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A comprehensive look at what happens in the brain when we're reading

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-comprehensive-brain.html

Published: May 4, 2025 09:00

Reading is a highly valuable skill that allows humans to acquire new knowledge, pursue an education and complete a wide range of real-world tasks. Many past psychology and neuroscience studies set out to better understand the neural underpinnings of…

US researchers seek to legitimize AI mental health care

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-legitimize-ai-mental-health.html

Published: May 4, 2025 05:15

Researchers at Dartmouth College believe artificial intelligence can deliver reliable psychotherapy, distinguishing their work from the unproven and sometimes dubious mental health apps flooding today's market.

How does consciousness work? Dueling scientists test two big theories but find no winner

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-consciousness-dueling-scientists-big-theories.html

Published: May 3, 2025 12:40

"Theories are like toothbrushes," it's sometimes said. "Everybody has their own and nobody wants to use anybody else's."

Meta-analysis links intimate partner violence among sexual minority men to mental health outcomes

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-meta-analysis-links-intimate-partner.html

Published: May 2, 2025 12:20

Sexual minority men on the receiving end of intimate partner violence also have worse mental health outcomes including depression, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts, according to a new meta-analysis by UConn professor Chenglin Hong.

Researchers call for changes in Scotland's care system following largest study of its kind

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-scotland-largest-kind.html

Published: May 2, 2025 12:09

The University of Glasgow-led study, run in partnership with the NSPCC and other universities, looked at improving the mental health of almost 500 children aged 0–5 years in foster and kinship care. It highlighted that authoritative and consistent…

New research maps similarities and differences between insomnia, anxiety, and depression

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-similarities-differences-insomnia-anxiety-depression.html

Published: May 2, 2025 11:39

Insomnia, depression, and anxiety are the most common mental disorders. Treatments are often only moderately effective, with many people experiencing returning symptoms. This is why it is crucial to find new leads for treatments. Notably, these disorders…

Object recognition shaped by prior experience as brain adapts to new visual information, study shows

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-recognition-prior-brain-visual.html

Published: May 2, 2025 11:27

Our brains begin to create internal representations of the world around us from the first moment we open our eyes. We perceptually assemble components of scenes into recognizable objects thanks to neurons in the visual cortex.

Study marks rise in psychotherapy outpatient visits and declines in medication use for mental health care

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-psychotherapy-outpatient-declines-medication-mental.html

Published: May 1, 2025 15:00

Psychotherapy assumed a larger role in outpatient mental health care while psychiatric medication without psychotherapy became less common, according to a study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical…

Large, highly likely rewards can increase motivation in individuals who have recovered from depression

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-large-highly-rewards-individuals-recovered.html

Published: May 1, 2025 14:28

New research shows that individuals who have recovered from depression are generally less willing to exert effort to pursue potential rewards compared to those who have never experienced depression, unless the rewards are large and highly likely.

Mental health and personality traits may be more closely related than previously assumed

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-mental-health-personality-traits-previously.html

Published: May 1, 2025 13:04

Common mental health conditions are more closely related to people's personalities than previously thought, a study published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science suggests.

What's the difference between a tantrum and a meltdown?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-difference-tantrum-meltdown.html

Published: May 1, 2025 12:30

If you live with young children, there's a good chance you've been on the receiving end of a child yelling, screaming, crying, throwing or hitting things.

Physically active young people less likely to be depressed, finds study

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-physically-young-people-depressed.html

Published: May 1, 2025 10:04

Young people who increase their physical activity from the age of 14 have a lower risk of developing symptoms of depression, a recent study has found.

Guided VR meditations can reduce anxiety for parents of hospitalized children

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-vr-meditations-anxiety-parents-hospitalized.html

Published: May 1, 2025 09:13

Parenting in the hospital is stressful. Moms and dads naturally focus on their ill child, sometimes to the neglect of their own mental health.

New insight into the neurobiological roots of being a 'morning person' or 'night owl'

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-insight-neurobiological-roots-morning-person.html

Published: May 1, 2025 08:40

Human beings exhibit marked differences in habits, lifestyles and behavioral tendencies. One of these differences, known as chronotype, is the inclination to sleep and wake up early or alternatively to sleep and wake up late.

In a broken mental health system, a tiny jail cell becomes an institution of last resort

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-broken-mental-health-tiny-cell.html

Published: May 1, 2025 07:05

When someone accused of a crime in this small northwestern Montana town needs mental health care, chances are they'll be locked in a basement jail cell the size of a walk-in closet.

