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trauma

·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.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·April 2, 2024·5 min read

Stress and Trauma Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s

Researchers linked midlife stress and childhood trauma to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and neuroinflammation. Analyzing 1,290 volunteers, researchers found that stressful life events, especially during midlife, correlate with higher levels of β-amyloid protein, crucial in Alzheimer's development, and that childhood stress is associated with later life neuroinflammation. Interestingly, the study also uncovered sex-specific effects, with stress leading to amyloid protein accumulation in men and brain atrophy in women.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 9, 2024·4 min read

Daily Uplifts Boost Mood After Traumatic Loss

Researchers discovered that engaging in simple activities, termed "uplifts," can significantly enhance emotional well-being following the traumatic loss of a loved one. Analyzing daily diary surveys from 440 adults aged 50 to 85, the study identified that activities such as completing tasks, getting adequate sleep, and spending time with friends or family can improve mood, particularly on days when individuals feel older than their actual age.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 18, 2024·6 min read

Trauma’s Impact on Memory: Sharper Recall After Negative Events

A new study uncovers a unique aspect of human memory: our ability to recall events is sharper after experiencing negative emotions. The researchers conducted experiments with participants who viewed images that elicited negative and neutral emotional responses.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 30, 2023·4 min read

Brain Activity in PTSD: Trauma Memories Differ from Sad Ones

A new study reveals distinct differences in brain activity between traumatic memories in PTSD patients and regular sad autobiographical memories. This research, the first of its kind to examine real-life personal memories, found that traumatic memories do not activate typical memory-related brain regions like the hippocampus, suggesting they're not processed as regular memories.

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trauma

Natural Disaster Trauma Disrupts Brain’s Decision Circuits

Police at Greater Risk of Brain Trauma and PTSD

The Body Remembers: Trauma Leaves Lasting Biological Imprints

Bystander PTSD Alters Brain Differently Than Direct Trauma

Newly Discovered Brain Circuit Predicts Response to Stress

War Impacts Child Development, Alters DNA

Child Trauma Recovery Tied to Thoughts, Not Event Severity

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

Stress and Trauma Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s

Daily Uplifts Boost Mood After Traumatic Loss

Trauma’s Impact on Memory: Sharper Recall After Negative Events

Brain Activity in PTSD: Trauma Memories Differ from Sad Ones

Testosterone Drives Early Pubertal Distress in Girls

Open-Source AI Tools for Alzheimer’s

Infants Use Spatial Cues to Hear Voices in Noisy Environments

Decreasing Productivity Can Precede a Dementia Diagnosis by Years

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