Home Care In New Brunswick, NJ

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Rutgers Health researchers reveal how neural pathways integrate fast and slow information processing

The human brain is constantly processing information that unfolds at different speeds – from split-second reactions to sudden environmental changes to slower, more reflective processes such as understanding context or meaning.

A new study from Rutgers Health, published in Nature Communications, sheds light on how the brain integrates these fast and slow signals across its complex web of white matter connectivity pathways to support cognition and behavior.

Different regions of the brain are specialized for processing information over specific time windows, a property known as intrinsic neural timescales, or INTs for short.

“To affect our environment through action, our brains must combine information processed over different timescales,” said Linden Parkes, assistant professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers Health and the senior author of the study. “The brain achieves this by leveraging its white matter connectivity to share information across regions, and this integration is crucial for human behavior.”

To investigate how this integration works, Parkes and his team analyzed multimodal brain imaging data from 960 individuals. They built detailed maps of each person’s brain connectivity, known as connectomes, and applied mathematical models that describe how complex systems change over time to understand how information flows through these networks.

“Our work probes the mechanisms underlying this process in humans by directly modeling regions’ INTs from their connectivity,” said Parkes, a core member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute and the Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research. “This draws a direct link between how brain regions process information locally and how that processing is shared across the brain to produce behavior.”

Rutgers researchers found that the distribution of neural timescales across the cortex plays a crucial role in how efficiently the brain switches between large-scale activity patterns related to behavior. Importantly, this organization varies across individuals.

“We found that differences in how the brain processes information at different speeds help explain why people vary in their cognitive abilities,” Parkes said.

The researchers also discovered that these patterns are linked to genetic, molecular and cellular features of brain regions, grounding the findings in fundamental neurobiology. Similar relationships were observed in the mouse brain, suggesting that the mechanisms are conserved across species.

“Our work highlights a fundamental link between the brain’s white-matter connectivity and its local computational properties,” Parkes said. “People whose brain wiring is better matched to the way different regions handle fast and slow information tend to show higher cognitive capacity.”

Building on these findings, the team is now extending the work to study neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, examining how disruptions in brain connectivity may alter information processing.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Avram Holmes, an associate professor of psychiatry and a core member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute and the Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research, along with postdoctoral researchers Ahmad Beyh and Amber Howell, as well as Jason Z. Kim from Cornell University.

After the countdown to midnight ended and the confetti settled, New Jersey ushered in 2026 with its tiniest headline-makers. In hospitals across the state, the first babies of the new year arrived within moments or hours of the calendar turning, reaffirming January 1 as a day of new beginnings. Out went the noisemakers of old, and in came much cuter ones, swaddled in pastel hues.

Born during Capricorn season and in the Year of the Horse, these Generation Beta newborns galloped in with an astrological résumé that reads ambitious, disciplined, patient and hardworking.

Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick welcomed its first baby of the year just after midnight at 12:06 am on January 1. Gabrielle Faye, a baby girl weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces, was born to Michelle Baldric and Michael Campellone, and an older brother, of Edison.

Virtua Voorhees Hospital in Voorhees Township welcomed its first baby of 2026 at 12:29 am. Landon, a boy weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces, arrived right on schedule to Caitlyn and Mark, and an older brother, of Voorhees, a hospital spokesperson said.

Virtua delivers approximately 9,000 babies annually across its three hospitals.

New Year’s Day saw RWJ Barnabas Health welcome 64 babies across all of its health facilities. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick welcomed its first baby of 2026 at 12:40 am. A boy, weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces, was born to Esther Gut and Oshe Foldlem, who have not yet named him, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair welcomed its first baby of the year at 1:05 am. Nova Nicole, a 6-pound, 3-ounce bundle of joy, is the daughter of Naomi and Ezra Norton of Somerset.

“My deepest thanks go to our outstanding team members for their unwavering commitment, and we send our warmest congratulations to the proud new parents,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “We wish all our communities a vibrant and healthy new year.”

At Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Elian Samir was born at 6:55 am to Aida and Manuel, and three older siblings (two brothers and a sister). He weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces.

A rare set of spontaneously conceived quadruplets was born last year at Cooperman, part of RWJBarnabas Health.

“It is an honor to lead the state in helping to bring new lives into the world,” said Suzanne Spernal, senior vice president of women’s health at RWJBarnabas Health. “Each birth represents a family’s trust in our care, and we remain deeply committed to providing safe, compassionate and exceptional experiences for every mother and baby.”

Generation Beta is the emerging cohort that follows Generation Alpha and encompasses those born between 2025 and 2039. Many members are predicted to be born to younger Millennials and older Generation Z parents, growing up alongside rapidly evolving technological and cultural landscapes.

If timing is everything, New Jersey’s first babies of 2026 already know how to make an entrance—and they’re just getting started.

Old Man Winter’s timing was just a little off for giving New Jersey a white Christmas.

But December’s latest winter storm, which started Friday evening and lingered into Saturday morning, brought some white — along with plenty of ice — after Christmas.

The storm was originally expected to be a major snowmaker. But dry air lingered for a longer time than anticipated and temperatures in the middle layers of the atmosphere turned out to be warmer than expected, forecasters said.

As a result, many areas of New Jersey, especially the central region, ended up getting very little snow but more in the way of dangerous sleet and freezing rain.

Here’s a look at the early snowfall totals and freezing rain totals reported by the National Weather Service and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network, a volunteer group of trained weather observers.

As of noon on Saturday, the highest snowfall accumulations have been reported in Lyndhurst in Bergen County, with exactly 5 inches on the ground, and Vernon Township in Sussex County, with 5.1 inches of snow.

Note: Many of the snow reports below include some sleet mixed in.

Atlantic County

Bergen County

Burlington County

Camden County

Cape May County

Cumberland County

Essex County

Gloucester County

Hudson County

Hunterdon County

Mercer County

Middlesex County

Monmouth County

Morris County

Ocean County

Passaic County

Salem County

Somerset County

Sussex County

Union County

Warren County

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Celebrate the season with the unmistakable voice of Engelbert Humperdinck in a special holiday concert that blends his timeless hits with beloved holiday classics. Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering him for the first time, this festive evening promises warmth, nostalgia, and musical magic that will make your holidays unforgettable.

In a career spanning over 50 years, Engelbert Humperdinck has sold over 140 million records, including 64 gold albums and 35 platinum. He’s earned four Grammy® nominations, a Golden Globe, and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Las Vegas Walk of Fame, and Leicester Walk of Fame. He’s performed for royalty—including four appearances before the Queen—as well as for several U.S. presidents and numerous heads of state. From romantic ballads to movie themes, disco, rock, and gospel, his signature voice has captivated audiences around the world.

Humperdinck burst onto the music scene alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The shy, handsome singer quickly rose to global stardom, even forming a close friendship with Elvis Presley—the two legends often covered each other's songs. His breakout hit “Release Me” spent 56 consecutive weeks on the charts and topped the charts in 11 countries, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Decades later, he continues to tour internationally to sold-out crowds, taking joy in every performance.

His music has endured across generations, and his voice continues to inspire and connect. Songs like “A Man Without Love,” featured in Marvel’s Moon Knight (Disney+), “Forever Blowing Bubbles” in Bullet Train (Sony Pictures), and “Quando, Quando, Quando” in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy have introduced him to new fans around the globe.

In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, Humperdinck was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), an honor presented by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne.

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