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trauma

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·June 12, 2025·5 min read

Out-of-Body Experiences Help the Mind Escape from Trauma

New research suggests that out-of-body experiences (OBEs) may serve as coping mechanisms triggered by trauma, rather than symptoms of mental illness. Based on data from over 500 individuals, those who had OBEs reported higher rates of mental health conditions, but also described lasting benefits from their experiences.

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Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 30, 2025·3 min read

Why Some Individuals Adapt to Fear Faster Than Others

A new study has uncovered the brain circuits responsible for individual differences in how animals adapt to repeated visual threats. Using advanced neural recording and manipulation tools, researchers identified two distinct pathways in the brain that drive either persistent escape or rapid habituation in mice.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 20, 2025·4 min read

Body’s Own Cannabinoids May Help Control Trauma-Linked Fear

A new study reveals that a natural cannabinoid in the body, 2-AG, plays a crucial role in regulating fear responses, particularly in individuals with PTSD and anxiety. Researchers found that lower levels of 2-AG in both mice and humans were linked to exaggerated or overgeneralized fear reactions to non-threatening stimuli. This suggests that 2-AG helps the brain distinguish real threats from harmless cues, acting as a natural filter for fear.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 27, 2025·4 min read

Why Music Offers an Emotional Lifeline During Crises

A new study reveals that people worldwide turn to song lyrics as emotional anchors during crises, such as the COVID-19 lockdowns. Researchers found that lyrical themes—like loss, belonging, and reflection—played a far greater role in emotional coping than the music’s tempo or harmony.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 17, 2025·5 min read

Natural Disaster Trauma Disrupts Brain’s Decision Circuits

Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire in California exhibit long-term cognitive changes, particularly in decision-making. Participants directly exposed to the wildfire showed reduced ability to choose long-term rewards and displayed hyperactivity in brain regions tied to rumination.

This shows a police officer and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 14, 2025·9 min read

Police at Greater Risk of Brain Trauma and PTSD

A large new study reveals police officers are more than twice as likely to sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) as the general population, with those injured on duty facing double the risk of developing complex PTSD. The research, which surveyed over 600 UK frontline officers, found that 38% had experienced at least one TBI, often accompanied by symptoms like confusion or memory loss.

This shows the outline of a person and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 13, 2025·5 min read

The Body Remembers: Trauma Leaves Lasting Biological Imprints

Survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing continue to carry hidden biological imprints of trauma, even decades after the event and in the absence of visible mental health issues. A new study reveals subtle yet significant changes in stress biomarkers, including cortisol levels, heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammatory interleukins.

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

·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 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.

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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·June 11, 2024·5 min read

Trauma Shapes How We See: Negative Life Events Linked to Imagery Perception

Personal trauma impacts how people perceive distressing imagery, like decorated masks. The study showed that those with traumatic histories had stronger emotional reactions to trauma-related images compared to neutral ones.