Movement helps your mood, but it's not one-size-fits-all. Exercising for fun, with friends, or in enjoyable settings brings greater mental health benefits than simply moving for chores or obligations. Researchers emphasize that context —...
Medications with strong anticholinergic burden, including some common psychiatric drugs, were tied to accelerated physical decline when used in older adults, suggesting these medications should be avoided in these patients, according to...
What if your brain is the reason some pain feels unbearable? Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a hidden brain circuit that gives pain its emotional punch—essentially transforming ordinary discomfort into lasting misery....
Pass the salt, please … or maybe not? A study published this week in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that frequently adding salt to food is associated with an elevated risk of depression and anxiety. Luyi Zhu, of the First...
People who stopped taking antidepressants experienced one more withdrawal-like symptom on average than those who discontinued a placebo or stayed on the medications, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis issued today by JAMA...
The investigational drug centanafadine improved symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The results of the trial, which was sponsored by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development...
An immersive, virtual reality (VR)–based psychotherapy can help reduce the frequency and severity of auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia, according to a study appearing in Lancet Psychiatry . Using VR in the treatment of...
When you're mentally exhausted, your brain might be doing more behind the scenes than you think. In a new study using functional MRI, researchers uncovered two key brain regions that activate when people feel cognitively fatigued—regions...
People who treat hearing loss with hearing aids or cochlear implants regain rich conversations, escape isolation, and may even protect their brains and lifespans—proof that better hearing translates into fuller living.
Mice taught to link smells with tastes, and later fear, revealed how the amygdala teams up with cortical regions to let the brain draw powerful indirect connections. Disabling this circuit erased the links, hinting that similar pathways...
Effective contingency management (CM) programs for stimulant and/or opioid use disorder have median inflation-adjusted payment incentives of $128 per week for voucher protocols and $55 per week for prize protocols, according to a report...
Esketamine nasal spray monotherapy showed significant and clinically meaningful improvement over placebo in adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) starting within 24 hours after initial dosing, according to the results of a...
A six-month residential program that incorporates intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) can produce lasting improvements for individuals with difficult-to-treat personality disorders, according to a study in the American...
Deleting a gene called PTEN in certain brain cells disrupts the brain’s fear circuitry and triggers anxiety-like behavior in mice — key traits seen in autism. Researchers mapped how this genetic tweak throws off the brain's delicate...
USC researchers have found a promising new brain scan marker that could better detect Alzheimer’s risk — but only for some. The tau-based benchmark works in Hispanic and White populations when paired with another Alzheimer’s protein,...
Major depressive disorder affects hundreds of millions worldwide, but a key to understanding its origins may lie in the brain’s immune system. New findings spotlight astrocytes—previously overshadowed by microglia—as major players in...
Central precocious puberty (CPP), generally defined as pubertal onset in girls before they are 8 years old and boys before they are 9 years old, may increase the risk of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, and...
More than half of adults (55%) believe climate change is impacting Americans’ mental health, while four in 10 adults say they have personally experienced effects on their mental health, according to a new APA Healthy Minds poll,...
A simple blood test could reveal which early Alzheimer’s patients are most at risk for rapid decline. Researchers found that people with high insulin resistance—measured by the TyG index—were four times more likely to experience faster...
USC researchers have uncovered a hidden driver behind the early and severe onset of Alzheimer's in people with Down syndrome: iron overload in the brain. Their study revealed that individuals with both conditions had twice the iron...
When we focus, switch tasks, or face tough mental challenges, the brain starts to sync its internal rhythms, especially in the midfrontal region. A new study has found that smarter individuals show more precise and flexible coordination...
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, might just revolutionize how depression and anxiety are treated in cancer patients. In a groundbreaking trial, a single dose combined with therapy significantly reduced emotional...
A team at Kobe University has created a game-changing resource for autism research: 63 mouse embryonic stem cell lines, each carrying a genetic mutation strongly associated with the disorder. By pairing classic stem cell manipulation...