Gabapentinoids unlikely to be directly linked to self-harm risk, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-gabapentinoids-linked.html

Published: April 30, 2025 18:30

Treatment with gabapentinoids—drugs such as gabapentin and pregabalin—is not directly associated with an increased risk of self-harm, finds a UK study published by The BMJ.

Childhood trauma linked to increased substance use, unexpected effects on heart rate and blood pressure in adolescents

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-childhood-trauma-linked-substance-unexpected.html

Published: April 30, 2025 15:42

A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry reveals that childhood trauma significantly increases the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors, including harmful alcohol consumption, smoking and illicit drug use, by the age of…

Depression and other mental health conditions linked to immune response, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-depression-mental-health-conditions-linked.html

Published: April 30, 2025 15:00

Depression, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions affect 1 in 4 people in their lifetime, but the mechanisms underlying these conditions are poorly understood. New research led by researchers at the University of Bristol has linked the body's…

Rising diabetes risk among inpatients with depression sparks call for integrated care

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-diabetes-inpatients-depression.html

Published: April 30, 2025 14:59

A new study published in Health Data Science by researchers at Peking University reveals a concerning rise in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among depression inpatients in Beijing from 2005 to 2018. This large-scale analysis, involving…

Mechanism behind Parkinson's-like side effects of antipsychotic drugs revealed

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-mechanism-parkinson-side-effects-antipsychotic.html

Published: April 30, 2025 14:39

A new Northwestern Medicine study has identified the molecular mechanisms that cause a commonly prescribed antipsychotic drug to produce harmful side effects similar to Parkinson's disease symptoms, according to findings published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Ayahuasca's longer-term psychological effects may be shaped by setting, acute reaction and mental health history

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-ayahuasca-longer-term-psychological-effects.html

Published: April 30, 2025 14:00

Mounting evidence supports ayahuasca's potential to improve mental health, but its long-term effects are shaped by both individual mental health history and the context in which the psychedelic is used, according to a study published on in the open-access…

Conservatives may self-rate as having better 'mental health' because of stigma around the term, study suggests

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-mental-health-stigma-term.html

Published: April 30, 2025 14:00

Conservatives may rate their mental health more positively than liberals, in part because of the stigma around the phrase "mental health," according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Brian F. Schaffner from Tufts University, U.S.,…

Mindfulness therapy reduces opioid craving and addiction, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-mindfulness-therapy-opioid-craving-addiction.html

Published: April 30, 2025 13:06

Researchers from the University of California San Diego have found that Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) can help rewire the brain's response to natural healthy pleasure, leading to improved mood, greater attention to positive experiences…

Researchers call for better support for families of children who die suddenly

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-families-children-die-suddenly.html

Published: April 30, 2025 12:35

Experts involving a University of Central Lancashire academic are highlighting an urgent need to improve practical and psychological support for families who experience the unexpected death of a child.

Global study investigates whether humans flourish with age

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-global-humans-flourish-age.html

Published: April 30, 2025 12:32

Insights into whether people from different cultures and societies from around the world are flourishing—a state in which all aspects of a person's life are good—are presented in series of papers from the Global Flourishing Study, published in journals…

Learning new motor skills: Active exploration, not imitation, builds sense of agency

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-motor-skills-exploration-imitation-agency.html

Published: April 30, 2025 12:02

The sensation of controlling one's body and things in the environment is known as sense of agency (SoA). Not only is SoA pivotal for tasks and well-being in everyday life, but its mechanisms have become increasingly important for the development of…

Brain rhythms synchronize with music to create emotional and physical responses

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-brain-rhythms-synchronize-music-emotional.html

Published: April 30, 2025 12:00

An international study co-authored by McGill psychologist Caroline Palmer suggests our brains and bodies don't just understand music, they physically resonate with it. These discoveries, based on findings in neuroscience, music, and psychology, support…

Multiple exposures to climate disasters lead to worse mental health outcomes, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-multiple-exposures-climate-disasters-worse.html

Published: April 30, 2025 11:36

Repeated exposure to climate disasters leads to worse mental health with slower recovery times, according to new University of Melbourne research. Mental health worsens even more when an individual experiences multiple climate disasters within a shorter…

Everyday actions and behaviors linked to better mental well-being: study

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-everyday-actions-behaviors-linked-mental.html

Published: April 30, 2025 11:24

Regular chats with friends, time spent in nature and mentally engaging activities are strongly linked to better mental health, according to new Curtin University research that highlights the power of simple, everyday behaviors to improve well-being.

