AI ‘co-pilot’ helps patients move a cursor, control a robotic arm more precisely; GLP-1 drugs slash heart failure deaths and hospitalizations; racial disparities in heart failure – Morning Medical Update

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AI ‘co-pilot’ sharpens brain-computer interface performance

UCLA engineers have unveiled a noninvasive brain-computer interface that pairs EEG brain signal decoding with an AI “co-pilot” to interpret user intent, helping participants move a cursor and control a robotic arm more quickly and accurately. In tests published in Nature Machine Intelligence, even a paralyzed participant completed a block-moving task with AI assistance that was otherwise impossible. Researchers say the system could pave the way for wearable BCIs that restore independence without the risks of brain surgery.

GLP-1 drugs slash heart failure deaths and hospitalizations

GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide may do more than manage weight and blood sugar. According to a JAMA study of more than 90,000 patients from Mass General Brigham, the drugs also cut the risk of death and hospitalization in patients with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The analysis, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, found both drugs reduced combined risk by more than 40% compared to a diabetes drug with no heart effects, suggesting a potential new lifeline for millions living with HFpEF.

Black adults face heart failure more than a decade earlier

Black adults in the U.S. are hospitalized for heart failure nearly 14 years earlier than White patients, at an average age of 60 compared with 73.6, according to a Northwestern Medicine study of more than 42,000 people published in JACC. Hispanic patients were hospitalized eight years earlier and Asian American patients three years earlier than White patients. Researchers found that differences in insurance coverage, unemployment and education explained much of the gap, underscoring the role of social and economic inequities in shaping cardiovascular health.