Summary: Researchers have pioneered a method to simultaneously measure electrical signals from 128 brain regions in conscious rats. Using this technique, they observed the effects of psychedelic drugs, LSD and…
Tag: mental health
Depression and Anxiety Are Not Cancer Risk Factors
Summary: The association between depression, anxiety and cancer risk has been a point of contention in scientific circles. In an new study a multi-national team refutes the idea that these…
Untangling the Ties Between Chronic Pain and Mental Health
Summary: A recent commentary underscores the complex relationship between chronic pain and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. The interaction is revealed to be driven by a bi-directional feedback…
Negative Memory Replay Offers PTSD Insight
Summary: Scientists discovered that rats intensify their memories of negative experiences in familiar places by repetitively replaying them. This mental map, generated by specific neurons known as place cells, can…
Linking Childhood Trauma to Mental Illness: Astrocytes Key to the Puzzle
Summary: The removal of excitatory synapses by astrocytes, triggered by stress hormones, can lead to mental illnesses induced by childhood neglect or abuse. The study reveals that synthetic glucocorticoids, or…
College students with loans more likely to report bad health and skip medicine and care, study finds
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Students who took out loans to pay for college rated their overall health and mental health…
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…
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%…
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…