Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1038/d41591-025-00057-1
{"title":"Rethinking brain body maps and phantom limbs","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/d41591-025-00057-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/d41591-025-00057-1","url":null,"abstract":"A study challenges previous assumptions that the brain’s body map undergoes reorganization after limb amputation, finding that it remains remarkably stable — with implications for brain–computer interfaces and the treatment of phantom limb pain.","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145059742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03965-4
Pontus Tideman, Linda Karlsson, Olof Strandberg, Susanna Calling, Ruben Smith, Patrik Midlöv, Philip B. Verghese, Joel B. Braunstein, Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren, Erik Stomrud, Sebastian Palmqvist, Oskar Hansson
{"title":"Primary care detection of Alzheimer’s disease using a self-administered digital cognitive test and blood biomarkers","authors":"Pontus Tideman, Linda Karlsson, Olof Strandberg, Susanna Calling, Ruben Smith, Patrik Midlöv, Philip B. Verghese, Joel B. Braunstein, Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren, Erik Stomrud, Sebastian Palmqvist, Oskar Hansson","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03965-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03965-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>After the clinical implementation of amyloid-β-targeting therapies for people with cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), there is an urgent need to efficiently identify this patient population in primary care. Therefore, we created a brief and self-administered digital cognitive test battery (BioCog). Based on its sub-scores, a logistic regression model was developed in a secondary care cohort (<i>n</i> = 223) and then evaluated in an independent primary care cohort comprising 19 primary care centers (<i>n</i> = 403). In primary care, BioCog had an accuracy of 85% when using a single cutoff to define cognitive impairment, which was significantly better than the assessment of primary care physicians (accuracy 73%). The accuracy increased to 90% when using a two-cutoff approach. BioCog had significantly higher accuracy than standard paper-and-pencil tests (that is, Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini-Cog) and another digital cognitive test. Furthermore, BioCog combined with a blood test could detect clinical, biomarker-verified AD with an accuracy of 90% (one cutoff), significantly better than standard-of-care (accuracy 70%) or when using the blood test alone (accuracy 80%). In conclusion, this proof-of-concept study shows that a brief, self-administered digital cognitive test battery can detect cognitive impairment and, when combined with a blood test, accurately identify clinical AD in primary care.</p>","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145059744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03947-6
Shivani A. Patel, Dimple Kondal, Mohan Deepa, Howard H. Chang, Venkatesan Radha, Sailesh Mohan, Yan V. Sun, Arshed A. Quyyumi, Mohammed K. Ali, Nikhil Tandon, Viswanathan Mohan, Dorairaj Prabhakaran, K. M. Venkat Narayan
{"title":"Lessons from a long cohort study of diabetes in South Asia","authors":"Shivani A. Patel, Dimple Kondal, Mohan Deepa, Howard H. Chang, Venkatesan Radha, Sailesh Mohan, Yan V. Sun, Arshed A. Quyyumi, Mohammed K. Ali, Nikhil Tandon, Viswanathan Mohan, Dorairaj Prabhakaran, K. M. Venkat Narayan","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03947-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03947-6","url":null,"abstract":"Population-based investigations from Indian megacities reveal insights into diabetes and broader chronic disease among native South Asian individuals.","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03931-0
Nathalie Chami, Zhe Wang, Victor Svenstrup, Virginia Diez Obrero, Daiane Hemerich, Yi Huang, Hesam Dashti, Eleonora Manitta, Michael H. Preuss, Kari E. North, Louise Aas Holm, Cilius E. Fonvig, Jens-Christian Holm, Torben Hansen, Camilla Scheele, Alexander Rauch, Roelof A. J. Smit, Melina Claussnitzer, Ruth J. F. Loos
{"title":"Genetic subtyping of obesity reveals biological insights into the uncoupling of adiposity from its cardiometabolic comorbidities","authors":"Nathalie Chami, Zhe Wang, Victor Svenstrup, Virginia Diez Obrero, Daiane Hemerich, Yi Huang, Hesam Dashti, Eleonora Manitta, Michael H. Preuss, Kari E. North, Louise Aas Holm, Cilius E. Fonvig, Jens-Christian Holm, Torben Hansen, Camilla Scheele, Alexander Rauch, Roelof A. J. Smit, Melina Claussnitzer, Ruth J. F. Loos","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03931-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03931-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Obesity is a heterogeneous condition not adequately captured by a single adiposity trait. We conducted a multi-trait genome-wide association analysis using individual-level data from 452,768 UK Biobank participants to study obesity in relation to cardiometabolic health. We defined continuous ‘uncoupling phenotypes’, ranging from high adiposity with healthy cardiometabolic profiles to low adiposity with unhealthy ones. We identified 266 variants across 205 genomic loci where adiposity-increasing alleles were simultaneously associated with lower cardiometabolic risk. A genetic risk score (GRS<sub>uncoupling</sub>) aggregating these variants was associated with a lower risk of cardiometabolic disorders, including dyslipidemia and ischemic heart disease, despite higher obesity risk; unlike an adiposity score based on body fat percentage-associated variants (GRS<sub>BFP</sub>). The 266 variants formed eight genetic subtypes of obesity, each with distinct risk profiles and pathway signatures. Proteomic analyses revealed signatures separating adiposity- and health-driven effects. Our findings reveal new mechanisms that uncouple obesity from cardiometabolic comorbidities and lay a foundation for genetically informed subtyping of obesity to support precision medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03968-1
{"title":"Reinventing the eye exam with artificial intelligence","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03968-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03968-1","url":null,"abstract":"Ophthalmology could be the first medical specialty fundamentally transformed by artificial intelligence. Pearse Keane recalls an early breakthrough in this journey.","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"131 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1038/d41591-025-00056-2
