Anti-trans bills and political climates are taking a significant mental health toll on trans and nonbinary people – even during Pride

Pride month is a time of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, with parades and events that bring people together in joyful moments of connection. In 2023, as the LGBTQ+ community…

Mapping Emotion Recognition in Children

Summary: Researchers discovered children’s ability to process emotional cues is largely established by the time they start school. Analyzing brain scans from children aged five to 15, the study revealed…

Unmasking Anosognosia: Revealing Hidden Brain Networks in Unawareness

Summary: Researchers identified specific brain network connections associated with anosognosia, a condition where patients are unaware of their neurological or psychiatric deficits. Using a technique called lesion network mapping, they…

‘From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma’ – a college course explores nature’s medicine cabinet and different ways of healing

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: “From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma” What prompted the idea for the…

Alexithymia & Childhood Trauma: Unraveling The Mysterious Connection

Summary: Researchers reveal an alarming correlation between alexithymia (difficulty in identifying and describing emotions) and various forms of child maltreatment. Analyzing a staggering 78 sources involving 36,141 participants, the research…

Microglia’s Role in Controlling Anxiety and OCD

Summary: A new study reveals how microglia can regulate anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder (OCSD) behaviors. Traditionally overlooked in favor of neurons, specific microglia populations were found to both stimulate…

Depression and Urban Deprivation: Unseen Accelerators of Biological Aging

Summary: A new study reveals a possible link between depressive symptoms, living in deprived urban neighborhoods, and accelerated aging. The research utilized DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks to estimate biological age…

Shaping Young Minds: Neurodevelopment Interventions for Psychiatric Disorders

Summary: Researchers explored potential treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and autism that act during critical windows of brain development. They specifically targeted underperforming dopamine neurons, which connect to the…

Youth Alcohol Dependency Could Signal Future Depression Risk

Summary: Adolescents with signs of alcohol dependency are more likely to suffer from depression in their mid-20s. The research, involving 3,902 participants from the ALSPAC study, examined the correlation between…

Empathy’s Influence on Drinking Patterns

Summary: A recent study reports a surprising correlation between daily affective empathy and alcohol consumption. The study found that on days when people experienced higher levels of affective empathy (empathy…