EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Oct-2026 03:16 ET (31-Oct-2026 07:16 GMT/UTC)

5-Oct-2026

SfN members awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Society for Neuroscience
Grant and Award Announcement

Karl Deisseroth at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, Peter Hegemann at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and Georg Nagel at the University of Würzburg, Germany, have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The work fundamentally changed how neuroscientists investigate the brain. Deisseroth has been an SfN member for 33 years. Hegemann has been an SfN member for 15 years.

5-Oct-2026

Resource scarcity influences maternal brain activity and caregiving in rats

Society for Neuroscience
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rat mothers lacking adequate nesting resources have altered neural activity that is linked to harmful treatment of their pups.

Journal: JNeurosci

5-Oct-2026

Aging supports the 11th International Cell Senescence Association Conference

Impact Journals LLC
Meeting Announcement

BUFFALO, NY — October 5, 2026 — Aging is pleased to support the 11th International Cell Senescence Association (ICSA) Conference, taking place November 3–5, 2026, at Seoul National University’s Siheung Convention Center in South Korea.

5-Oct-2026

Mental health stigma in Japan may deter care

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A UC Riverside-led study of mental health stigma in Japan has found a striking gap between the need for treatment and people’s willingness to seek it, with high levels of social distancing toward people with mental illness serving as a potential barrier.

Journal: International Journal for Equity in Health
Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

5-Oct-2026

Three researchers awarded 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering contributions to optogenetics

Optica
Grant and Award Announcement

Optica congratulates Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel on winning the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for pioneering optogenetics. Their discovery of light-gated ion channels enables precise optical control of cellular and neuronal activity, transforming modern neuroscience and inspiring new treatments for sight restoration.

5-Oct-2026

As immigration enforcement increased in L.A., foreign-born patients made fewer ER visits

University of Southern California
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Despite making fewer ER visits as immigration enforcement intensified in Los Angeles, foreign-born patients were more likely to be hospitalized when they did seek care.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

5-Oct-2026

Candy-coated Lollylab checks saliva for medication

American Chemical Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

What if checking medication levels were as simple as enjoying a lollipop? A candy-coated device, called Lollylab, could provide the answer. In ACS Sensors, researchers describe how the lollipop’s stem transfers saliva to a sensor that measures acetaminophen levels. In an initial test, a peach-flavored prototype reliably detected the pain reliever in six people’s saliva in less than two minutes. Participants also found it more comfortable and easier to use than traditional collection swabs.

Journal: ACS Sensors

5-Oct-2026

SfN members awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Society for Neuroscience
Grant and Award Announcement

Karl Deisseroth at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, Peter Hegemann at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and Georg Nagel at University of Würzburg, Germany, have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The work fundamentally changed how neuroscientists investigate the brain. Deisseroth has been an SfN member for 33 years. Peter Hegemann has been an SfN member for 15 years.

5-Oct-2026

Study of lawyer mental health provides first large-scale estimate of burnout in legal profession, reveals high levels of distress

University of Minnesota Medical School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research co-authored by Justin Anker, PhD, of the University of Minnesota Medical School is the largest survey of mental health among actively licensed lawyers to date and provides the first large-scale measurement of work-related burnout in the legal profession.

Journal: Journal of Affective Disorders