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PTSD

·May 16, 2019·5 min read

Ketamine: The illicit party psychedelic that promises to heal depression

Ketamine, an anesthetics which has been commonly used as an illicit party drug, is helping people overcome depression. The drug works rapidly and provides lasting relief from depressive symptoms for weeks after exposure. Researchers are examining how ketamine works in the brain to help positively influence behavior in those with mood disorders.

This shows brain scans of people with PTSD

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 14, 2019·2 min read

Biomarker reveals PTSD sufferers at risk of suicide

PET imaging study reveals higher levels of mGluR5 in those with PTSD who had suicidal thoughts. The findings could serve as a biomarker to assess suicide risk in people with PTSD.

This shows a brain with pinwheels and different brain areas in them

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 13, 2019·4 min read

Researchers seek ‘fingerprints’ of severe mental diseases

Neuroimaging study finds significant changes in the brain associated with mental illnesses that could serve as a biomarker for diagnosis.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·May 6, 2019·5 min read

Transplanting gut bacteria alters depression-related behavior, brain inflammation in rats

The gut microbiome contributes to depression-like behaviors and inflammation in the ventral hippocampus, according to a new rat study. Fecal transplants from rats with lower levels of Clostridia reduced depressive behaviors and inflammation in vulnerable rodents.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2019·5 min read

Brain area tied to emotions is larger in vets, service members with mild TBI and PTSD

Veterans with comorbid mild traumatic brain injury and PTSD had significantly greater amygdala volume compared to those with mTBI alone.

This shows the brain activity during insomnia

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·April 25, 2019·5 min read

Haunted by the past: Insomniacs unable to get emotional distress off their mind

For some, insomnia may be caused by failing to neutralize emotional distress. Researchers speculate the sleep disorder could be caused by brain circuits that regulate emotion.

Featured Psychology

·April 23, 2019·3 min read

Some women could be more susceptible to PTSD than others

Oxytocin and cortisol levels are higher in women with dissociative PTSD.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 22, 2019·4 min read

Artificial intelligence can diagnose PTSD by analyzing voices

Artificial intelligence technology is able to objectively differentiate between those with PTSD and those without by analyzing speech samples, with 89.1% accuracy.

This shows a pink head with a brain outlined and network like dots

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·April 9, 2019·4 min read

Neural patterns key to understanding disorders such as PTSD discovered

Imbalanced communication between the hippocampus and amygdala may lead to the inability to distinguish between negative memories that have overlapping features. The findings could provide new treatment options for those with PTSD.

This shows a brain overlayed on a person's head with a swirly, psychedelic background

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 4, 2019·5 min read

Psychedelic drug MDMA may reawaken ‘critical period’ in brain to help treat PTSD

MDMA, a psychedelic drug, has successfully been used to reopen the 'critical period' of learning the reward values of social behaviors. Researchers report, in mature mice given MDMA, oxytocin triggers signaling in synapses that help encode social learning and memory, a process that does not usually occur in older animals. The findings could help in the development of treatments for PTSD and other disorders.

This brain image is made up of words associated with PTSD

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 3, 2019·8 min read

Biology may make certain PTSD patients unresponsive to behavioral therapy

A neuroimaging and behavioral signature associated with connectivity in the ventral attention network has been identified in a subgroup of PTSD patients who fail to respond to treatment.

This shows the location of the hippocampus

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 1, 2019·4 min read

How the brain fights off fears that return to haunt us

Newly identified 'extinction neurons' in the hippocampus suppress fearful memories when activated, and allow the memories to return when deactivated. The findings may provide new treatment avenues for PTSD, phobias, and anxiety.