It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Wednesday, August 06, 2025
For seniors: the mental health payoff of staying curious
Adults who learn new skills are better at handling stress
In a pair of new studies, researchers found that older adults who challenge themselves to learn new things are less likely to experience loneliness or depression, even during times of major upheaval.
The UC Riverside research finds a connection between continued skill learning and improved mental health during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Published in PLOS Mental Health, the findings underscore the long-term value of cognitive engagement for older people and preparing for unexpected change.
“Learning can be difficult and uncomfortable in the short-term. But that short-term discomfort actually helps protect us in the long run,” said UCR psychologist and study author Rachel Wu.
The work, published as two studies, looked at how people of different ages adjusted to the pandemic. The first study included two groups: one with participants aged 19 and older, and another with adults aged 50 and above. Some people in the second group participated in an earlier learning intervention program designed to increase the desire and ability to learn unfamiliar skills.
In both cases, participants reported how much time they spent learning new skills during the pandemic, and how their well-being changed over the course of a year.
Lilian Azer, a former UCR graduate student and paper lead author, said the results show a consistent pattern: “People who were actively learning fared better in terms of mental health outcomes, especially older adults who might otherwise have been more vulnerable to isolation and stress,” she said.
Those outcomes included self-reported levels of depression, loneliness, and overall well-being. The studies also asked participants to rate their own memory, focus, and daily decision-making abilities.
The researchers found that the benefits of learning were not immediate. Participants who challenged themselves didn’t necessarily feel happier in the moment. But a year later, they reported greater resilience to external stressors than peers who had not spent time learning new things.
That finding adds nuance to long-held theories about aging. According to socioemotional selectivity theory, people tend to prioritize emotional satisfaction as they get older, seeking joy and avoiding strife. Wu sees the value in that approach to life but believes it comes at a cost if we only prioritize short-term happiness.
“Learning new skills is frustrating at first, especially if you haven’t done it in a while,” she said. “But if we only do what feels good in the moment, we might be giving up the ability to adapt when life throws something big at us.”
The pandemic created a rare opportunity to study this idea. With formal learning environments shut down, participants had to self-direct their skill-building, including picking up new hobbies and navigating online tools. Those who kept learning, even without structure or support, tended to report better mental health later on.
In a second, separate study, researchers focused on people over the age of 58 who had spent time learning digital photography, drawing, or languages before the pandemic hit. When compared with a similar group of peers who hadn’t participated in the structured learning intervention prior to the pandemic, the learners fared better emotionally.
“You want to have the machinery of learning dusted off, so it works when you need it,” Wu said.
Wu said this work fills a major gap in the scientific literature, as most research on learning stops after early adulthood. Based on these studies and others, Wu says there is a critical need to expand that timeline.
“There’s so little research on how learning affects people after their formal education ends,” she said. “But we know that if you’re not learning, you’re probably declining, no matter what age you are.”
Wu hopes the findings inspire more targeted interventions for older adults, especially those who are under-resourced or cognitively struggling. The research also has implications for public health and aging policy. Continued learning, she says, may be as vital to independence as physical health.
“You don’t want to wait until you have to learn something in a crisis,” she said. “Seek out challenges. Keep growing. That’s how you stay ready.”
Subjective executive functioning and skill learning during the COVID-19 pandemic associated with perceived loneliness, depressive symptoms, and well-being
Mount Sinai researchers develop promising AI-driven surgical education model to improve quality of resident training
Study suggests significant cost savings and reductions in errors
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, NY (August 6, 2025) – Mount Sinai researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of teaching surgical trainees a difficult procedure using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and an extended-reality headset without the presence of an instructor. All of the 17 trainees in the study achieved surgical success.
The novel study, published in Journal of Medical Extended Reality, drew highly favorable reviews from student participants who tested the deep learning model. The results carry significant implications for future training of residents and surgeons, as well as for the even broader field of autonomous learning within medicine.
