Archive | Mental Health

brain_inflam

Brain inflammation linked to compromised reward circuits in depression

Around one third of people with depression have high levels of inflammation markers in their blood. Now, new research appearing in in Molecular Psychiatry shows that persistent inflammation affects the brain in ways that are connected with stubborn symptoms of depression, such as anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure). The findings bolster the case that […]

Continue Reading
brain_pills

Zoloft appears to alter brain structures, say U.S. researchers

Experiments with monkeys showed that the antidepressant sertraline (marketed as Zoloft) significantly increased the volume of one brain region in depressed subjects but decreased the volume of two brain areas in non-depressed subjects. Conducted by researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the experimental results have been published in the journalNeuropharmacology. “These observations are important […]

Continue Reading
groundskeeper

Surprisingly, higher education doesn’t seem to improve levels of happiness

In an intriguing new study, University of Warwick researchers say that while low educational attainment is associated with mental illness, happiness – or mental wellbeing – was equally likely across all levels of educational attainment. The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, set out to examine socioeconomic factors related to high mental wellbeing, […]

Continue Reading
psychedelic2

Psychedelic use associated with decreased suicidal thinking, say researchers behind new study

Previous studies have found that psychedelic use may occasion lasting improvements in mental health, but the effects of psychedelic use on suicidality have been unknown. Now, a new study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology has examined the use of classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline), to determine whether they might be protective with regard […]

Continue Reading
aut_path2

Scientists discover “idiosyncratic” brain patterns in autism

Recent studies into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have found a lack of synchronization (“connectivity”) between different parts of the brain that normally work in tandem. But other studies have found the exact opposite – over-synchronization in the brains of those with ASD. Now, new research published in Nature Neuroscience suggests that the various reports – […]

Continue Reading

Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes