The New York Times (8/24, Reynolds) reports in its “Well” blog that a 2014 study on mice suggested that exercise might have detrimental effects on long-term memory. Meanwhile, in a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience “researchers decided to replicate aspects of the 2014 mouse experiment but instead use rats” because research has shown rat brains “are more similar to our brains.” The new study found that rats that exercised displayed long-term memory as good as sedentary rats and had developed “about twice as many new cells as did the brains of the sedentary animals.”

Related Links:

— “Exercise Boosts Brain Health, but Is There a Downside?,” GRETCHEN REYNOLDS, New York Times, August 24, 2016.

The Baltimore Sun (8/24, McDaniels) reports that recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its “guidelines advising pediatricians how to identify and help teenagers at risk for suicide,” saying it “wants pediatricians to screen patients for suicidal thoughts and risk factors for suicide, such as bullying.” This change is meant to address an increase “in teenage depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.” Data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey indicate “suicide is the second-leading cause of death in adolescents ages 15 to 19 and the third-leading cause of death in children ages 10 to 14.”

Related Links:

— “Pediatricians can help identify suicidal teens,” Andrea K. McDaniels, Baltimore Sun, August 24, 2016.

In “Science Now,” the Los Angeles Times (8/24, Netburn) reports that “overall mental health, including your mood, your sense of well-being and your ability to handle stress, just keeps improving right up until the very end of life,” research suggests. After surveying some “1,500 San Diego residents aged 21 to 99, researchers report that people in their 20s were the most stressed out and depressed, while those in their 90s were the most content.”

Related Links:

— “The aging paradox: The older we get, the happier we are,” Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, August 24, 2016.

USA Today (8/23, Perez) reports that, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery, “eliminating particular high-impact drills in youth football practices significantly reduces the risk of head injuries.”

Related Links:

— “Study: High-impact drills cause more concussions at youth football level,” A.J. Perez, USA Today, August 23, 2016.

HealthDay (8/23, Norton) reports, “Children exposed to relatively high levels of” polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in utero “may have an increased risk of developing autism,” researchers found. Specifically, when expectant mothers “had relatively high levels of certain PCBs in their blood, their children were about 80 percent more likely to be diagnosed with autism versus other kids,” the study found. The findings of the 1,100-child study were published online Aug. 23 in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Related Links:

— “Banned PCB Chemicals Still Tied to Autism in U.S. Kids,” Amy Norton, HealthDay, August 23, 2016.