Visual cues of respiratory contagion: Their impact on neuroimmune activation and mucosal immune responses in humans.

This study investigated the neural correlates of perceiving visual contagion cues characteristic of respiratory infections through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Sixty-two participants (32f/ 30 m; ∼25 years on average) watched short videos depicting either contagious or non-contagious everyday situations, while their brain activation was continuously measured. We further measured the release of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in saliva to examine the first-line defensive response of the mucosal immune system.

Effects of an intervention targeting social media app use on well-being outcomes: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Interventions targeting social media use show mixed results in improving well-being outcomes, particularly for persons with problematic forms of smartphone use. This study assesses the effectiveness of an intervention app in enhancing well-being outcomes and the moderating role of persons' perceptions about problematic smartphone use (PSU).

Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, N = 70 participants, allocated to the intervention (n = 35) or control condition (n = 35), completed weekly online surveys at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up.

Reinforcement Learning is Impaired in the Sub-acute Post-stroke Period.

Background: In humans, most spontaneous recovery from motor impairment after stroke occurs in the first 3 months. Studies in animal models show higher responsiveness to training over a similar time-period. Both phenomena are often attributed to a milieu of heightened plasticity, which may share some mechanistic overlap with plasticity associated with normal motor learning.

Symbiosis and horizontal gene transfer promote herbivory in the megadiverse leaf beetles.

Beetles that feed on the nutritionally depauperate and recalcitrant tissues provided by the leaves, stems, and roots of living plants comprise one-quarter of herbivorous insect species. Among the key adaptations for herbivory are plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) that break down the fastidious polymers in the cell wall and grant access to the nutritious cell content. While largely absent from the non-herbivorous ancestors of beetles, such PCWDEs were occasionally acquired via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or by the uptake of digestive symbionts.