On April 15, 2021, Beverly Davidson, Ph.D., will provide an overview of recent research approaches for inherited disorders that impact central nervous system function during the next NIMH Director’s Innovation Speaker Series.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Spending Time on Household Chores May Improve Brain Health
Spending time performing household chores may help to improve brain health, especially for older adults. Researchers found older adults who spent more time engaging in housework had greater brain volume, specifically in the frontal lobe and hippocampus…
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: New Measure to Predict Stress Resilience
Increased sensitivity in the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system in the brain drives the development of anxiety in depression. The findings shed new light on the neurobiological mechanisms behind stress resilience.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: How Neural Systems Process and Store Information
A single neuron is able to select between different patterns, dependent upon the properties of individual stimuli.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Women Describe Specific Techniques to Increase Their Own Pleasure
Survey study identifies four main techniques women feel enhance their sexual pleasure. Researchers say understanding the dynamics of pleasure and satisfaction experienced during sexual encounters is critical to good sexual health overall.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Study Maps Brain Regions Responsible For Intoxicating Effects of Alcohol
The effects of intoxication, such as slurred speech and poor coordination, are a result of the breakdown of alcohol products in the brain and not the liver.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: See Before You Smell: Why You Should Look At Your Food Before Casting Judgment
Researchers say the order in which your senses interact with food items impacts how much you enjoy your meal.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Toxic Gas in Rat Brains Shows Potential For New Dementia Treatments
Researchers have discovered a potential new way to reduce levels of hydrogen sulfide in rats’ brains. Decreasing H2S levels decreases the damage the toxic gas can cause, and ultimately may pave the way for the development of new treatments for dementia…
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Genetic Predisposition to Schizophrenia May Increase Risk of Psychosis From Cannabis Use
While cannabis users reported more psychotic experiences than non-users generally, the effect was more pronounced in those with a genetic risk factor for schizophrenia.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: The Neural Basis of Psychopathy
Neuroimaging study reveals structural and functional differences in brain areas associated with emotional regulation in those with personality traits linked to psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: At What Age Are People Usually Happiest? New Research Offers Surprising Clues
Study reveals those in the throws of “established adulthood”, that is to say, those between the ages of 30 – 45, report better life satisfaction.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Horses Can Recognize Themselves in a Mirror
Previous research has shown chimpanzees and other “intelligent animals” have the ability to recognize their own reflection in a mirror. A new study reveals horses share the ability to recognize themselves. The findings shed new light on self-awareness …
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Mindfulness Can Make You Selfish
Often touted as helping to improve personal mental states, a new study reveals mindfulness can actually make people more selfish. Those who consider themselves to be more independent-minded, rather than having a pluralistic mindset, demonstrate a decre…
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Psychedelic Experience May Not Be Required For Psilocybin’s Antidepressant-Like Benefits
A mouse study refutes the common belief that psilocybin’s ability to produce an anti-depressant effect is attributed to the psychedelic experience it creates. Blocking the psychedelic effect did not affect psilocybin’s anti-depressant effects.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Smoking Cannabis Significantly Impairs Vision
Smoking marijuana affects several key visual functions, including 3D vision and contrast sensitivity. However, 90% of cannabis users believe the drug has either no, or minimal, effect on their visual abilities.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Narratives Can Help Science Counter Misinformation on Vaccines
Narratives and storytelling can help counter vaccine misinformation as the method can create a bridge between scientific evidence and human experience.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Making Music From Spider Webs
Researchers report they have successfully translated the structure of a spider’s web into music. The new study could provide new avenues for the development of 3D printing technologies and novel musical compositions. The findings also shed light on cro…
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Exposure to Smells In Early Infancy Can Modulate Adult Behavior
Olfactory imprinting in infant mice has a direct impact on their social behaviors as adults.
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Habitual Snoring Linked to Significant Brain Changes in Children
Children who snore while they sleep have thinner gray matter in several areas of the frontal lobes. Significantly, the reduction in gray matter correlated with behavioral problems associated with sleep apnea. Some behavioral problems experienced includ…
Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Human Screams Communicate At Least Six Emotions
Study identifies six psycho-acoustically distinct types of screams, relaying emotions such as pain, anger, fear, joy, sadness, and pleasure. Non-alarming screams, such as expressions of joy and pleasure, are perceived and processed by the brain more ef…
