Psychology News

These research articles involve many aspects of psychology such as cognitive psychology, depression studies, mental health, stress, happiness and neuropsychology, Scroll below for more specific categories.

Researchers identified specific brain network connections associated with anosognosia, a condition where patients are unaware of their neurological or psychiatric deficits. Using a technique called lesion network mapping, they identified separate networks linked to visual and motor anosognosia and a shared network responsible for awareness of these deficits. The shared network converged on the hippocampus and precuneus, both associated with memory.
Researchers uncovered how chronic stress in combination with high-calorie diets can amplify our brain's reward system, driving overeating and weight gain. They found that stress inhibits the lateral habenula, a brain area typically curbing such reward signals.
Researchers discovered people with higher neuroticism, a trait potentially risking mental health, experience not only amplified negative emotions but also higher mood variability. Using a novel approach from Bayesian statistics, the psychologists analyzed 13 longitudinal datasets to confirm their findings.
Researchers reveal an alarming correlation between alexithymia (difficulty in identifying and describing emotions) and various forms of child maltreatment. Analyzing a staggering 78 sources involving 36,141 participants, the research draws attention to the effects of emotional neglect, emotional abuse, and physical neglect as strong predictors of alexithymia.
A new study reveals how microglia can regulate anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder (OCSD) behaviors. Traditionally overlooked in favor of neurons, specific microglia populations were found to both stimulate and suppress these behaviors, thus acting as both a "brake" and "accelerator".