Summary: Researchers discovered an unexpected role for the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a region traditionally viewed as the executive driver of behavioral flexibility. The team demonstrated that the mPFC can…
Category: brain research
Why Psychedelics Make Everything Feel Deeply Connected
Summary: Researchers introduce “apical hypercontextualisation”—a bottom-up neurobiological mechanism explaining how psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT, mescaline) transform perception and cognition. Moving beyond macro-scale whole-brain neuroimaging, the framework focuses on the cellular…
Early Stress Heightens Adult Anxiety
Summary: Researchers uncovered a fundamental epigenetic mechanism explaining how early-life adversity permanently alters the brain’s stress response networks. The study identified that childhood trauma increases levels of the enzyme SETD7…
How Overconfidence and Loss Aversion Co-Evolved
Summary: Researchers propose an evolutionary resolution to why human overconfidence persists despite causing costly decision-making errors. The study argues that overconfidence functions analogously to a peacock’s tail: a costly evolutionary…
ChatGPT Predicts Human Personality Test Results
Summary: A new study demonstrated a novel method using ChatGPT (GPT-4) to construct, validate, and predict population-level responses for personality assessment questionnaires derived from any source text. The team tested…
Nonordinary Experiences Lead to Long-Term Personal Growth
Summary: Researchers investigated how individuals perceive and process nonordinary experiences (NOEs), such as out-of-body experiences, extrasensory perception, and sensing an unseen presence. Utilizing a newly validated 47-item Inventory of Nonordinary…
THC Significantly Reduces Trauma Nightmares in PTSD
Summary: Researchers investigated the efficacy of dronabinol, a plant-derived tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) formulation, in treating trauma-related nightmares in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The trial demonstrated a statistically significant reduction…
Brain PET Scans Link Late-Onset Psychosis to Tau and Amyloid
Summary: A new study demonstrates that first-episode hallucinations and delusions appearing after age 40 are frequently driven by underlying neurodegenerative pathology. Using molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, the team…
How Posture Boosts Risk-Taking and Positive Mood
Summary: A new study demonstrates that a person’s physical posture subtly influences their emotional state and economic decision-making without their conscious awareness. Key Facts Implicit Posture Control: Unlike previous “power…
Why Gaining Free Time Unexpectedly Makes People Late
Summary: A new study reveals that when individuals gain free time unexpectedly, their brains perceive that time as subjectively longer than expected, leading to behavioral delays and poor time management.…
