THEPSYCHOLOGYTURKEY

Researchers describe biological mechanism that allows sleep to build relational memories -- associations between unrelated items. http://dlvr.it/SRNwZZ

Breathing difficulties are the main cause of death following opioid use. In the UK, the number of adults entering treatment for opioid use was 140,863 in 2020/211 and opioid use remains a significant cause of premature death, contributing to 3,726 drug-related deaths last year. Opioid misuse causes death by supressing respiratory activity. New research points to a novel treatment for respiratory depression associated with opioid use that administers electrical pulses to the back of the neck, helping patients regain respiratory control following high dosage opioid use. This could offer an alternative to pharmacological treatments, which can cause withdrawal symptoms, heart problems and can negatively affect the central nervous system. http://dlvr.it/SRNwWf

In recent years Alzheimer's disease has been on the rise throughout the world and is rarely diagnosed at an early stage when it can still be effectively controlled. Using artificial intelligence, researchers conducted a study to identify whether human-computer interfaces could be adapted for people with memory impairments to recognize a visible object in front of them. http://dlvr.it/SRNTgp

Researchers have designed a targeted therapeutic treatment that restricts brain inflammation. The effectiveness of this approach in improving outcomes was demonstrated following brain injury, stroke or multiple sclerosis in mice. The system increases the number of regulatory T cells, mediators of the immune system's anti-inflammatory response, in the brain. By boosting the number of T regulatory cells in the brain, the researchers were able to prevent the death of brain tissue in mice following injury and the mice performed better in cognitive tests. The treatment has a high potential for use in patients with traumatic brain injury, with few alternatives currently available to prevent harmful neuroinflammation. http://dlvr.it/SR6Tft

Scientists have demonstrated that normal brain aging is accelerated by approximately 26% in people with progressive type 2 diabetes compared with individuals without the disease, reports a new study. http://dlvr.it/SR3BkN

Researchers have developed an imaging technique to capture information about the structure and function of brain tissue at subcellular level -- a few billionth of a meter, while also capturing information about the surrounding environment. The unique approach, overcomes the challenges of imaging tissues at different scales, allowing scientists to see the surrounding cells and how they function, so they can build a complete picture of neural networks in the brain. http://dlvr.it/SR3Bgl

Emotion-recognition among people with disorders such as Parkinson's disease or schizophrenia may be affected by changes in the levels dopamine in the brain, say researchers. http://dlvr.it/SR03fG

Modern anesthesia is one of the most important medical achievements. Whereas before, patients had to suffer hellish agonies during every operation, today anesthesia enables completely painless procedures. One feels nothing and can remember nothing afterwards. It is already known from electroencephalography (EEG) studies on patients that during anesthesia the brain is put into a deep sleep-like state in which periods of rhythmic electrical activity alternate with periods of complete inactivity. This state is called burst-suppression. Until now, it was unclear where exactly this state happens in the brain and which brain areas are involved. http://dlvr.it/SR03bc

The drug gabapentin, currently prescribed to control seizures and reduce nerve pain, may enhance recovery of movement after a stroke by helping neurons on the undamaged side of the brain take up the signaling work of lost cells, new research in mice suggests. http://dlvr.it/SQwpMQ

Children who spend more time playing adventurously have lower symptoms of anxiety and depression, and were happier over the first Covid-19 lockdown, according to new research. http://dlvr.it/SQvxX2

A groundbreaking study has found the underlying cause and a potential treatment for infantile spasms -- intractable epilepsy common in babies and with limited treatment options. http://dlvr.it/SQmWqZ

Researchers have reported new evidence that cognitive abnormalities seen in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia may be traceable to altered activity in the thalamus during adolescence, a time window of heightened vulnerability for schizophrenia. http://dlvr.it/SQm7nM

Scientists have described a novel preclinical drug that could have the potential to combat depression, brain injury and diseases that impair cognition. The drug, which notably is brain-permeable, acts to inhibit the kinase enzyme Cdk5. http://dlvr.it/SQm7h4

A research team has mapped out the development and genetic trajectory of previously understudied macrophages associated with the central nervous system. Among other things, the team found that meningeal macrophages are formed during gestation and develop in the same way as microglia, while perivascular macrophages develop after birth. Their new insights could pave the way for better understanding the origins and mechanisms behind leading brain-related pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease. http://dlvr.it/SQlfqv

People with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) develop tumors on nerves throughout their bodies. Researchers have discovered that nerve cells with the mutation that causes NF1 are hyperexcitable and that suppressing this hyperactivity with the epilepsy drug lamotrigine stops tumor growth in mice. http://dlvr.it/SQhynJ

