Work

The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is rising rapidly, yet there aren’t definitive diagnostic methods or effective interventions that can treat AD. Growing evidence shows that music can influence the brain in a positive way, but music has often been treated as an undifferentiated whole, rather than examining its individual acoustic features. This review bridges disconnected literatures to examine how isolated acoustic features can influence biological mechanisms related to AD. We first review non-AD evidence, spanning from neuroimaging, clinical disorders (anxiety, depression, and epilepsy), and cellular/rodent models, proposing that individual acoustic features may produce differential neural and physiological effects. We then synthesize AD-relevant biological pathways, including Aβ and tau pathology, BDNF signaling, gene regulation via miR-132, and gamma oscillations. Finally, we propose three feature-pathway frameworks linking specific acoustic features to these biological pathways implied in AD. The evidence support levels of each pathway are asymmetrical, with rhythm showing the most direct evidence, while frameworks linking rhythm to BDNF and timbre to gamma oscillations remain more indirect and inferential. These frameworks are intended as a hypothetical conceptual map to guide future feature-isolation studies that aim toward developing more precise, non-pharmacological music interventions for AD.

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Women are becoming more active in entrepreneurship, but businesses linked with women tend to get a smaller share of startup investment. This study compared women-founded, women-owned, or women-led businesses with businesses associated with men. A structured comparative review of ten quantitative studies was completed. Five studies focused mostly on investment efficiency or broader financial performance, and five focused on business survival. The findings did not show a clear performance advantage for either gender. Women-associated businesses tended to receive less funding and started with fewer assets or smaller teams. Only one study directly measured revenue per dollar invested and found higher revenue efficiency among women-linked startups. The other financial results were mixed, while survival findings also changed according to industry, location, business size, and statistical controls. When a gender difference became smaller after funding or experience was controlled, this did not necessarily mean gender had no influence, because those factors may themselves be linked with unequal opportunities. Overall, resources, experience, and business context appear important, while gender may indirectly influence access to these advantages.
Author: Soomin Chang
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7214646501
FWCI:
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Related to: 10