Tag: Mental Health Research

Scientists show how brain circuit generates anxiety: Research suggests a possible target for future anti-anxiety drugs

Neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have identified a neural circuit in the amygdala, the brain’s seat of emotion processing, that gives rise to anxiety. Their insight has revealed the critical role of a molecule called dynorphin, which could serve as a target for treatment of anxiety-related disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Though

Genes, environment and schizophrenia: New study finds the placenta is the missing link: Placenta may also hold the key to why developmental brain disorders are more common in males

Hiding in plain sight, new research shines a spotlight on the placenta’s critical role in the nature versus nurture debate and how it confers risk for schizophrenia and likely other neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD, autism, and Tourette syndrome. This new scientific frontier, with far-reaching implications for maternal and child health, creates the possibility that scientists

Depression speeds up brain aging, find psychologists: Psychologists have found a link between depression and an acceleration of the rate at which the brain ages

Psychologists at the University of Sussex have found a link between depression and an acceleration of the rate at which the brain ages. Although scientists have previously reported that people with depression or anxiety have an increased risk of dementia in later life, this is the first study that provides comprehensive evidence for the effect

National trial: EEG brain tests help patients overcome depression

Imagine millions of depressed Americans getting their brain activity measured and undergoing blood tests to determine which antidepressant would work best. Imagine some of them receiving “brain training” or magnetic stimulation to make their brains more amenable to those treatments. A national research trial initiated by UT Southwestern in 2012 is generating the first set

Age affects how we predict and respond to stress at home

A recent study finds that older adults are better than younger adults at anticipating stressful events at home — but older adults are not as good at using those predictions to reduce the adverse impacts of the stress. “Home stress, in this context, might be related to chores, home maintenance and having too much to

Resilience counteracts effects of childhood abuse and neglect on health: They also note acquired resiliency provides coping benefit and a new avenue for treatment

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have determined that psychological resilience has a positive effect on health outcomes for people living with schizophrenia. This is the first study to quantitatively assess the effects of both childhood trauma and psychological resilience on health and metabolic function in people living with schizophrenia. Globally

Humans and others exposed to prenatal stress have high stress levels after birth

Vertebrate species, including humans, exposed to stress prenatally tend to have higher stress hormones after birth, according to a new Dartmouth-led study published in Scientific Reports. While previous research has reported examples of maternal stress experience predicting offspring stress hormones in different species, this study is the first to empirically demonstrate the impact of prenatal