Knowing Alzheimer’s Risk Lowers Anxiety, But Motivation Fades

Summary: A new study shows that learning about amyloid beta buildup — a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease — does not increase emotional distress, but motivation to maintain healthy habits…

Emotional Regulation Offers a New Path to Relief

Summary: A new study shows that improving emotional processing can significantly reduce chronic pain and improve quality of life. Researchers developed Pain and Emotion Therapy, an online intervention teaching emotional…

Teens With Mental Health Conditions Use Social Media Differently

Summary: Adolescents with mental health conditions report distinct and often more negative experiences on social media compared to their peers. Those with internalising conditions like anxiety and depression were more…

Stressful Neighborhoods May Numb Kids’ Brains to Joy and Loss

Summary: Children raised in disadvantaged neighborhoods may show blunted brain responses to rewards and losses, especially if they have a family history of depression. New research reveals that community-level stress,…

Two Key Signals Shape Brain Structure Early, Varying by Person

Summary: A new study has revealed how two morphogens, WNT and Sonic Hedgehog, act as molecular “traffic cops,” directing early human brain development. Using a custom device and stem cell-derived…

Music Mindfulness Eases Anxiety and Depression

Summary: Mindfulness exercises paired with music were found to engage both neural and cardiac systems, potentially reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. A recent study showed that live and virtual…

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…

Brain-Body Links in Emotion and Health

Summary: Researchers have developed D-PSCAN, a novel imaging technique that enables high-resolution, minimally invasive observation of the brainstem’s nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) in living animals. The NTS, a vital relay…

Happiness Is as Unique as You Are

Summary: A large international study shows that happiness does not stem solely from either external circumstances or internal attitudes, but varies widely between individuals. Some people’s happiness is shaped mostly…

How the Brain Judges Social Encounters

Summary: Scientists have identified the neural circuitry responsible for assigning emotional value, positive or negative, to social encounters. Two key neuromodulators, serotonin and neurotensin, were found to control opposing emotional responses…