In studies with mouse and human tissue, as well as live mice, researchers report that a snag in the normal process of cleaning up broken DNA in brain cells may hasten the progression of Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the researchers found that a protein dubbed 'STING' responds to clean-up signals in brain cells damaged by Parkinson's disease by creating a cycle of inflammation that may accelerate the disease's progression. http://dlvr.it/SQhyk5

Women instructed to embrace their romantic partner prior to undergoing a stressful experience had a lower biological stress response -- as indicated by levels of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva -- compared to women who did not embrace their partner. This effect was not seen for men. http://dlvr.it/SQh4c1

Within many societies and cultures around the world, older adults are too often undervalued and underappreciated, according to a new article. This exacerbates many key challenges that older adults may face. It also undermines the many positive aspects of late life that are of value at both an individual and societal level. In the article, 'Investing in Late-Life Brain Capital,' a global team of experts propose a new approach to elevate health and well-being by optimizing late-life brain capital. http://dlvr.it/SQdjGG

Researchers found that a person's genetics and the environment in which they live contribute to how socioeconomic status shapes the architecture of the brain. http://dlvr.it/SQd0mQ

Different types of brain damage caused by a concussion may lead to similar symptoms in children, according to new research. A new way of studying concussions could help develop future treatments. http://dlvr.it/SQYRXz

Researchers have identified a previously unknown function for the fragile X protein, the loss of which is the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability. The researchers showed that the protein modulates how neurons in the brain's memory center process information, a central part of learning and memory. http://dlvr.it/SQYR6t

A new study reveals the molecular mechanisms that explain how the YWHAZ gene can alter the neurodevelopmental process. http://dlvr.it/SQYQrV

Epigenetic markers affected in the mouse brain were also altered in people's plasma. The role of epigenetics in vulnerability to food addiction opens the door to identifying biomarkers for the early diagnosis of the disease and the search for therapies. http://dlvr.it/SQYQpP

Exercise increases levels of a chemical involved in brain cell growth, which bolsters the release of the 'feel good' hormone dopamine, a new study shows. Dopamine is known to play a key role in movement, motivation, and learning. Experts have long understood that regular running raises dopamine activity in the brain and may protect nerve cells from damage. In addition, past research has tied exercise-driven boosts in the dopamine-triggering chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and in dopamine levels to improvements in learning and memory. However, the precise way these three factors interact has until now remained unclear. http://dlvr.it/SQXwmk

Targeting specific brain cells modulated memory retrieval and altered anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Essentially, scientists boosted the electrical activity between cells in the hypothalamus and the hippocampus to create new neurons -- an important process called neurogenesis. http://dlvr.it/SQTpKD

Stimulation of subthalamic nucleus interrupts a cycle of runaway beta-frequency rhythms and restores ability of interneurons to regulate rhythms in the brain's striatum, improving movement, study suggests. http://dlvr.it/SQTK2W

Researchers have identified how the brain triages emotions during dream sleep to consolidate the storage of positive emotions while dampening the consolidation of negative ones. The work expands the importance of sleep in mental health and opens new ways of therapeutic strategies. http://dlvr.it/SQJvwT

Researchers have evidence validating the benefits of using medication for opioid use disorder during pregnancy. Brain imaging revealed significant improvements in brain function after treatment. http://dlvr.it/SQGCYD

Subjective memory disorders in conjunction with conspicuous levels of beta-amyloid proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid are a strong indication of developing Alzheimer's disease. This is the conclusion of a new study involving about 1,000 older adults. http://dlvr.it/SQFpNK

Researchers have identified a circuit in the anterior thalamus that is necessary for remembering how to navigate a maze. This region could offer a promising target for treatments that could help reverse memory loss in older people, without affecting other parts of the brain. http://dlvr.it/SQFp5B

People who have been hospitalized for a major traumatic brain injury (TBI) may have a higher risk of developing dementia when compared to people who do not have a TBI, according to a new study. Major TBI was defined as having bleeding in the brain and a hospital stay of three or more days. Researchers did not find an increased risk for people who had minor TBI, which was defined as a concussion with no more than a one-day hospital stay. http://dlvr.it/SQFp2j

The cerebral cortex is thought to be the seat of conscious processing in the brain. Rather than being inactivated, specific cells in the cortex show higher spontaneous activity during general anesthesia than when awake, and this activity is synchronized across those cortical cells. Improving our understanding of the neuronal mechanisms of general anesthesia could lead to better anesthetic drugs and improved surgical outcomes. http://dlvr.it/SQFJDr

A receptor that was first identified as necessary for insulin action, that also is located on the neural stem cells found deep in the brains of mice, is pivotal for brain stem cell longevity, according to a new study, a finding that has important implications for brain health and future therapies for brain disorders. http://dlvr.it/SQB7py

