Depression, anxiety, addiction and the science of feeling well.
Neuroscience News
How does the human brain wire its reward and motor centers before birth? Using 3D genome sequencing across nearly 287,000 brain cells, UCLA scientists mapped the developing basal ganglia from mid-pregnancy to infancy, pinpointing how spiny projection neurons carry early genetic risk for schizophrenia.
Mental health
Neuroscience News
Ever jolt awake with a racing heart just as you drift off? A study in PLOS Mental Health reveals that frequent hypnic jerks—or sleep starts—are not simple muscle twitches, but markers of anxiety, insomnia severity, and nervous system hyperarousal.
Sleep and dreams
Neuroscience News
Why does brain volume loss in multiple sclerosis follow distinct patterns? An MRI study of 2,187 patients reveals that atrophy originates in metabolically exhausted network hubs—including the thalamus and sensorimotor cortices—spreading outward along structural connections.
Mental health
Neuroscience News
Most psychedelic journeys don't happen in hospital clinics. Backed by $8.5 million in ARPA-H funding, UCSF neuroscientists led by Robin Carhart-Harris launched CANOPY—a global project tracking 3,000 real-world psychedelic users with remote surveys, brain imaging, and wearable sensors.
Mental health
Neuroscience News
Do psychedelics benefit all ages equally? A study of over 1,000 adults from Durham University finds that classic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD correlate with lower anxiety and depression in younger adults, but the mental health link fades entirely with advancing age.
Mental health
ScienceDaily
A surprising discovery reveals how psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, rapidly reshapes the brain by creating new neural connections and strengthening them. Researchers found that the drug behaves differently in healthy and chronically stressed mice, potentially helping repair brain circuits damaged by prolonged stress. Most intriguingly, they identified a way to trigger this brain rewiring without…
Mental health
ScienceDaily
A surprising new discovery suggests that fear may cause the brain to blur the line between danger and safety rather than distinguish them more clearly. By observing brain activity in mice using augmented reality, scientists found that memories of threatening and harmless environments began to overlap, potentially allowing faster responses to danger. This "better safe than sorry" survival mechanism could help explain…
Mental health
ScienceDaily
Scientists have identified a weakened brain signal that may connect several seemingly unrelated symptoms of schizophrenia, including sensory processing difficulties, disorganized speech, and greater symptom severity. The surprising discovery could help explain the disorder's underlying mechanisms and potentially lead to earlier detection and new treatments.
Mental health
ScienceDaily
A newly FDA-cleared PTSD treatment uses personalized brain mapping and magnetic stimulation to target abnormal brain activity, with a clinical trial reporting a 52% reduction in symptoms and 68% remission. Researchers believe the technology could transform PTSD care and pave the way for more precise treatments for other mental health conditions.
Mental health
ScienceDaily
Researchers have uncovered three brain pathways linked to lasting improvements in people receiving deep brain stimulation for severe, treatment-resistant depression. They also discovered that patients who failed to improve after two years shared a striking pattern: insufficient stimulation of a crucial brain connection. The findings suggest that millimeters in electrode placement could make a major difference in…
Mental health
ScienceDaily
Yale scientists have uncovered how the stress hormone cortisol helps the brain turn emotional experiences into stronger, longer-lasting memories. The discovery reveals that stress can reshape communication between brain networks involved in emotion and memory, potentially explaining why certain moments are so difficult to forget.
Memory and learning
MIT News
A new language-processing tool could help identify the highest-risk individuals from natural language, enabling swifter interventions.
Mental health
MIT News
Patricia and James Poitras ’63 provide fellowships for graduate students and postdocs who will shape the future of mental health research.
Mental health
MIT News
A new study reveals insights into populations of neurons affected by Huntington’s disease, schizophrenia, addiction, and other disorders.
Mental health
MIT News
Impairments of this circuit may help to explain why some people with schizophrenia lose touch with reality.
Mental health
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