Summary: A study finds that achievement motivation strongly predicts online video game addiction, with escapism and psychological ownership also playing key roles. Source: University at Buffalo As online gaming has surged—accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and more time spent at home—some players develop addictive habits driven by the desire for achievement and escape, according to … Read more

Summary: A new study reveals molecular rearrangements at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses that accompany memory encoding. Using live mouse brain tissue with advanced imaging, researchers observed that Cav2.1 calcium channels and the priming protein Munc13 reposition at active zones during synaptic potentiation, increasing synaptic efficacy and precision. These molecular changes provide a direct link between … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a method to convert non-neuronal cells into fully functioning neurons that form synapses, produce and release dopamine, and restore neural function lost to Parkinson’s disease-related degeneration of dopaminergic cells. Source: Arizona State University Neurodegenerative diseases progressively damage and destroy neurons, undermining both mental and physical health. Parkinson’s disease, which affects millions … Read more

Summary: A recent study examines the largely hidden practices involved in student-led data collection for research projects. By surveying both students and supervisors, the study uncovers instances of questionable and potentially fraudulent behavior during data collection and highlights implications for research integrity. Although most students reported clean practices, a meaningful minority admitted to problematic actions … Read more

Summary: Researchers identified a key role for the dorsal precentral gyrus in using voice feedback to shape how spoken words sound in real time. Source: NYU Langone The dorsal precentral gyrus, a region that spans the folded surface at the top of the brain, is essential for using auditory feedback to control spoken language, according … Read more

Findings could help develop new treatments for heart failure, stroke, cancer and neurodegeneration. Researchers at Temple University School of Medicine report that a mitochondrial membrane protein acts as a gatekeeper for catastrophic cell failure. Their study, published in Molecular Cell, identifies spastic paraplegia 7 (SPG7) as an essential component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore … Read more

Summary: People who report depressive symptoms are more likely to interpret neutral images as negative when those images are presented alongside unrelated negative visuals. This emotional “spillover” demonstrates how background cues and peripheral context can shape our emotional reactions in subtle but meaningful ways. Notably, placing neutral or negative images next to positive visuals did … Read more

Summary: Children and adolescents with conduct disorder who experienced childhood maltreatment show substantially more extensive alterations in brain structure than those with conduct disorder who were not maltreated. Source: Elsevier Conduct disorder (CD) is marked by persistent antisocial behavior and poor academic outcomes and affects a notable proportion of young people in the United States. … Read more

Summary: A new large-scale genetic study shows molecular evidence that inherited variation contributes to the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to trauma. Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Major new analysis from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium shows molecular genetic influences on PTSD risk and reveals sex differences in heritability. … Read more

Summary: A new laboratory study finds that alcohol both raises people’s tolerance for pain and increases their willingness to harm others. Participants who consumed alcoholic beverages reported higher pain thresholds and were more likely to administer stronger and longer electric shocks to an ostensible opponent during a competitive task, compared with participants who received a … Read more