“For the first time, we created an AI model linked to an extended-reality headset to prove that a critical step in a kidney cancer procedure could be done with 99.9 percent accuracy,” said Nelson Stone, MD, Clinical Professor of Urology, Radiation Oncology, and Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and corresponding author of the study. “We believe our study offers early proof that AI programs that substitute for proctors, who teach resident physicians, can reduce training costs and ultimately improve the quality, efficiency, and standardization of that instruction.”
Surgical training of residents has traditionally required the presence of a teaching proctor alongside the student physician in the operating room, which can result in inconsistent skills acquisition. Dr. Stone and his team, which included researchers from the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center in upstate New York, explored an alternative training system using AI programs they developed, including ESIST (educational system for instructionless surgical training). This model coupled deep learning methodology with a custom-designed extended-reality headset worn by the 17 participants to stream surgical instructions and video content before their eyes, while allowing their hands to remain free to practice the intricate procedure.
The operation simulated a partial nephrectomy procedure designed to remove a cancerous portion of a kidney, including placing a clamp on the renal artery. For this replication, researchers created a “phantom” kidney from 3D printed casts of an anonymized patient’s computerized tomography (CT) scans. The casts were filled with water-based polymers and assembled to create a partial nephrectomy model with kidney tumors. While students practiced, the system’s sophisticated first-person camera continuously monitored their training, providing real-time feedback and projecting corrective prompts as part of its skills assessment capability.
“Above all, our study proved that a complex procedure like a partial nephrectomy could be effectively taught to surgical trainees using a simulated model, without the presence of an instructor,” noted Dr. Stone. “This finding addresses an urgent need resulting from the shortage of trainers and supervisors to educate physicians on new medical devices and techniques, and from the severe time constraints on attending physicians to train residents pursing surgical careers.”
Another major advantage of advanced teaching technology, added Dr. Stone, is that it allows future surgeons to become proficient in procedures outside the operating room, thus helping to reduce the risk of surgical errors. “From the patient’s point of view, we hope this study will provide reassurance that the technology can be leveraged to greatly improve surgical proficiency, while reducing surgical errors,” said Dr. Stone.
The next step for Mount Sinai researchers is to use the AI algorithm technology they developed to build more complex synthetic cadaver models to train students in entire procedures, rather than just one component, as reported in the study. The team was encouraged by a survey it conducted after the training, which found that 100 percent of the participants believed the program had great educational value.
“Our investigation suggests that AI systems could indeed play an important complementary role in shaping the future of surgical education in this country,” asserts Dr. Stone. “The public should be reassured that the pathway to autonomous learning we investigated in this small study could eventually lead to significant cost savings and improved patient outcomes and, importantly, to the cultivation of a highly skilled new generation of surgeons.”
The study’s authors, as listed in the journal, are Jonathan J. Stone, Nelson N. Stone, Steven H. Griffith, Kyle Zeller, and Michael P. Wilson.
All authors, except Kyle Zeller, hold equity in Viomerse.
The research was funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (grant 1R41EB026358-01A1) and the National Science Foundation (grant 1913911).
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2025-2026.
Credit: The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a powerful new tool in training and education, including in the field of neurosurgery. Yet a new study suggests that AI tutoring provides better results when paired with human instruction.
Researchers at the Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University are studying how AI and virtual reality (VR) can improve the training and performance of brain surgeons. They simulate brain surgeries using VR, monitor students’ performance using AI and provide continuous verbal feedback on how students can improve performance and prevent errors. Previous research has shown that an intelligent tutoring system powered by AI developed at the Centre outperformed expert human teachers, but these instructors were not provided with trainee AI performance data.
In their most recent study, the researchers recruited 87 medical students from four Quebec medical schools and divided them into three groups: one trained with AI-only verbal feedback, one with expert instructor feedback, and one with expert feedback informed by real-time AI performance data. The team recorded the students’ performance, including how well and how quickly their surgical skills improved while undergoing the different types of training.
