Summary: A new neuroscience study reveals that music can alter the emotional content of our memories when played during recollection. Participants who listened to emotionally charged music while recalling neutral…
Category: brain research
Psychedelics May Shift Brain Power to the Right Hemisphere
Summary: A new theory suggests that psychedelics promote empathy, insight, and psychological flexibility by making the brain’s right hemisphere temporarily dominant over the left. Known as HEALS—Hemispheric Annealing and Lateralization…
Early Bonding Buffers Kids from Lasting Effects of Maternal Depression
Summary: A new study highlights the lasting impact of postpartum maternal depression and mother-to-infant bonding on children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes. Researchers found that early bonding can partially offset the…
Verbal Abuse in Childhood Rewires the Developing Brain
Summary: New neuroscience research highlights how verbal abuse in childhood can alter brain development and increase the risk of mental health issues later in life. Children who are routinely shamed,…
Shared Brain Circuit Links Insomnia, Anxiety, and Depression
Summary: A large brain imaging study suggests that insomnia, depression, and anxiety, often co-occurring, share overlapping brain abnormalities. Researchers found reduced cortical surface area, smaller thalamic volume, and weaker brain connectivity…
Parents Often Miss Early Clues About How Kids Feel at School
Summary: Parents often misread how their children feel about school during their first year, usually taking a full year to align with their child’s actual experiences. While most parents believed…
Negative Expectations Worsen Pain More Than Positive Ones Ease It
Summary: New research shows that negative expectations, known as nocebo effects, exert a stronger and longer-lasting impact on pain perception than positive expectations, or placebo effects. In a two-session study,…
