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mental health

·July 23, 2025·6 min read

What Drives Women to Kill? Emotion & Threat, Not Psychopathy

Women who commit lethal violence rarely display psychopathy, instead acting out of provocation and perceived threats. A 15-year Swedish study of 175 cases found that about half of the women had a severe mental disorder, and these women showed slightly more short-term planning but still high emotional arousal.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 23, 2025·4 min read

“Neurobiotic Sense” Tells Brain When You’ve Had Enough

Scientists have discovered a “neurobiotic sense” — a newly identified system where the gut sends real-time signals from microbes to the brain to help regulate appetite. Specialized cells called neuropods in the colon detect a bacterial protein, flagellin, and signal the brain via the vagus nerve to suppress eating.

This shows the outline of a head and neurons.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 23, 2025·4 min read

Emotional Pain Brain Circuit Drives Cocaine Relapse

A new study reveals that a brain circuit driving negative emotions during cocaine withdrawal plays a key role in relapse. Researchers found that this “anti-reward” network becomes hyperactive during abstinence, amplifying distress and pushing users back toward the drug.

This shows the outline of two heads and smoke.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 22, 2025·4 min read

COVID Stress May Have Aged Brains Faster

Living through the Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated brain ageing, even in people who were never infected, a new study finds. Brain scans of nearly 1,000 adults showed older, male, and disadvantaged individuals were most affected.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 22, 2025·7 min read

Why the Psychopathic Brain Struggles With Emotion and Control

New research reveals how structural brain connectivity shapes psychopathic traits and externalizing behaviors. Using advanced connectome modeling, scientists identified two key networks: one tied to impaired emotional processing, the other to poor attentional control.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·July 21, 2025·7 min read

Most Mental Illnesses Arise Without Family History

A massive Danish study shows that most mental illnesses—like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression—occur in people with no close family history of the condition. Analyzing data from over 3 million individuals, researchers found that while heredity increases risk, most diagnosed individuals do not have affected relatives.

This shows a pregnant woman and gut bacteria.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 21, 2025·7 min read

Pregnancy Stress Disrupts Baby’s Microbiome, Increasing Depression Risk

Prenatal stress in mothers can leave a lasting imprint on their offspring, predisposing them to depression-like behaviors. Researchers found that maternal stress disrupts the gut microbiome and metabolite production, which are vertically transmitted to the young.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·July 19, 2025·6 min read

Genetic Link Between Cannabis Use Disorder and Mental Health

A large genetic study reveals that cannabis use disorder (CanUD) is strongly linked to increased risk for multiple psychiatric disorders, including depression, PTSD, ADHD, and schizophrenia. By analyzing global and local genetic correlations, colocalization, Mendelian randomization, and structural equation modeling, researchers showed CanUD has distinct genetic signatures compared to casual cannabis use.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 19, 2025·6 min read

More Than Serotonin: How Psychedelics Engage the Whole Brain

Classical psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline are known for activating the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, but a new study reveals their effects go far beyond. Researchers profiled 41 psychedelics against over 300 human receptors and found potent activity at serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic sites.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·July 19, 2025·7 min read

Why Antidepressants Work Better for Some

A meta-analysis of gene expression data from humans and rodents reveals key biological pathways influencing response to the antidepressant fluoxetine. The study highlights the role of immune-related pathways, including toll-like receptor signaling, and neural signal transduction mechanisms in distinguishing responders from non-responders.