Social Media Algorithms Distort Social Instincts and Fuel Misinformation

Summary: Social media algorithms, designed to boost user engagement for advertising revenue, amplify the biases inherent in human social learning processes, leading to misinformation and polarization. As humans naturally learn…

Adolescence’s Impact on Adult Dopamine Function and Impulsivity

Summary: In a novel study, researchers reveal a sensitive developmental phase during adolescence that significantly influences adult impulsivity, aggression, and dopamine function in mice. This study highlights the implications of…

Bridging the Sex Gap: Personalizing Treatments for Mood Disorders

Summary: Researchers explore the advancements made in understanding sex differences in mood disorders since the 2016 NIH mandate to include sex as a biological variable in basic research. Their review…

Behavioral Parallels: The Shared Routes of Aggression and Psychopathy

Summary: Aggressive and psychopathic individuals have difficulty shedding hostile behaviors once they’ve adopted them, according to new research. A mathematical model applied to a task assessing hostile responses confirmed this…

Plasma Proteins Predict Mental Health Risk in Teens

Summary: Researchers discovered plasma protein-based biomarkers that could predict mental health risks in adolescents. These markers offer a potential for early detection of mental health issues, which currently afflict 10-20%…

Personal Music Choices Enhance Fitness Experiences

Summary: Personal music selection significantly improves the motivation, emotional response, and satisfaction of gym-goers. Participants choosing their own music were found to be more motivated compared to those for whom…

AI Traces Emotional Contagion – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers artificial intelligence (AI) to measure the risk of “emotional contagion” among relationship professionals, such as social workers and psychologists. This emotional contagion, an unconscious transfer of emotions, can…

Journeys Beyond: Contrasting Psychedelic Trips and Near-Death Experiences

Summary: A research study scrutinizes the parallels and differences between a near-death experience (NDE) during a coma and the experience induced by a potent psychedelic drug, 5-Methoxy-DMT (5MeO-DMT). The researchers…

Amotivation and Anhedonia Key to Social Functioning in Schizophrenia

Summary: Amotivation and anhedonia, rather than expressive dysfunction, are crucial to determining the social functioning of individuals with schizophrenia. The transdiagnostic network analysis examined the relationship between negative symptoms, other…

Investigating Stress Response in PTSD and Depression Through Gene Analysis

Summary: Researchers conducted an analysis of genes in nearly 575,000 brain cells from individuals with and without post-traumatic stress and major depressive disorders (PTSD and MDD), yielding new insights into…