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Study confirms how profoundly the brain is affected by major depression

Scientists have found that the more severely patients have been hit by depression across their lifespan, the less they react emotionally to negative faces during current depression.

4 Oct 2021

Research finds increases in 'pandemic brain' after COVID-19 lockdowns

Chances are, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your health — even if you have never been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). According to new research from Harvard Medical School, the stress of isolation from lockdown and stay-at-home measures is making people sick.

29 Sep 2021

Withdrawal from psychostimulants alters functional architecture and patterns in the brain

Addictive psychostimulants, from nicotine in cigarettes to illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine, affect different regions of the brain. The same is believed true during withdrawal; finding a common brain pathway has proved elusive.

27 Sep 2021

Study reinforces that dementia with Lewy bodies can be classified into two different disease types

Results obtained in a study recently completed at the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital reinforce the notion that dementia with Lewy bodies can be pathologically classified into two different disease types.

8 Sep 2021

Research uses rodent models to connect the influence of feronomic signals on memory

The work, published recently in Nature Communications, used a model of rodents and managed to connect for the first time the influence of feronomic signals on memory. This will make it possible to explore the deficits of integration of spatial memories and social studies in transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease in the future.

7 Sep 2021

Scientists uncover previously unknown brain mechanism behind compulsive alcohol use

A small group of nerve cells in the brain determines whether an individual continues to consume alcohol even when it has negative consequences. This is the conclusion of a study carried out on rats by researchers at Linköping University.

19 Aug 2021

Allopregnanolone exerts persistent antidepressant effects by altering brain states

New research led by neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine suggests the prolonged antidepressant effects of allopregnanolone, a neuroactive steroid used therapeutically to treat postpartum depression, may involve the ability of the compound to modify communication in an area of the brain important for mood and emotion regulation.

18 Aug 2021

Central amygdala micro-circuits play active role in regulation of fear responses

The brain mechanisms underlying the suppression of fear responses have attracted a lot of attention as they are relevant for therapy of human anxiety disorders.

16 Jul 2021

Early life exposure to antibiotics could alter brain development

Antibiotic exposure early in life could alter human brain development in areas responsible for cognitive and emotional functions, according to a Rutgers researcher.

14 Jul 2021

New drug candidate may reduce anxiety-like behavior in mice

Anxiety, commonly termed as a feeling of fear, dread, and restlessness, is a perfectly normal reaction to stressful situations. However, a state of heightened anxiety, which is the reality for thousands of people who struggle to cope with these feelings, is called anxiety disorder.

29 Jun 2021

Role of tau in pathogenesis of Lewy body dementias is distinct from Alzheimer’s disease, suggests study

Will a reduction in tau protein in brain neurons protect against Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementias?

21 Jun 2021

APOE ɛ4 carriers with midlife depressive symptoms may be at higher risk of tau accumulation

Middle-aged people with depressive symptoms who carry a genetic variation called apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 may be more at risk to develop tau protein accumulations in the brain's emotion- and memory-controlling regions, a new study by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and collaborating institutions suggests.

17 Jun 2021

Researchers find brain alterations in obese children

Obesity is generally linked to poor eating habits and the availability of tasty, high-calorie foods. However, a new study led by researchers from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Unit in the Department of Radiology at Hospital del Mar and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, a center supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, has found that more elements are involved.

9 Jun 2021

Gut microbiome composition associated with infant's fear responses

Why do some babies react to perceived danger more than others? According to new research from Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, part of the answer may be found in a surprising place: an infant's digestive system.

5 Jun 2021

Vagus nerve stimulation may be a potential adjunct therapy for COVID-19

COVID-19 was initially described as lung inflammation, or pneumonia, in older adults. However, we now know that SARS-CoV-2 infections can cause a wide range of symptoms in people of all ages, ranging from no symptoms at all to systemic inflammation and even death.

27 May 2021

Study highlights the importance of sensory connections in fear learning

Has your heart ever started to race at the thought of an upcoming deadline for work? Or has the sight of an unknown object in a dark room made you jump? Well, you can probably thank your amygdala for that.

25 May 2021

Moderate alcohol intake may be heart protective by reducing stress-related brain signals

Moderate alcohol intake--defined as no more than one alcoholic drink for women and two for men per day--has been associated with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease when compared with individuals who abstain from drinking or partake in excessive drinking, according to a new study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

6 May 2021

Brain imaging study reveals patterns in individuals with sensory processing sensitivity

You know that raw overwhelm people have been reporting after months of a pandemic, compounded by economic issues and social unrest? Does fatigue and compulsive social media scrolling strike a familiar chord?

5 May 2021

Social cognition may exert a central role in the daily lives of MS patients

An international team of multiple sclerosis (MS) researchers showed that longitudinal changes in social cognition are associated with psychological outcomes of daily living, suggesting that social cognition may exert a central role in people with MS.

3 May 2021

Size is the only difference between male and female brains, shows study

How different are men and women's brains? The question has been explored for decades, but a new study led by Rosalind Franklin University neuroscientist Lise Eliot is the first to coalesce this wide-ranging research into a single mega-synthesis. And the answer is: hardly at all.

26 Mar 2021