They found that students receiving AI-augmented, personalized feedback from a human instructor outperformed both other groups in surgical performance and skill transfer. This group also demonstrated significantly better risk management for bleeding and tissue injury—two critical measures of surgical expertise. The study suggests that while intelligent tutoring systems can provide standardized, data-driven assessments, the integration of human expertise enhances engagement and ensures that feedback is contextualized and adaptive.
“Our findings underscore the importance of human input in AI-driven surgical education,” said lead study author Bianca Giglio. “When expert instructors used AI performance data to deliver tailored, real-time feedback, trainees learned faster and transferred their skills more effectively.”
While this study was specific to neurosurgical training, its findings could carry over to other professions where students must acquire highly technical and complex skills in high-pressure environments.
“AI is not replacing educators—it’s empowering them,” added senior author Dr. Rolando Del Maestro, a neurosurgeon and current Director of the Centre, “by merging AI’s analytical power with the critical guidance of experienced instructors, we are moving closer to creating the “Intelligent Operating Room” of the future capable of assessing and training learners while minimizing errors during human surgical procedures.”
The Neuro – The Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital – is a bilingual, world-leading destination for brain research and advanced patient care. Since its founding in 1934 by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield, it has grown to be the largest specialized neuroscience research and clinical center in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. The seamless integration of research, patient care, and training of the world’s top minds make The Neuro uniquely positioned to have a significant impact on the understanding and treatment of nervous system disorders. It was the first academic institute in the world to fully adopt Open Science, to help accelerate the generation of knowledge and discovery of novel effective treatments for brain disorders. The Neuro is a McGill University research and teaching institute and part of the Neuroscience Mission of the McGill University Health Centre. For more information, please visit www.theneuro.ca
Journal
JAMA Surgery
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Artificial intelligence augmented human instruction and surgical simulation performance
If every gas-powered vehicle in the U.S. were replaced by an EV, transmission constraints would prevent the cleanest available electricity from reaching many charging locations. This “grid congestion” would force greater reliance on nearby fossil fuel power plants, undercutting the emissions benefits of electrification.
Even if enough renewable energy is available, simply switching from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles (EVs) won’t be enough to fight climate change — unless the U.S. also upgrades its transmission grid, a new Northwestern University study finds.
If every gas-powered vehicle in the U.S. were replaced by an EV, transmission constraints would prevent the cleanest available electricity from reaching many charging locations. This “grid congestion” would force greater reliance on nearby fossil fuel power plants, undercutting the emissions benefits of electrification.
After identifying the issue, the study also recommends a modest set of targeted transmission grid upgrades to alleviate congestion and unlock the full emissions-reduction potential of EV adoption.
“Even if the U.S. fully adopts EVs and generates enough renewable electricity to charge them, it still won’t be enough,” said Northwestern’s Adilson Motter, who led the study. “We found the limiting factor for cars to be powered by clean energy has less to do with the availability of renewable energy and more to do with the ability to transmit that energy from generation sites to where it’s needed. The power lines are congested, and that leads to congestion-induced CO2 emissions.”
An expert on complex systems, Motter is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Physics at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and the director of the Center for Network Dynamics. Motter conducted the research with Chao Duan, a former Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern.
The grid gets in the way
Like a highway system, the power grid is a vast infrastructure that transmits electricity across the U.S. After being generated at plants, electricity travels long distances through high-voltage transmission lines that span entire states and regions. It then reaches substations, where its voltage is reduced. Power then flows through distribution lines to homes, businesses and EV charging stations.
To analyze electricity’s journey through power lines, the researchers combined data on vehicle usage and power grid infrastructure. Using advanced computer models, the team simulated the flow of electricity across the U.S. under varying levels of vehicle electrification and renewable energy generation
In every scenario with high EV adoption, grid congestion emerged as a critical bottleneck.
As EV adoption increases, so does electricity demand, especially in urban areas. But renewable energy sources like wind and solar are typically located far from cities, such as on rural wind farms or solar arrays in the desert. While clean energy is available, transmission capacity is often too limited to deliver it where it is needed, including EV charging stations. As a result, the grid draws electricity from closer — but more polluting — power plants that generate electricity by burning coal, oil and gas.