Stress and trauma during adolescence can lead to long-term health consequences such as psychiatric disorders, which may arise from neurodevelopmental effects on brain circuitry. A new study has used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of acute stress and 'polyvicitimization,' or repeated traumas, on three brain networks in adolescents. http://dlvr.it/SQ9fj5

An analysis of 11 major psychiatric disorders offers new insight into why comorbidities are the norm when it comes to mental illness. The study suggests that while there is no single gene or set of genes underlying risk for all of them, subsets of disorders -- including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder; and major depression and anxiety --s hare a common genetic architecture. http://dlvr.it/SQ9fGx

Poor sleep, difficulty moving and injuries from hitting something accidentally are just some of the challenges faced by suffers of often-painful involuntary muscle spasms. However, a new study investigating motoneurons in the spine has revealed two methods can make our spinal cords less 'excitable' and could potentially be used to treat muscle spasms. http://dlvr.it/SQ9fCk

Neuroscientists have established the existence of a biological difference between psychopaths and non-psychopaths. http://dlvr.it/SQ6XCw

Childbirth in humans is much more complex and painful than in great apes. It was long believed that this was a result of humans' larger brains and the narrow dimensions of the mother's pelvis. Researchers have now used 3D simulations to show that childbirth was also a highly complex process in early hominins that gave birth to relatively small-brained newborns -- with important implications for their cognitive development. http://dlvr.it/SQ6X9c

An important link has been found between the intellectual disability experienced by children with the rare disease Joubert Syndrome (JS) and defects in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain associated with learning and memory. It also plays a role in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Joubert Syndrome is a rare childhood disease that leads to poor muscle coordination, developmental delay, abnormal eye movements and neonatal breathing abnormalities. It is estimated that between 1 in 80,000 and 1 in 100,000 newborns are affected by the condition. http://dlvr.it/SQ61Ys

Young men with a poor diet saw a significant improvement in their symptoms of depression when they switched to a healthy Mediterranean diet, a new study shows. http://dlvr.it/SQ2vWF

Results of a new study which asked participants to take a week-long break from TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook find positive effects for wellbeing, depression and anxiety. http://dlvr.it/SPwwsx

Neurobiologists give new meaning to the term 'motor mouth'. By carefully mapping neural networks in marmoset and macaque monkeys, they determined that multiple areas in the brain's frontal lobe control the muscles of vocalization and could provide a foundation for complex speech. http://dlvr.it/SPtdJv

Researchers have uncovered how signals from a group of neurons in the brain's frontal lobe simultaneously give humans the flexibility to learn new tasks -- and the focus to develop highly specific skills. http://dlvr.it/SPrCM5

Gene editing may be a potential treatment for anxiety and alcohol use disorder in adults who were exposed to binge drinking in their adolescence, according to the results of an animal study. The researchers used a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-dCas9 in their experiments to manipulate the histone acetylation and methylation processes at the Arc gene in models of adult rats. http://dlvr.it/SPmnJ9

Researchers have gained new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of absence seizures and potential therapy options. http://dlvr.it/SPmMhm

New research finds that drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement of drug seeking behaviors are controlled by a single pathway in the brain and centered around dopamine cells. http://dlvr.it/SPjrBF

When it comes to weight loss, the old adage it's all in your head may be true. Scientists have shown that two specific networks in the brain can strongly influence how successful a person will be when trying to lose weight. http://dlvr.it/SPjVrN

Scientists use lab-grown human brain tissue to identify neural abnormalities in Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome and show gene therapy tools can rescue neural structure and function. http://dlvr.it/SPjVnl

Atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac rhythm abnormality, has been linked to one-third of ischemic strokes, the most common type of stroke. But atrial fibrillation is underdiagnosed, partly because many patients are asymptomatic. http://dlvr.it/SPdnnD

Researchers have uncovered a new way to help identify babies and fetuses at high-risk of developing brain bleeds, paving the way for better early intervention. http://dlvr.it/SPdnNX

Researchers who previously discovered channels in the skull have found that cerebrospinal fluid can exit the brain through these channels to reach the skull's bone marrow, which can detect and respond to infection or injury. Tapping into this process may help investigators study and treat inflammation-related brain conditions. http://dlvr.it/SPdnL3

Just one single neuron can realize deep learning algorithms, which previously required an artificial complex network consisting of thousands of connected neurons. This discovery is expected to have important implications on future AI hardware. http://dlvr.it/SPdJDb

Researchers have applied a chemogenetic tool in macaque monkeys and suppressed the subthalamic nucleus, a part of the basal ganglia circuitry. The chemogenetic suppression induced unstable movements. In the output nucleus of the basal ganglia, the internal pallidum, neurons showed no firing rate change, but their spike train became variable. The subthalamic nucleus may stabilize neural activity in the basal ganglia for smooth movements. http://dlvr.it/SPdJBh