Neuropsychopharmacology News and Research

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Women find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than men

Females find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than males, and females are more sensitive to the rewarding actions of oxytocin (OT) than males, according to a research study led by Georgia State University on the brain mechanisms that determine the rewarding properties of social interactions.

30 Jan 2019

Study reveals link between dopamine and reward responses in humans when listening to music

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals a causal link between dopamine and the reward responses in humans when listening to music.

25 Jan 2019

Mutant mice administered with cocaine failed to exhibit hyperactivity, shows study

Cocaine is a highly addictive psychostimulant that induces complex molecular, cellular and behavioral responses. Despite various approaches and years of pre-clinical studies, effective, mechanism-based therapies to assist with cocaine misuse and dependence are still sorely lacking.

16 Jan 2019

$Chronic, refractory schizophrenia patients benefit from targeted cognitive training$

Chronic, refractory schizophrenia patients benefit from targeted cognitive training

Schizophrenia is among the most difficult mental illnesses to treat, in part because it is characterized by a wide range of dysfunction, from hallucinations and mood disorders to cognitive impairment, especially verbal and working memory, which can be explained in part by abnormalities in early auditory information processing.

6 Dec 2018

Study suggests possible vulnerability to evening stress

Stressful events in the evening release less of the body's stress hormones than those that happen in the morning, suggesting possible vulnerability to stress in the evening.

27 Nov 2018

EU-funded researchers launch first global network to identify problems linked with Internet use

European Union-funded researchers have launched the first international network to identify and understand problems associated with Internet use, such as gambling, pornography, bullying, excessive social media use.

8 Oct 2018

Some people can avoid depression by maintaining serotonin level throughout the year

Some people can adjust to environmental stressors to avoid depression. Women need to do this more than men to avoid getting depressed.

3 Oct 2018

Many Alzheimer's patients are taking two or more psychotropic drugs

Up to 50% of people with Alzheimer’s disease now take a psychotropic drug and one-fifth use a combination of two or more psychotropic drugs.

1 Oct 2018

Up to half of people with Alzheimer's disease use psychotropic drug, finds study

Up to half of people with Alzheimer's disease use a psychotropic drug, and one in five uses two or more psychotropics concomitantly, according to a study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland.

1 Oct 2018

ADHD patients have increased risk of developing Parkinson's and other similar diseases

While about 11 percent of children (4-17 years old) nationwide have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, the long-term health effects of having ADHD and of common ADHD medications remains understudied.

12 Sep 2018

Powerful psychedelic compound can model near-death experiences in the brain

A powerful psychedelic compound found in ayahuasca can model near-death experiences in the brain, a study has found.

15 Aug 2018

Research shows how experience alters the basics of memory formation

We know instinctively that our experiences shape the way we learn. If we are highly familiar with a particular task, like cooking for example, learning a new recipe is much easier than it was when we were a novice.

24 Jul 2018

New drug strategy can alleviate multiple behavioral, cellular deficiencies in FXS mouse model

Research in mice shows that a pharmacological strategy can alleviate multiple behavioral and cellular deficiencies in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and a major single-gene cause of autism spectrum disorders.

13 Jul 2018

Savory foods can cause changes in the brain that promote healthy eating behaviors

Researchers have found that consuming a broth rich in umami--or savory taste--can cause subtle changes in the brain that promote healthy eating behaviors and food choices, especially in women at risk of obesity.

9 Jul 2018

Scientists successfully test anti-alcoholism drug in animal models

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have successfully tested in animals a drug that, they say, may one day help block the withdrawal symptoms and cravings that incessantly coax people with alcoholism to drink.

4 May 2018

Study provides first ever recording of changing serotonin levels in human brains

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have begun to unravel how serotonin acts, based on data collected in a first-of-its-kind experiment that utilized electrochemical probes implanted into the brain of awake human beings.

3 May 2018

University of Pennsylvania expert investigates novel treatment for cocaine addiction

Cocaine and other drugs of abuse hijack the natural reward circuits in the brain. In part, that's why it's so hard to quit using these substances.

28 Apr 2018

Non-psychoactive cannabis ingredient could reduce risk of relapse among recovering addicts

A preclinical study in rats has shown that there might be value in using a non-psychoactive and non-addictive ingredient of the Cannabis sativa plant to reduce the risk of relapse among recovering drug and alcohol addicts.

23 Mar 2018

New study provides clues about how ADHD drugs affect healthy brains

A new study shows that healthy people who take attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs experience a surge in the neurotransmitter glutamate in key parts of the brain. And that increase in glutamate is associated with subsequent changes in positive emotion.

14 Mar 2018

Brief test can help determine whether drugs, talk therapy work better for treating anxiety

Clinicians and patients often struggle to find the right treatment for anxiety, sometimes cycling through various therapies for months before the patient begins to feel their symptoms improve.

8 Dec 2017