In the study’s most ambitious simulation, scientists converted the entire U.S. vehicle fleet to electric. If the grid had adequate transmission capacity, this shift could eliminate nearly all vehicle-related CO2 emissions once renewable energy matches nonrenewable energy generation. But, with current grid constraints, one-third of those potential emissions savings would be lost.
“The charging schedule of EVs can be optimized to align with intermittent renewable generation,” Motter said. “But even with smart charging, efficient use of clean energy still depends on having enough transmission capacity to deliver it where it’s needed.”
Smart, targeted upgrades
To address this bottleneck, the researchers calculated how much additional transmission capacity would be needed. They found that increasing the existing grid’s transmission capacity by as little as 3 to 13% would significantly reduce congestion. This could involve building new high-voltage lines or expanding existing ones — enabling more clean power from remote wind and solar farms to reach the cities and suburbs where EV charging demand is highest.
Motter stresses that the entire grid does not need to be rebuilt. Instead, he recommends targeted upgrades in areas where congestions are most likely to occur. The U.S. grid is divided into three largely independent regions — Eastern, Western and Texas — with limited ability to transfer power among them. Improved connections and coordination among regions would help clean energy reach the areas that need it most.
“Power grids began as local networks, where consumption was close to generation,” Motter said. “Over time, they evolved into nationwide — even continent-wide — systems. It was a gradual growth process built on existing infrastructure. No one wants to redesign it from scratch, but we do need targeted upgrades that reflect the large-scale reach of today’s grid.”
The study, “Grid congestion stymies climate benefit from U.S. vehicle electrification,” was supported by Leslie and Mac McQuown through the Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience, a Resnick Award from the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
While overdose deaths in the U.S. sharply declined in 2024, they remain high. Almost 90,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between October 2023 and September 2024. Overdose death rates are particularly high in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people.
The earlier someone starts substance use, the more likely they are to have substance use problems later in life. So, it is important to work with young people to prevent substance use early in life. Researchers at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health recently partnered with Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health to design and implement programs to help prevent youth substance use in their community.
They created two programs. Connect Kits for Family Action delivers activity kits to families of teens in 10th to 12th grade to help strengthen family relationships. Connect Brief Intervention uses technology to deliver individualized coaching to high school students.
Testing the Programs
A randomized trial of the interventions, with results published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that they worked to reduce alcohol and other substance use in high school students in rural Oklahoma.
In the trial, Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health implemented the programs at 10 high schools. Ten other schools did not receive programming to serve as a comparison. The 10 high schools that did not receive the programs during the trial received them after the study ended. Most students at participating schools were either white or AI/AN.
The trial lasted for three years, and students completed surveys every six months to report on their alcohol and substance use.
What They Found
Students at the schools that received the intervention had lower alcohol and other substance use than students at the comparison schools.
Every six months, these students reported:
18% less alcohol use
26% less binge drinking
11% less cannabis use
40% less prescription opioid misuse
Why This Matters
“Adolescent substance use poses serious risks to health, academic achievement, and long-term well-being. Therefore, protecting teens from substance use is key to helping them thrive,” says Kelli Komro, PhD, professor of behavioral, social, and health education sciences at Rollins and project co-lead.
“Our prevention programs have demonstrated measurable success in reducing alcohol and drug use among high school students. We’re proud of the results and excited to share these adaptable, effective solutions with other communities.”
Juli Skinner, director of behavioral health for Cherokee Nation stresses the importance of this work.
“We believe our children are our most valuable resource,” she says. “This project allowed us to work within our own reservation to find ways that affect change in our youth. Our partnership with Emory University and area high schools was vital in making this happen. We learned so much from the challenges we encountered during this trial, making it more effective and sustainable. The improved outcomes from this trial will last into the future generations of our Cherokee families and communities.”
