Too Busy to Focus on Your Happiness? Try Daily Micro-Acts of Joy
A study showed that daily "micro-acts" promote wellbeing and health. These include acts of kindness, self-reflection, gratitude, positive reframing, and experiencing awe.

University of California San Francisco
Give to UCSFA study showed that daily "micro-acts" promote wellbeing and health. These include acts of kindness, self-reflection, gratitude, positive reframing, and experiencing awe.
In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers identified the U.S. regions where dementia occurs most often.
After more than 50 years, the assessment of traumatic brain injuries gets an overhaul. Clinicians say the proposed framework will lead to more accurate diagnoses and treatment, providing more rigorous care for some patients and preventing premature discussions about halting life support in others.
UCSF researchers have found clues about how frontotemporal dementia develops that could lead to new diagnostics and get more patients into clinical trials.
A first-of-its-kind study tested the safety of psilocybin on patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease and found that patients experienced clinically significant improvements in mood, cognition, and motor function that lasted for weeks after the drug was out of their systems.
Neuro-immunologist Stephen Hauser, MD, whose maverick thinking transformed the treatment landscape for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), has received the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by a host of recognizable cognitive symptoms, but many non-cognitive symptoms like changes in sleep, anxiety and depression can be early signs of the disease.
A study followed the sleep patterns of older female participants to see if specific patterns of change were associated with a higher risk of dementia. The participants, whose average age was 83, were monitored by wrist devices that track movement and time spent asleep.
To help patients recover more quickly, hospitals may provide physical and occupational therapy – especially for older adults to help them preserve or regain function. How much therapy is best, though, isn’t clear.
The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association has accepted UC San Francisco (UCSF) into its Bronchiectasis and NTM Care Center Network (CCN), recognizing UCSF’s dedication to providing high-quality medical
UCSF received $815 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last year for research that will improve the lives of patients in the U.S. and around the world.
A paralyzed man was able to move a robotic arm and fingers simply by imagining himself doing so, with the help of brain signals decoded through a computer.
Why do women's brains fare better in aging than men's? A study found that the second, 'silent' X chromosome turns on in the brain of old female mice and improves learning and memory – opening new paths to slow the decline in men and women.
Martin Kampmann, PhD, and Anna Victoria Molofsky, MD, PhD, are the 2025 recipients of the Bowes Biomedical Investigator award, which supports scientists who take novel approaches and have the potential to make significant contributions to biomedicine. Recipients receive $1.25 million over five years.
How did humans evolve brains capable of complex language, civilization, and more? Scientists at UC San Francisco recently found that parts of our chromosomes have evolved at breakneck speeds to give us an edge in brain development compared to apes.
The FDA has approved an adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) treatment for people with with Parkinson’s disease, making this groundbreaking technology available to people nationwide.
UCSF scientists have found that some cancers, like brain cancer, make unique, jumbled proteins that make them stand out. These newly recognized cancer-specific proteins, or antigens, could speed the development of potent immunotherapies that recognize and attack hard-to-treat tumors.
A study found that B12 requirements may be too low for some people, putting them at risk for cognitive decline.
Stroke experts from UCSF Health presented new research and clinical findings at the annual the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference (ISC25), the world’s premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease and brain health. This year’s meeting was held Feb. 5–7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
A new EPA ban on TCE, a common industrial cleaning agent and contaminant, begins this year. UCSF’s Samuel Goldman, who led groundbreaking research to link TCE to Parkinson’s Disease, talks about the health risks.