CADASIL, which stands for “cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy,” is a hereditary disease that damages the brain’s small blood vessels, causing recurrent strokes. Over time, CADASIL leads to a decline in cognitive function and can progress to early-onset dementia, even in young patients.

In the neonatal intensive care unit, the most fragile patients in medicine are often the most heavily wired. Premature babies, some weighing less than a pound, can be tethered to a tangle of cables, monitors and sensors. Each blood draw to check sugar levels or electrolytes means another needle, another bandage, another moment of stress for an infant whose skin is still forming.

The availability of genetic testing for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for people with a family member diagnosed with the disease is expected to greatly increase the number of clinic visits to specialized ALS centers over the next decade, according to a study published in Neurology Genetics.

As the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis worldwide, norovirus is an all too familiar ailment. Its telltale digestive upset—not to mention its reputation for being notoriously contagious—has earned it the nicknames “winter vomiting bug” and “stomach flu.” Yet despite millions of dollars spent on research, there are still no vaccines or anti-viral drugs for norovirus.

Scientists may have discovered a new role for the cerebellum, the part of the brain that sits at the base of the skull. A new paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience reports that different parts of the cerebellum change at different rates with age, which may be linked to differences in cognitive abilities and memory in later life. This may help explain why some people stay sharper as they get older.