BackgroundSocial cognition is increasingly recognized as part of the non-motor phenotype of essential tremor (ET). Available ET evidence suggests selective alterations in some socio-cognitive domains, whereas findings on self-reported empathy and alexithymia remain limited and inconsistent.ObjectivesThis cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate empathy and alexithymia in patients with ET compared with healthy controls (HC), and to explore their associations with global cognition and with each other.MethodsForty ET patients and 40 HC underwent the Italian versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the short Empathy Quotient (EQ-short), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).ResultsET patients had significantly lower MoCA scores than HC (22.1 ± 4.1 vs. 25.3 ± 3.2, p<0.001), whereas no between-group differences emerged for EQ-short or TAS-20 scores. In ET, MoCA was not significantly associated with empathy or alexithymia measures. In HC, higher MoCA scores were associated with greater emotional reactivity. Exploratory bivariate analyses suggested inverse associations between social skills and alexithymia in ET, but only the adjusted ET models remained significant.ConclusionOur findings do not support a group-level deficit in self-reported empathy or alexithymia in ET. Rather, they suggest that socio-emotional functioning may be largely preserved at the group level, while the relationship between social skills and emotional self-description may differ in ET.
Sequencing peptides by reversing translation
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03108-1
A new peptide sequencing approach converts amino acids into DNA sequences, which are easily read.
Diversity-generating retroelements for programmable targeted hypermutagenesis
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03078-4
Diversity-generating retroelements are engineered for directed evolution in E.coli.
Trabectedin and low-dose irinotecan to target EWS::FLI1 in Ewing sarcoma: a phase 1/2 trial
Nature Medicine, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04340-7
In this phase 1/2 trial, patients with Ewing sarcoma received trabectedin and low-dose irinotecan at concentrations known to inhibit the activity of the transcription factor EWS::FLI1, leading to encouraging clinical response rates.
Integrated epidemiological and molecular data inform the relationship between precancer and cancer states of esophageal adenocarcinoma
Nature Medicine, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04331-8
Analyses of epidemiological, clinical and molecular data from a prospective cohort of 3,100 patients with esophageal carcinoma suggest intestinal metaplasia as a single precancer pathway preceding the disease.
Spatial and single-cell characterization of human glioblastoma tumor microenvironment reveals malignant cellular communities
Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02265-5
Integrating spatial and single-cell data from 100 patients, the authors define conserved cellular communities and communications in glioblastoma, revealing distinct mesenchymal-like tumor subtypes and predominant neurogliomal synapses that shape tumor progression.
Spatial, temporal and Notch determination of terminal selector expression controls neuronal cell fate in the Drosophila optic lobe
Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 16 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02256-6
The authors characterized the spatial origin of Drosophila medulla neurons, completing their previous characterization of the temporal and Notch origins of these neurons and allowing them to correlate patterning of progenitors and neuronal type-specific features.
The mental health parity gap is gaping
Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here.
Good morning. What do you eat in the last days of cooler weather, as spring is about to kick in? I want one more good soup or stew before moving on to greener, more seasonal pastures.
STAT+: Roche to launch another Elevidys trial, with eyes on European approval
In an attempt to win European approval for the controversial medicine, Roche said Thursday it would run another trial of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys.
The Swiss company’s move comes after European regulators last year gave a negative review to the therapy, saying it had failed to demonstrate long-term benefits for patients with the degenerative muscle condition. Roche has rights to the therapy outside the U.S., where it is marketed by its developer, Sarepta Therapeutics.
Roche said the Phase 3 trial will generate the type of evidence that could lead to a resubmission with European officials and to applications with regulatory agencies in other parts of the world. The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Elevidys versus placebo over 72 weeks in roughly 100 boys at the early stages of the disease.
STAT+: Travere’s drug for a kidney disease doesn’t improve kidney function. The FDA approved it anyway
This is the online version of Adam’s Biotech Scorecard, a subscriber-only newsletter. STAT+ subscribers can sign up here to get it delivered to their inbox.
Most of the recent conversations about the Food and Drug Administration have centered around the rejection of drugs for rare diseases that might have been approved had regulatory flexibility been applied.
This week, the FDA flexed its regulatory authority to approve the first medicine to treat focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, a rare disease in which scar tissue builds up in the filtering units of the kidneys, eventually leading to organ dysfunction and failure.