Poverty Isn’t the Key Driver in Family Mental Health Struggles

Key Questions Answered Q: Does poverty amplify mental health problems between parents and children?A: The study found no evidence that poverty strengthens the relationship between parental distress and child mental…

Oxytocin May Treat the Social Deficits of Psychopathy

Key Questions Answered Q: How does psychopathy affect emotion recognition?A: Individuals with psychopathic traits—especially those high in Factor 1—struggle to recognize negative facial expressions like fear and sadness, often showing…

Online Hate Speech Resembles Mental Health Disorder Language

Key Questions Answered Q: What did this study find about hate speech and psychiatric disorders?A: Posts in online hate speech communities show speech-pattern similarities to posts in communities for personality…

Could Mental Illness Begin Before You’re Born?

Key Questions Answered: Q: When do genes linked to mental illness start affecting the brain?A: Many genes associated with neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases are active during the earliest stages of…

Old Injuries Rewire the Brain to Feel Fear and Pain Forever

Quick Q&A Q: Can past injuries increase sensitivity to future pain or stress?A: Yes — this study shows that old injuries can prime the brain to overreact to new stressors,…

What Drives Women to Kill? Emotion & Threat, Not Psychopathy

Summary: Women who commit lethal violence rarely display psychopathy, instead acting out of provocation and perceived threats. A 15-year Swedish study of 175 cases found that about half of the…

Emotional Pain Brain Circuit Drives Cocaine Relapse

Summary: A new study reveals that a brain circuit driving negative emotions during cocaine withdrawal plays a key role in relapse. Researchers found that this “anti-reward” network becomes hyperactive during…

Inflammation Influences Cannabis’s Effects on Anxiety and Sleep

Summary: A new study shows that inflammation levels influence how cannabis affects anxiety and sleep quality. Researchers found no overall change in inflammatory markers after 4 weeks of cannabis use,…

Why the Psychopathic Brain Struggles With Emotion and Control

Summary: New research reveals how structural brain connectivity shapes psychopathic traits and externalizing behaviors. Using advanced connectome modeling, scientists identified two key networks: one tied to impaired emotional processing, the…

Most Mental Illnesses Arise Without Family History

Summary: A massive Danish study shows that most mental illnesses—like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression—occur in people with no close family history of the condition. Analyzing data from over 3…