Researchers at the University of Miami find that large-scale connectivity in autism changes with age. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with alterations in how brain regions communicate. A new study from the University of Miami reports that large-scale patterns of functional brain connectivity in people with autism differ from typically developing (TD) individuals and … Read more

Summary: A new study challenges the common belief that society is steadily becoming more polarized. It shows that people’s impressions of deep division often arise from the degree of agreement inside their own social circles. The researchers present a new approach that separates actual opinion divergence from how polarized people feel society is. The analysis … Read more

Summary: New research from Washington State University found that rats with naturally higher baseline stress hormones are far more likely to self-administer cannabis vapor. Over several weeks, animals were given the opportunity to nose-poke to release brief bursts of cannabis vapor, and those with elevated corticosterone levels displayed the strongest and most persistent drug-seeking behavior. … Read more

Americans have embraced the idea that companion animals bring comfort and joy: not just puppies but rabbits, pot-bellied pigs, cockatiels, ferrets, ball pythons, iguanas and even tarantulas. The specific species matters less than the role these animals play in restoring calm and lowering stress—whether at home, in the workplace, or on campus. While professional counseling … Read more

Summary: UCLA scientists have developed a method to convert human pluripotent stem cells into sensory interneurons, the spinal cord neurons that underlie touch and body sensation. Source: UCLA. Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have, for the first time, directed human stem cells to … Read more

Summary: A large longitudinal study of more than one million fathers in Sweden reveals an unexpected pattern in paternal mental health: diagnoses decline during partner pregnancy and the early months after birth, then rise markedly about one year after delivery. Clinical diagnoses of depression and stress-related disorders increased by roughly 30 percent at the end … Read more

Summary: New research strengthens evidence that higher levels of physical activity lower the risk of developing depression. The study found objectively measured activity reduced depression risk even in people with genetic vulnerability to depressive disorders. Source: Mass General Background Many observational studies report an association between greater physical activity and lower rates of depression, but … Read more

Summary: A new silicon probe will give researchers a clearer, large-scale view of how neurons and brain regions coordinate to process information. Source: HHMI. Neuroscientists seeking to follow cellular conversations across the brain will soon have practical access to a powerful, easy-to-use tool that records neural activity from hundreds of sites at once. Developed through … Read more

Summary: Maternal stress during pregnancy increases the likelihood that female offspring will develop binge-eating-like behavior, but a methyl-balanced diet during adolescence can prevent this predisposition, new mouse research shows. Source: Cell Press. Stress alters eating behavior, and new preclinical research in mice indicates that the cause may involve biological programming as well as psychology. A … Read more

Study first to link maternal chemical exposure with changes in fetal motor activity and heart rate Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health report the first evidence that higher maternal exposure to certain persistent environmental contaminants is associated with measurable differences in fetal behavior. In an exploratory study of 50 pregnant women, … Read more