Teens might finally have a good reason to sleep in on weekends within limits. A new study reveals that teenagers who get up to two extra hours of sleep on weekends show fewer anxiety symptoms than those who don t. But go beyond that...
A single, long-acting oral capsule can provide patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with a stable dose of medication for one week, according to findings of an open-label study from Lyndra Therapeutics published...
An at-home electrical stimulation intervention, coupled with exercise and pain education, can significantly reduce fibromyalgia-associated pain, according to results of a clinical trial published yesterday in JAMA Network Open . Wolnei...
People who work in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, and the media have a higher prevalence of frequent mental distress than those in other fields, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open . Aaron L. Sussell, Ph.D., of...
Almost all the callers who reached out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) say their calls helped them, with 88% saying that it stopped them from killing themselves, a study published in...
Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or nicotine dependence may have an improved response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) when their symptoms are provoked through audio and/or visual cues, according to a report...
Researchers are exploring the potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to treat neuropsychiatric disorders such as cognitive dysfunction and alcohol use disorder, according to a panel held last week at the American...
Less than one-third of facilities that offer treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) or combined SUD and mental health disorders offer a perinatal program, a study in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment has found....
As psychedelics gain traction as potential treatments for mental health disorders, an international study stands to improve the rigor and reliability of clinical research.
Human-AI interactions are well understood in terms of trust and companionship. However, the role of attachment and experiences in such relationships is not entirely clear. In a new breakthrough, researchers from Waseda University have...
A group intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy can help parents of children with comorbid asthma and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) build resilience and self-efficacy—leading to better health outcomes...
Patients with depression and insomnia showed significant improvements after receiving a digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention aimed at treating insomnia. The findings were published this week in Depression and Anxiety ....
Singing to your infant can significantly boost the baby's mood, according to a recent study. Around the world and across cultures, singing to babies seems to come instinctively to caregivers. Now, new findings support that singing is an...
Humans and mice share persistent brain-activity patterns in response to adverse sensory experience, scientists find, opening a window to our emotions and, perhaps, neuropsychiatric disorders.
Researchers gave participants face tattoos that can track when their brain is working too hard. The study introduces a non-permanent wireless forehead e-tattoo that decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain without bulky headgear. This...
The number of psychiatric hospitals owned by private equity (PE) firms increased from 42 in 2013 to 87 in 2021, according to a survey in JAMA Psychiatry . While PE-owned facilities were associated with lower staff-to-patient ratios, they...
Researchers have released the full dataset from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study, a decade-long project designed to track brain and cognitive health as people age and distinguish neurologically healthy paths from those indicating a...
Parental warmth and affection in early childhood can have life-long physical and mental health benefits for children, and new research points to an important underlying process: children's sense of social safety.
Scientists found that stabilizing stress granules suppresses the effects of ALS-causing mutations, correcting previous models that imply stress granules promote amyloid formation.
A new study reveals a concerning decline in self-reported mental health among mothers in the United States between 2016 and 2023. The study also found modest but measurable declines in self-reported physical health during the same period.
Researchers have identified a remarkably small but critical piece of genetic code that helps determine how brain cells connect, communicate, and function. The discovery not only deepens our understanding of how the brain's wiring is...
New research suggests that acute stress may impair key brain functions involved in managing emotions -- particularly in people living with 'distress disorders' such as depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder.
Worldwide, more than 55 million people suffer from dementia caused by Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other conditions that destroy cells in the brain and nervous system. While there is no treatment to control or manage these...
Using a novel lab method they developed, researchers have identified nine molecules in the blood that were elevated in teens diagnosed with depression. These molecules also predicted how symptoms might progress over time. The findings of...
People who have been taking antidepressants for more than two years are substantially more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms compared to short-term users when they come off the medication, finds a new study.
There's good news for people with migraine who take common drugs before or during pregnancy -- a new study found no increase in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD in their children. The study looked at drugs used for...