Experiment sheds new light on the origins of consciousness

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-consciousness.html

Published: April 30, 2025 11:00

An experiment seven years in the making has uncovered new insights into the nature of consciousness and challenges two prominent, competing scientific theories: Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT).

Mechanism by which the brain weighs positive vs. negative social experiences revealed

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-mechanism-brain-positive-negative-social.html

Published: April 30, 2025 11:00

Mount Sinai researchers have identified for the first time the neural mechanisms in the brain that regulate both positive and negative impressions of a social encounter, as well as how an imbalance between the two could lead to common neuropsychiatric…

Adult acne increases risk of eating disorders, study indicates

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-adult-acne-disorders.html

Published: April 30, 2025 07:50

People with acne are at increased risk of developing an eating disorder, a new study says. Adult acne patients are 2.4 times more likely to have an eating disorder, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and…

Widely-used Dyslexia Adult Checklist may be too rigorous in its definition of who qualifies as dyslexic

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-widely-dyslexia-adult-checklist-rigorous.html

Published: April 29, 2025 15:59

The neurobiological and developmental learning disorder dyslexia possibly affects up to 15% of the population, but it remains difficult, time-consuming and expensive to accurately diagnose. Screening tools, especially online checklists, can help…

Feeling stressed may lead to worsened respiratory symptoms, decreased quality of life

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-stressed-worsened-respiratory-symptoms-decreased.html

Published: April 29, 2025 15:33

Increased perceived stress may cause worsened respiratory symptoms and decreased quality of life in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study. The research is published in the March 2025 issue of Chronic Obstructive…

Brain damage in key region increases susceptibility to others' impulsive choices, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-brain-key-region-susceptibility-impulsive.html

Published: April 29, 2025 14:44

People who have damage to a specific part of their brains are more likely to be impulsive, and new research has found that damage also makes them more likely to be influenced by other people.

Surviving cancer, still suffering: Survey reveals gaps in follow‑up care

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-surviving-cancer-survey-reveals-gaps.html

Published: April 29, 2025 13:26

More Americans are beating cancer than ever, yet many still grapple with treatment's long shadow—especially on their mental health.

Negative expectations have stronger and longer-lasting effects on pain than positive ones

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-negative-stronger-longer-effects-pain.html

Published: April 29, 2025 13:25

Negative expectations can worsen perceived pain more strongly—and for longer—than positive expectations can make it feel better, according to new research.

Research opens doors of access to youth mental health services

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-doors-access-youth-mental-health.html

Published: April 29, 2025 12:30

University of Alberta students, researchers and community members helped shape a cross-Canada initiative that has improved the way youth mental health services are delivered across the country, allowing more patients to be seen, assessed and started on…

'Magic mushrooms' show promise for improving motor function and mood in Parkinson's patients

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-magic-mushrooms-motor-function-mood.html

Published: April 29, 2025 12:09

Psilocybin, a natural compound found in certain mushrooms, has shown promise in treating depression and anxiety. UC San Francisco researchers wanted to know if it could be used to help Parkinson's patients who often experience debilitating mood dysfunction…

Spiritual health practitioners reveal key motivations in psychedelic-assisted therapy practice

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-spiritual-health-practitioners-reveal-key.html

Published: April 29, 2025 11:22

In a research report published in Psychedelics, Emory University investigators have uncovered the complex motivations driving spiritual health practitioners (SHPs)—also known as health care chaplains—to pursue careers in the rapidly expanding field of…

The 'nocebo gap' in health care: Exploring discrimination's impact on medication side effects

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-nocebo-gap-health-exploring-discrimination.html

Published: April 29, 2025 10:08

A new study has uncovered a link between patients' experiences of discrimination in health care settings and the likelihood of them experiencing negative side effects from their medication.

Teenage years crucial for depression intervention, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-teenage-years-crucial-depression-intervention.html

Published: April 29, 2025 09:47

Depression in young teens could be easier to treat than in adulthood due to the symptoms being more flexible and not yet ingrained, a study published in the journal Nature Mental Health shows.

