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PTSD

·March 27, 2025·8 min read

Killing in Combat Doesn’t Always Harm Soldiers’ Mental Health

A large study of over 14,000 Norwegian veterans reveals that taking a life in combat doesn't automatically damage a soldier’s mental health—context matters. Veterans from Afghanistan, where combat was expected and rules of engagement were clear, showed no long-term psychological harm from killing.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 18, 2025·5 min read

Bystander PTSD Alters Brain Differently Than Direct Trauma

New research reveals that witnessing trauma triggers unique brain changes, distinct from those caused by experiencing trauma firsthand. The study found that indirect trauma leads to different protein degradation patterns in key brain regions involved in fear memory.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 6, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain Overcomes Instinctive Fear and Adapts to New Threats

Researchers have identified brain mechanisms that help animals suppress instinctive fear responses when threats prove harmless over time. Using a visual threat model in mice, they found that specific areas of the visual cortex are necessary for learning to override fear, but not for storing the memory. Instead, the ventrolateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) retains these learning-induced memories, regulating fear suppression.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 8, 2025·4 min read

Sleep Loss Weakens Brain’s Ability to Block Unwanted Memories

New research reveals that sleep deprivation hampers the brain’s ability to suppress intrusive memories, a process critical for mental health. The study found that well-rested individuals could engage the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to inhibit unwanted memories, while sleep-deprived participants struggled.

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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 4, 2024·6 min read

Newly Discovered Brain Circuit Predicts Response to Stress

Researchers identified a brain circuit involving the amygdala and hippocampus that predicts resilience to stress in mice. Mice with disrupted neural communication in this circuit struggled to seek rewards, but activating the neurons restored resilience and improved decision-making.

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 12, 2024·6 min read

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Shows Promise for Treating PTSD

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has shown effectiveness in alleviating symptoms for individuals with PTSD unresponsive to traditional treatments. In a study of combat veterans, HBOT led to significant reductions in flashbacks, irritability, and hypervigilance, and was associated with improved brain connectivity on fMRI scans. The specialized protocol, developed over years, involves 60 sessions of breathing pure oxygen under high pressure.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 11, 2024·4 min read

Astrocytes Play Role in Deciding the Fate of Memories

Researchers have uncovered a surprising role for astrocytes—cells surrounding neurons—in deciding which memories are kept or forgotten. By manipulating astrocytes in mice using optogenetics, scientists found that acidifying these cells after a traumatic experience leads to forgetting the memory over time, while alkalinizing them preserves it long-term. This suggests astrocytes significantly influence emotional memory retention and could inform treatments for conditions like PTSD.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 4, 2024·7 min read

Mother’s Role in Buffering Child PTSD

A mother’s ability to regulate her response to trauma can significantly lessen PTSD symptoms in her children, particularly in high-stress regions. The research observed 131 mothers and young children in southern Israel, where security threats are prevalent, linking maternal self-regulation to reduced PTSD in children.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 21, 2024·3 min read

Why PTSD Develops in Some but Not Others

Fear memories initially form broad associations, but over time, they shift to become episodic memories tied to specific timelines. This process involves the hippocampus early on, with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex integrating the event sequence later.

This shows a child thinking about a traumatic event.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 11, 2024·6 min read

Child Trauma Recovery Tied to Thoughts, Not Event Severity

A new study reveals that how children mentally process traumatic events is the most significant factor in predicting their mental health outcomes, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Cognitive factors—like how children remember the event and view themselves afterward—play a more critical role than the event’s objective severity. Researchers found that children with more negative self-perceptions or distorted memories were at higher risk for long-term psychological impacts.

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PTSD

Killing in Combat Doesn’t Always Harm Soldiers’ Mental Health

Bystander PTSD Alters Brain Differently Than Direct Trauma

How the Brain Overcomes Instinctive Fear and Adapts to New Threats

Sleep Loss Weakens Brain’s Ability to Block Unwanted Memories

Poor Sleep Linked to Difficulty Controlling Unwanted Thoughts

Newly Discovered Brain Circuit Predicts Response to Stress

How Stressful Events Alter Memories

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Shows Promise for Treating PTSD

Astrocytes Play Role in Deciding the Fate of Memories

Mother’s Role in Buffering Child PTSD

Why PTSD Develops in Some but Not Others

Child Trauma Recovery Tied to Thoughts, Not Event Severity

Astrocyte Sodium Levels Vary to Match Local Synaptic Needs

Serotonin Proven to Reduce Cognitive Belief Stickiness in OCD

Psilocybin Resets Brain Pain Networks and Boosts Painkillers

Heart Attacks Release Toxin That Damages Brain Function

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