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·November 10, 2025·7 min read

Low Choline Could Be a Hidden Driver of Anxiety

A large meta-analysis of 25 studies found that people with anxiety disorders have significantly lower levels of choline, a vital brain nutrient, compared to individuals without anxiety. This reduction was especially pronounced in the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate emotion and behavior.

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·October 30, 2025·6 min read

Toddler Gut Bacteria Linked to Childhood Anxiety and Depression

A new study suggests that a child’s gut microbiome at age 2 may influence their emotional health years later. Researchers found that higher levels of bacteria from the Clostridiales order and Lachnospiraceae family were linked to stronger connectivity across emotion-related brain networks and a higher risk of anxiety and depression symptoms by age 7½.

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·September 29, 2025·6 min read

Preschool Overeating in Girls Linked to Teen Anxiety and Impulsivity

A study tracking more than 2,000 Quebec children found that girls who regularly overate in the preschool years were more likely to report anxiety, impulsivity, and hyperactivity during adolescence. The association was not found in boys, pointing to possible sociocultural influences such as closer monitoring and restrictive food environments for girls.

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·September 19, 2025·5 min read

Parenting Styles Shape Teen Anxiety

A new study shows that both mothers and fathers significantly shape their adolescent children’s social anxiety, but in different ways. Warmth, affection, and acceptance from either parent reduce anxiety, while rejection, coldness, and controlling behaviors heighten it.

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·August 27, 2025·3 min read

Cannabis Linked to Reduced Insomnia and Anxiety

A new study suggests cannabis-based medical products may help people with insomnia sleep better over the long term. Across 124 patients followed for up to 18 months, participants consistently reported improved sleep quality, less anxiety and depression, and a better overall quality of life.

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·August 25, 2025·3 min read

Brain Activity Pattern Linked to Self-Preoccupation and Anxiety

A new study identifies a brain activity pattern that signals self-preoccupied thinking, a trait associated with anxiety and depression. In experiments, the pattern appeared during mental breaks and predicted when people would soon turn their thoughts inward.

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·August 22, 2025·2 min read

Brain Study Reveals Circuit Controlling Depression and Anxiety

A new study identifies brain area 46 in the marmoset dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as a key regulator of mood-related behavior. When this region was inactivated, the animals showed less interest in rewards and heightened sensitivity to threats, mimicking depression and anxiety symptoms.

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·July 23, 2025·4 min read

Tobacco Use Linked to Higher Depression and Anxiety

Adolescents who use e-cigarettes or conventional tobacco products are significantly more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety than non-users, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from over 60,000 U.S. middle and high school students surveyed between 2021 and 2023.

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·July 23, 2025·7 min read

Inflammation Influences Cannabis’s Effects on Anxiety and Sleep

A new study shows that inflammation levels influence how cannabis affects anxiety and sleep quality. Researchers found no overall change in inflammatory markers after 4 weeks of cannabis use, but baseline inflammation moderated outcomes.

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·July 18, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain Decodes Social Emotions and Anxiety

The anterior temporal lobe (ATL) plays a key role in interpreting social hierarchies and facial emotions, offering insight into anxiety and mood disorders. A research project used advanced imaging techniques to overcome past challenges in studying the ATL, revealing its strong activation during social and emotional decisions.

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·July 17, 2025·8 min read

Overactive Anterior Insula May Fuel Anxiety and Depression

New research shows that elevated glutamate-glutamine (Glx) levels in the anterior insular cortex (AIC) make people more sensitive to mistakes and more prone to anxiety and depression. Using functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy and reinforcement learning tasks, scientists found that high AIC Glx predicted both a general internalizing symptom score and heightened error sensitivity, which mediated this relationship.

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·June 28, 2025·6 min read

One Gene Rewires Fear Circuits and Fuels Anxiety

Researchers have uncovered how losing the autism-linked gene PTEN in a specific set of inhibitory neurons reshapes brain circuits tied to fear and anxiety. Using advanced circuit-mapping techniques, they found that deleting PTEN in somatostatin-expressing neurons of the amygdala disrupted local inhibition by 50% while strengthening excitatory input from nearby brain regions.