{"title":"Mending a mother’s mitochondrial DNA","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/d41591-025-00056-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/d41591-025-00056-2","url":null,"abstract":"A trio of treatments could block the inheritance of some severe diseases, but more than science must advance.","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-11DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03902-5
Marja H. Lamoree, Jeske van Boxel, Federica Nardella, Kas J. Houthuijs, Sicco H. Brandsma, Frederic Béen, Majorie B. M. van Duursen
{"title":"Health impacts of microplastic and nanoplastic exposure","authors":"Marja H. Lamoree, Jeske van Boxel, Federica Nardella, Kas J. Houthuijs, Sicco H. Brandsma, Frederic Béen, Majorie B. M. van Duursen","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03902-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41591-025-03902-5","url":null,"abstract":"As evidence demonstrating the presence of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in the human body accumulates, so do concerns about their potential health impacts. Multiple factors determine the properties and behavior of MNPs—including polymer type, size, shape and the presence of a biocorona, among others—which place high demands on analytical methodology and tools for assessment of potential adverse health effects. Experimental models have shown that MNPs can cross cell barriers in the human lung and intestine and reach systemic circulation and subsequently tissues such as reproductive organs, placenta and brain. Early clinical findings indicate that MNPs may be associated with adverse health outcomes, including immune modulation, reproductive effects and cardiovascular effects. However, these studies typically suffer from low patient numbers and inadequate MNP exposure assessment, which precludes adequate risk assessment. Still, outcomes from animal and cell-based analyses generally support the preliminary clinical findings. To conduct more robust human studies, maturation of methods for exposure and effect assessment are crucial. Addressing these challenges will improve scientific research on the health impact of MNPs, which is urgently needed. There are strong indications that MNP exposure negatively impacts human health, but a robust evidence base is lacking. This Review focuses on the current state of the science, offering a critical review of the data, analytical challenges and research priorities.","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"31 9","pages":"2873-2887"},"PeriodicalIF":50.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145031981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Functions of the global health system in a new era","authors":"Kumanan Rasanathan, Keith Cloete, Githinji Gitahi, Octavio Gómez-Dantés, Diah Saminarsih, Soumya Swaminathan, Amirhossein Takian, John-Arne Røttingen","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03936-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03936-9","url":null,"abstract":"In an irrevocably changed landscape, reform of the global health system needs to answer key questions on functions, what should be delivered in different contexts and at different levels, and how the system should operate.","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145031992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reply to: Critical evaluation of the ProfiLER-02 study design and outcomes","authors":"Olivier Trédan, Marie-Sarah Cabrillac, Sylvie Chabaud, Gwenaelle Garin, David Pérol, Jean-Yves Blay","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03960-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03960-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><span>replying to</span> Subbiah & Kurzrock. <i>Nature Medicine</i> https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03959-2 (2025)</p><p>We thank V. Subbiah and R. Kurzrock for their interest in the ProfiLER-02 study<sup>1,2</sup> and for the opportunity to clarify several aspects of our work. Their comments highlight key challenges in the design and interpretation of precision oncology clinical trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145025478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature MedicinePub Date : 2025-09-10DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03922-1
Emma Barron, Paul Chappell, Izzy Hatfield, David C. D. Hope, Xiaochen Ge, Chirag Bakhai, Dominique Bradley, Ellie Bragan Turner, Rupert Dunbar-Rees, Nasrin Hafezparast, Desmond G. Johnston, Gary Wainman, Adrian Pratt, Eirion T. Slade, Edward W. Gregg, Kamlesh Khunti, Jonathan Valabhji
{"title":"Association between the English National Health Service Diabetes Prevention Programme and incident multiple long-term conditions","authors":"Emma Barron, Paul Chappell, Izzy Hatfield, David C. D. Hope, Xiaochen Ge, Chirag Bakhai, Dominique Bradley, Ellie Bragan Turner, Rupert Dunbar-Rees, Nasrin Hafezparast, Desmond G. Johnston, Gary Wainman, Adrian Pratt, Eirion T. Slade, Edward W. Gregg, Kamlesh Khunti, Jonathan Valabhji","doi":"10.1038/s41591-025-03922-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03922-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Existing evaluations of the National Health Service Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP) in England have demonstrated associated reductions in body weight, hemoglobin A1c and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this study, we examined associations between completion of the NHS DPP and incidence of T2D and 30 other long-term conditions (LTCs), including LTCs considered linked to the programʼs interventional goals of body weight reduction, increased physical activity and improved diet quality (LTC-L) and LTCs considered to be possibly linked to those goals (LTC-PL). We found that completers of the NHS DPP had lower incidences of T2D, LTC-L and LTC-PL compared to non-attenders. Although these associations attenuated over time, they remained significant for all outcomes at 24 months with an odds ratio of 0.53 (95% confidence interval: 0.48–0.59) for T2D and rate ratios of 0.79 (0.74–0.84) and 0.80 (0.74–0.88) for LTC-L and LTC-PL, respectively. However, we were not able to directly conclude whether lower incidence rates were a direct result of completing the NHS DPP or due to residual bias stemming from unmeasured confounding and imprecision in the estimation of diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19037,"journal":{"name":"Nature Medicine","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":82.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145025480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}