Pain in your legs when you walk may seem like a normal part of getting older. But it can be a warning sign that the arteries carrying blood to your legs are becoming blocked, a condition called peripheral artery disease (PAD). If these blockages become severe, blood flow to the leg can suddenly be cut off, causing what is sometimes described as a "heart attack of the leg."

What happens in the brain of someone with dementia when they hear music that means something to them? Researchers from Alzheimer Center Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience mapped how the brain responds to personally meaningful music. They found that favorite music evokes a stronger brain response than neutral music—and that this response differs between types of dementia.

An international team has identified a protein-degradation mechanism that contributes to the development of an inherited form of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a disease that mainly affects children and young people. The study was led by researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), in collaboration with the University of Pavia and IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri in Italy.

Over the course of their lives, humans and other animals can learn to connect specific actions or cues to a desirable outcome. This process, called reward learning, is known to play a role in some mental health conditions, particularly substance use disorders (SUDs).

A therapeutic principle rooted in decades of pulmonary vascular research is entering a new stage of clinical development. The investigational inhaled drug mosliciguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activator, has produced marked and consistent effects in a randomized phase 2 study involving patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD), one of the most challenging forms of pulmonary vascular disease.

Thousands of police officers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of traumatic incidents in the course of their work. Dogs (both assistance dogs and companion dogs) can offer relief to police officers with PTSD. That is the finding of doctoral research by neurobiologist Charlotte Witjes-Roelofs, who will defend her thesis at Radboud University on Oct. 1, 2026. "Police officers feel safer with their dog nearby; they are better able to perform memory tasks and concentrate more effectively." The study is published in the journal Anthrozoös.

Smartwatches have become an increasingly popular way for people to monitor their health and fitness. About 100 million—nearly 4 in 10—U.S. adults own a smartwatch. Worldwide, market research estimates approximately 560 million smartwatch wearers.

Vaping products are becoming smarter—and potentially more addictive. Some new devices now reward users with cryptocurrency and other incentives tied to vaping behavior.

Neuraxpharm Group and Minoryx Therapeutics, today announce that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization under exceptional circumstances for NEZGLYAL® (leriglitazone), an orally bioavailable, brain penetrating, selective PPAR gamma agonist, as a treatment for male cALD patients, aged 2-12 years with Gadolinium (Gd)-negative brain lesions.

Through a £90 million Medical Research Council (MRC) investment, researchers will undertake PhDs and get experience in academia, healthcare and industry.