said they are concerned they may lose their job in the next 12 months due to changes in government policies, according to the American Psychological Association's 2025 Work in America survey.

Approval of recreational and medical cannabis laws in most U.S. states has allowed individuals to legally obtain cannabis to treat certain medical ailments that had typically been treated with prescription drugs. New research in Health Economics reveals the impact that cannabis laws have had on such traditional prescriptions.

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that social engagement may help older individuals live longer.

Scientists and medics have developed an ultra-rapid method of genetically diagnosing brain tumors that will cut the time it takes to classify them from six to eight weeks, to as little as two hours—which could improve care for thousands of patients each year in the UK.

Trauma centers nationwide will begin to test a new approach for assessing traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is expected to lead to more accurate diagnoses and more appropriate treatment and follow-up for patients.

Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) during adolescence play an important role in the association between air pollution exposure and insulin resistance, according to a new study led by investigators from the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Researchers at Marshall University have developed a promising treatment strategy to address overdoses involving fentanyl and the veterinary sedative xylazine, a combination increasingly linked to severe health complications and reduced effectiveness of standard overdose reversal agents.

University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers have identified a potential way to reduce female post-operative pain by inhibiting pituitary prolactin generated by pre-operative stress.

The Texas measles outbreak has grown by only four cases since last week, marking another period of progress as health officials work to slow the spread of the virus.

U.S. regulators will no longer approve COVID booster shots for healthy adults and children without new studies, adding a costly requirement for drugmakers, though they will still be available for millions of high-risk Americans.

A research group has discovered that a natural substance in the body, known as platelet-activating factor (PAF), can strongly stimulate muscle movements in parts of the digestive system, especially the esophagus and the upper part of the stomach.

Sudden narrowing of the coronary arteries—called coronary artery spasms—can lead to chest pain (angina), heart attacks, and other serious heart problems. Now, a research group has discovered that ferulic acid, a natural compound found in rice, coffee, and certain vegetables, can help prevent these spasms in two different ways.

Researchers at the University of Turku, Finland, have taken a step towards more personalized and effective cancer treatments. A new study has identified the conditions under which the antibody drug bexmarilimab can activate the body's own defense system against cancer, and how to identify patients who will benefit from the drug.