Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Eskenazi Health, Regenstrief Institute and other partners have demonstrated the feasibility of conducting dementia prevention trials among older adults with limited formal education, a group at heightened risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

The MINDSpeed trial, a randomized study, tested whether a diet rich in polyphenols, which are plant-based compounds found in foods like nuts and berries, and online speed-of-processing cognitive training could improve cognition in older adults with 12 or fewer years of education.

Most medical schools teach students about illness through lectures or clinical vignettes as taught by doctors, but Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine offers a novel teaching experience whereby medical students share their own personal experiences with illness. 

Recently, the school created the Student Perspectives Initiative (SPI), a student-led program where medical students share their own personal stories with illness that match topics being taught in class. For example, a lecture on inflammatory bowel diseases in the gastroenterology module would include a presentation by a student speaking about their own experience with Crohn’s disease.

In a new study, students who participated in the SPI program said that it helped them learn, understand the emotions connected to the disease, and feel more connected to each other. This is the first study demonstrating that storytelling by students themselves can be a lasting and meaningful way to improve medical education.

On August 31, 2025, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, causing extensive destruction and claiming over 3,500 lives. The United Nations University (UNU) attributes the high death toll to Afghanistan's international isolation and gender-based restrictions. The earthquake revealed the urgent need for sustained investment in safer construction, disaster risk reduction, and the inclusion of women in education and healthcare to prevent future catastrophes.

Social media use has long been part of the everyday lives of most children and adolescents. Many of them exhibit risky, and in some cases even addictive, behaviour. While social media use can certainly have positive effects for young people, intensive use can negatively impact mental, emotional, and social well-being, leading to symptoms such as depression and anxiety, impaired attention, and sleep problems. In a discussion paper published by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the researchers involved therefore recommend applying the precautionary principle. In the paper “Social Media and the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents”, they give policy recommendations to protect children and adolescents from the negative effects of social media, for example by setting a minimum age for access or by restricting certain functions. The paper was published on 13 August 2025 and an English translation is now available.