Summary: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) has offered relief for many people with treatment-resistant depression, but exactly how it works at the level of neurons and circuits was unclear. New research from UCLA reveals that an accelerated form of TMS, called aiTBS, can physically repair brain circuits damaged by chronic stress, restoring synaptic connections and producing … Read more

Summary: Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in many “magic mushrooms,” is well known for altering mood and perception in humans. Its effects on social behavior in animals are less explored. A new study used an unusual and highly aggressive vertebrate model, the mangrove rivulus fish, to investigate how low doses of psilocybin influence social interactions … Read more

Summary: New research shows that sexual arousal can create a kind of psychological “tunnel vision”—not simply making people “blind” in love, but making them unusually optimistic. When aroused, people are more likely to interpret ambiguous or mixed social cues as clear signs of romantic interest. This perceptual tilt can encourage risk-taking during early courtship but … Read more

Summary: GLP-1 weight-loss medications do far more than create a feeling of fullness. New research shows these drugs reach deep into the brain and reshape circuits that govern motivation and reward, helping explain both their strong effects on appetite and some of their side effects. By linking hindbrain regions to the central amygdala and to … Read more

Summary: Ketamine can deliver rapid relief for some people with treatment-resistant depression, but its side effects and short-lived benefits have limited clinical use. Two recent studies have mapped precisely how ketamine produces its antidepressant effect and used that knowledge to recreate its benefits in mice with combinations of lower-dose drugs. These findings point to new … Read more

Summary: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) has helped many people with treatment-resistant depression, but until now its cellular mechanisms were unclear. New UCLA research shows that an accelerated form of TMS, called aiTBS (accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation), can physically repair stress-damaged brain circuits. The study demonstrates rapid rebuilding of synaptic structures and identifies a specific … Read more

Summary: When a sound stops, the brain does more than register silence: it produces a precise “offset” signal. This biological punctuation allows us to detect gaps in speech and measure how long sounds last. New research shows that after exposure to damaging noise, the auditory system mounts a rapid, circuit-specific repair that restores these offset … Read more

Summary: New research suggests that while love may be called blind, sexual arousal specifically produces an optimistic bias. The study finds that arousal narrows attention into a kind of psychological “tunnel vision,” leading people to interpret ambiguous or mixed cues as clear signs of romantic interest. This perceptual tilt encourages risk-taking in early dating but … Read more

Summary: Researchers have long asked why myelin—the insulating sheath that speeds nerve signaling—appears at different times across brain regions. New work from CUNY shows that glucose acts not only as fuel but also as a developmental signal that tells progenitor cells whether to keep dividing or to begin maturing into myelin-forming cells. High local glucose … Read more

Summary: Ketamine has provided rapid relief for many people with treatment-resistant depression, but its brief effect and side effects have limited broader use. Two new studies from Weill Cornell Medicine map how ketamine produces its antidepressant effects and demonstrate ways to reproduce those benefits using combinations of existing, lower-dose drugs that may avoid ketamine’s dissociative … Read more