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…
Tag: neuroscience
Discovering Life’s Meaning Through Emotion and Exploration
Key Questions Answered: Q: What is the “Geographic Model of Meaning in Life”?A: It’s a conceptual framework proposing that life’s meaning is not fixed but emerges as individuals explore their…
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,…
Intense Grief Can Raise Your Risk of Death by Nearly 90%
Summary: While grief is a natural part of loss, some people experience persistently high levels that can have long-term health consequences. A decade-long study in Denmark found that individuals with…
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,…
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…
FoMO and Dark Personalities Drive Online Political Engagement
Summary: A large cross-national study examined how psychopathy, narcissism, fear of missing out (FoMO), and cognitive ability influence online political participation. Across eight countries, people high in psychopathy and FoMO…
