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mental health

·January 28, 2025·5 min read

Study Links Schizophrenia to Visual Contrast Sensitivity Deficits

People with schizophrenia experience impaired contrast perception, affecting their ability to differentiate light intensity and recognize shapes and textures. This deficit may stem from disruptions in glutamate neurotransmission, a key neural mechanism in the disease.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 27, 2025·4 min read

Opioid Dysregulation in the Brain Tied to Eating Disorders

Elevated opioid neurotransmission in the brain may underlie appetite loss and emotional symptoms in anorexia nervosa. Compared to healthy controls, patients with anorexia had increased opioidergic tone, which regulates appetite, pleasure, and mood.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 27, 2025·3 min read

Dopamine Clock May Drive Bipolar Mood Swings

New research suggests that mood swings in bipolar disorder are regulated by two clocks: the body’s 24-hour circadian rhythm and a dopamine-based clock that influences alertness. When these clocks align at specific intervals, they may trigger shifts between mania and depression.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 22, 2025·7 min read

Targeting Reward Pathways to Treat Depression

New research highlights how the brain's reward-learning system can guide personalized treatments for depression. By studying two brain signals, expected value and prediction error, researchers identified markers that predict recovery potential and tailored responses to rewards and setbacks.

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Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·January 10, 2025·5 min read

Delayed Brain Maturation Links Genetics and Eating Disorders

Over half of 23-year-olds display restrictive, emotional, or uncontrolled eating behaviors, with delayed brain maturation playing a significant role. The research linked structural brain differences, mental health challenges, and genetic predispositions to the development of disordered eating behaviors from adolescence to adulthood. MRI data showed delayed cortical thinning in unhealthy eaters, especially in regions like the cerebellum, which regulates appetite.

This shows a child sitting alone on a bench while others play around him.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 9, 2025·7 min read

Physical Neglect Causes Lifelong Social Challenges in Children

A new study highlights how childhood physical neglect disrupts social development more than physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Neglected children were less social, less popular, and less connected to cohesive friend groups, facing stigmatization and withdrawal.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 9, 2025·5 min read

Neural Mechanisms Behind Stress-Driven Social Changes Found

Male and female mice usually prefer female companions but switch to preferring males under survival stress, a new study reveals. This behavioral shift is driven by distinct brain circuits involving dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 8, 2025·4 min read

Early Reproductive Aging Alters Brain Connectivity, Emotional Health

Research shows that accelerated reproductive ageing in females, such as early puberty or menopause, is linked to increased mental health risks at different life stages. Adolescents experiencing early puberty displayed unstable brain connectivity in regions tied to psychosis vulnerability, while middle-aged women with early menopause showed patterns linked to depression.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 7, 2025·4 min read

Key Neurons Linked to Autism and Schizophrenia Risk

Layer 5 pyramidal neurons, crucial for brain information processing, vary significantly in their synaptic protein composition based on neuron type. Research shows that intratelencephalic (IT) neurons and pyramidal tract (PT) neurons share some synaptic proteins but also have unique characteristics influencing their functions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 7, 2025·3 min read

“Sandwich” Generation Face Health Toll of Caring for Parents and Kids

Sandwich carers—those who care for both children and aging relatives—face significant mental and physical health declines, particularly when caregiving exceeds 20 hours weekly. A study tracking carers over nine years found persistent mental health challenges and worsening physical health during this transition.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 6, 2025·5 min read

Social Connections Key to Borderline Personality Disorder Therapy

Loneliness plays a central role in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and often persists even when clinical symptoms subside. Current treatments, such as dialectical behavior therapy, fail to fully address social integration, which is crucial for long-term recovery.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 2, 2025·4 min read

Poor Sleep Linked to Difficulty Controlling Unwanted Thoughts

Sleep deprivation impairs brain regions responsible for suppressing unwanted thoughts, contributing to mental health challenges. Functional neuroimaging revealed reduced activation in the prefrontal cortex and increased hippocampal activity in sleep-deprived individuals, suggesting memory control deficits.