Formation of habitual use drives cannabis addiction
Individual differences in the striatum of habitual cannabis users distinguish between who is at increased risk of addiction and cannabis use disorder.... Read More...
Elsevier
Brain activation provides individual-level prediction of bipolar disorder risk
Combining neuroimaging data with machine learning, researchers have identified patterns of brain activation during reward anticipation, associated with an increased risk of developing bipolar disorder. The patterns of neural activation predict the severity of mania symptoms in young adults who have not yet developed the disorder.... Read More...
GWAS identifies new risk loci for harmful alcohol use
Genome-wide study identifies five novel alcohol use risk loci which can pass on the risk of developing alcohol abuse disorder from parents to children.... Read More...
Children of both young and old parents share risk for certain neurodevelopment disorders
Children of younger parents are at increased risk of ADHD and Tourette syndrome, while children of older parents are at more risk of being diagnosed with OCD and autism. ... Read More...
Inflammation induces anhedonia in women but not men
Inflammation appears to reduce reward response in females. Reduced activity in the brain's reward system is a key component of anhedonia, the loss of enjoyment in activities, a core feature of depression. The findings may explain why depression is more prevalent in women than in men.... Read More...
Novel study links fetal exposure to nicotine and sudden infant death syndrome
In utero exposure to nicotine could increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, researchers report. The findings raise concerns about both smoking and the use of nicotine replacement therapies during pregnancy. ... Read More...
Sports involvement linked to fewer depressive symptoms in children
Sports participation is associated with increased hippocampal volume in children. For boys, the change of hippocampal volume was linked to a reduction of depressive symptoms. Findings suggest participating in sporting activities could help to reduce depression in adolescent males.... Read More...
First double-blind controlled trial of TNS shows reduced symptoms in some children with ADHD
Researchers report trigeminal nerve stimulation, administered during sleep, is both effective and safe for treating ADHD in children. The study reveals the treatment helps to reduce behavioral symptoms of ADHD and increases activity in brain circuits that modulate hyperactivity. ... Read More...
Normal Brain Aging Patterns Occur At a Faster Rate in People with Psychosis
A new study reports patients with psychosis experience accelerated brain aging in the frontoparietal and cingulo-opercular networks. ... Read More...
Tobacco Use in Adolescence Tied to Paranoia, Due Largely to Shared Genetic Influences
Researchers have discovered a link between teenage tobacco use and an increased risk of psychotic experiences, such as paranoia and hallucinations. They report this may be due, in part, to some shared genetic influences.... Read More...
Inability to Integrate Reward Information Contributes to Undervalued Rewards in Schizophrenia
A new computational model reveals the impaired ability to integrate size and probability of reward in those with schizophrenia may be the result of a lack of consideration of the magnitude of the reward.... Read More...
Epigenetics Contributes to Male and Female Differences in Fear Memories
A new mouse study reveals males recall fearful memories better than females. Researchers attribute the difference to the gene Cdk5, which has previously been implicated in creating fear memories and stress behaviors. The study reports Cdk5 is naturally activated in males, but not females.... Read More...