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mental health

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·November 20, 2024·6 min read

War Impacts Child Development, Alters DNA

War exposure in Syrian refugee children triggered unique DNA methylation changes, marking genes involved in brain development and stress responses. These epigenetic changes suggest potential long-term effects on health and development, distinct from other traumas like poverty.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 16, 2024·3 min read

How Depression Alters Stress, Health, and Lifespan

Depression disrupts the body's stress systems, causing physical health risks like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, and reducing life expectancy by 7-10 years. The condition triggers brain structure changes, such as a 40% reduction in subgenual prefrontal cortex volume, and disrupts hormone systems involving CRH, norepinephrine, and cortisol.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 15, 2024·5 min read

How Stressful Events Alter Memories

Researchers have discovered how stress disrupts memory specificity, leading to generalized aversive memories—a hallmark of PTSD. Stress increases endocannabinoid release, enlarging memory engrams in the brain, which triggers fearful responses to unrelated, safe situations.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 14, 2024·6 min read

Brain Circuits Behind Psychedelics’ Anti-Anxiety Power Decoded

New research has identified distinct neural circuits for the anti-anxiety and hallucinogenic effects of psychedelics. Using the psychedelic DOI in mice, researchers demonstrated that anxiety reduction persists long after hallucinatory effects subside.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 14, 2024·6 min read

Smart Social Media Use Reduces Teen Stress

How young people use social media impacts their mental health more than how much time they spend on it. Researchers found that reducing harmful comparisons and fostering meaningful connections online can improve mental well-being, reducing loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

This shows the molecular structure for ketamine.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 14, 2024·7 min read

“Lifesaving” Low-Dose Ketamine Unlocks Rapid Relief for Depression

Researchers have identified how low-dose ketamine alleviates depression by selectively targeting specific NMDA receptors in the brain. Unlike high-dose anesthetic effects, low-dose ketamine binds to lateral grooves on NMDA receptors, enhancing excitatory transmission and long-term synaptic changes.

This shows two heads and "paranormal" symbols.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 14, 2024·4 min read

Traditional Paranormal Beliefs Linked to Stress

Traditional paranormal beliefs, such as witchcraft and religious superstition, are linked to higher stress and reduced coping ability, while new age beliefs, like spiritualism and precognition, show no such link. Researchers used an improved scale to analyze responses from over 3,000 participants, revealing that traditional beliefs may reflect anxieties about external control. The findings highlight the psychological differences between belief types but cannot confirm cause-and-effect relationships.

This shows the outline of people and brains.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 13, 2024·4 min read

Metabolic Pathways Link Cannabis to Psychosis in Teens

A study investigated how cannabis use influences metabolomic patterns linked to psychotic-like experiences in adolescents. Blood samples revealed that non-cannabis users showed inflammatory metabolic changes associated with hallucinations, while cannabis users exhibited shifts in energy-related metabolites tied to brain ketogenesis. These findings suggest that cannabis use may trigger distinct molecular pathways in psychotic-like experiences.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 13, 2024·4 min read

Stress in Social Groups: How One’s Stress Affects the Whole

New research on zebra finches reveals that stress spreads within social groups, even affecting individuals not directly exposed to stressors. Birds in groups with more stressed members showed reduced movement and changes in social behavior, such as fewer social bonds.

This shows an outline of a person sitting in a chair surrounded by swirly lines.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 13, 2024·6 min read

Schizophrenia Risks Tied to Psychedelic Use

A new study links hallucinogen-related emergency department visits to a 21-fold increased risk of schizophrenia compared to the general population. Even after accounting for other mental health disorders and substance use, individuals faced a 3.5-fold higher risk.

This shows a teen sitting alone on a phone.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 13, 2024·6 min read

Isolation Spurs Teen Threat Sensitivity, Even With Online Interaction

A new study finds that brief isolation increases threat sensitivity in teens, even if they remain connected online. Adolescents isolated in a room for several hours showed heightened physiological stress and anxious responses to potential threats, regardless of whether they had access to smartphones.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 13, 2024·4 min read

Psychedelic Therapy Could Benefit 5.6 Million People with Depression

Psilocybin-assisted therapy could potentially benefit up to 5.6 million Americans with major depressive disorder or treatment-resistant depression, offering a powerful alternative to traditional treatments. Researchers applied medical criteria to a national pool of patients and found that over half might be eligible for psilocybin therapy, pending FDA approval. If approved, this therapy could significantly impact public health policies, insurance frameworks, and economic costs by reducing reliance on long-term antidepressant prescriptions.