New research documents the rising economic burden of US firearm injuries and deaths

The economic impact of fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries in the United States increased by 16% in 2020 compared with 2019, according to new research reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study also provides evidence of significant disparities in costs associated with firearm deaths in 2019−2020, with non-Hispanic Black individuals, males, and young and middle-aged groups being most affected, along with those who reside in urban areas and the South.

Researchers find neurons work as a team to process social interactions

Researchers have discovered that a part of the brain associated with working memory and multisensory integration may also play an important role in how the brain processes social cues. Previous research has shown that neurons in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) integrate faces and voices—but new research, in the Journal of Neuroscience, shows that neurons in the VLPFC play a role in processing both the identity of the “speaker” and the expression conveyed by facial gestures and vocalizations.