Cancer-related fatigue and depression may lead to decrease in physical activities and quality of life in survivors

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-cancer-fatigue-depression-decrease-physical.html

Published: April 29, 2025 09:19

Cancer survivors who reported feeling cancer-related fatigue or depression reduced their recreational activities nearly twofold, with females more likely than males to report feeling either cancer-related fatigue or depression, according to a retrospective…

Nursing 2025: No relief in sight as burnout, stress and short staffing persist

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-nursing-relief-sight-burnout-stress.html

Published: April 29, 2025 09:15

Cross Country Healthcare (NASDAQ: CCRN), a leader in workforce solutions and tech-enabled staffing, recruitment and advisory services, today released its fourth annual survey, "Beyond the Bedside: The State of Nursing in 2025" report. In partnership with…

Couple satisfaction linked to fewer cognitive issues with chemo

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-couple-satisfaction-linked-cognitive-issues.html

Published: April 29, 2025 09:12

A satisfying intimate relationship may help diminish chemotherapy-related cognitive problems experienced by patients with breast cancer, a new study suggests.

Sexual trauma during military service linked to higher risk of suicide and overdose death later in life

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-sexual-trauma-military-linked-higher.html

Published: April 28, 2025 17:00

A longitudinal cohort study of older veterans found that a history of military sexual trauma (MST) is associated with increased risk for any suicide attempt and death by drug overdose in both women and men, especially those who also have post-traumatic…

New non-invasive brain stimulation technique shows significant reduction in depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-invasive-brain-technique-significant-reduction.html

Published: April 28, 2025 16:40

Patients suffering from depression, anxiety and trauma-related disorders experienced significant relief from their symptoms after a new treatment that uses sound waves to modulate deep brain activity, according to new research from Dell Medical School at…

Exercise may yield improved sleep quality in women with PTSD symptoms

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-yield-quality-women-ptsd-symptoms.html

Published: April 28, 2025 15:02

High-intensity exercise can improve sleep quality—possibly by reducing anxiety and hyperarousal symptoms—in women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, according to new research from the University of Georgia's Department of Kinesiology.

Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten, study shows

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-dopamine-forgotten.html

Published: April 28, 2025 15:00

Dangers come but dangers also go and when they do, the brain has an "all-clear" signal that teaches it to extinguish its fear.

Burnout still high for Veterans Health Administration health care workers

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-burnout-high-veterans-health-administration.html

Published: April 28, 2025 13:40

Burnout remains above prepandemic levels for health care workers at the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA), according to a study published online April 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Rat study explores the motivations behind helping friends

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-rat-explores-friends.html

Published: April 28, 2025 13:00

Why are some people more helpful than others? In a new JNeurosci paper, Inbal Bartal, from Tel Aviv University, and colleagues used rats to explore why some individuals may be more receptive to the distress of others and how this information leads to…

Ketamine nasal spray will be subsidized for treatment-resistant depression—what you need to know about Spravato

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-ketamine-nasal-spray-subsidized-treatment.html

Published: April 28, 2025 12:48

An antidepressant containing a form of the drug ketamine has been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), making it much cheaper for the estimated 30,000 Australians with treatment-resistant depression. This is when a patient has tried multiple…

The power of pets in reducing loneliness and social isolation for at-risk groups

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-power-pets-loneliness-social-isolation.html

Published: April 28, 2025 11:56

A new pilot program is the first to use a shared interest in pets to help build connections between young and older adults to reduce loneliness and social isolation.

Study highlights higher stress, PTSD risk among adults with low literacy

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-highlights-higher-stress-ptsd-adults.html

Published: April 28, 2025 11:47

Adults with low literacy levels can face difficulties applying for jobs, reading and understanding health information and making other crucial decisions in their daily lives.

Study finds mindfulness can mitigate COVID-19 stress impact on working memory

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-mindfulness-mitigate-covid-stress-impact.html

Published: April 28, 2025 11:40

A person's working memory (WM) allows them to process information, multitask, pay attention and block out distractions, among other mental processes.

International panel releases new guidelines to strengthen suicide prevention efforts

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-international-panel-guidelines-suicide-efforts.html

Published: April 28, 2025 11:24

A major study has produced a series of international expert recommendations on how to better implement suicide prevention strategies, marking a critical step forward in the global fight to reduce suicide rates.

Understanding sudden unusual mental or somatic experiences

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-sudden-unusual-mental-somatic.html

Published: April 28, 2025 11:00

Matthew Sacchet, Ph.D., Director of the Meditation Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is senior author of a paper in Clinical Psychological Science, "Risk Factors for…

Circular breathwork induces altered states of consciousness linked to improved mental health

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-circular-breathwork-states-consciousness-linked.html

Published: April 28, 2025 10:10

Researchers from the Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, the MIND Foundation, alongside other collaborators, have found that reductions in carbon dioxide saturation during circular breathwork sessions were correlated with the emergence of altered…