News Feed

News Feed

  • NIMH Intramural Research Program Training Opportunities
    by National Institute of Mental Health on June 8, 2023 at 12:00 pm

    Attend a virtual session to learn about training opportunities in the NIMH Intramural Research Program.

  • Mental Health Equity and the Power of Self-Care
    by National Institute of Mental Health on June 1, 2023 at 12:00 pm

    In recognition of Juneteenth, the NIH Eight Changes for Racial Equity (8CRE) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) are co-hosting a webinar on mental health equity.

  • Can we learn to think further ahead?
    on May 31, 2023 at 7:01 pm

    Chess grandmasters are often held up as the epitome of thinking far ahead. But can others, with a modest amount of practice, learn to think further ahead? In addressing this question, a team of cognitive scientists has created a computational model that reveals our ability to plan for future events. The work enhances our understanding of the factors that affect decision-making and shows how we can boost our planning skills through practice.

  • Further link identified between autoimmunity and schizophrenia
    on May 31, 2023 at 7:01 pm

    Links have been reported between schizophrenia and proteins produced by the immune system that can act against one's own body, known as autoantibodies. Researchers have now identified autoantibodies that target a 'synaptic adhesion protein' in a subset of patients with schizophrenia. When injected into mice, the autoantibodies caused many schizophrenia-related changes.

  • Tracking early signs of Alzheimer's pathology in a mouse model
    on May 31, 2023 at 7:00 pm

    About two-thirds of the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to arise from genetic influences, but about a third could be influenced by environment and lifestyle, opening the door for behavioral interventions that could delay or prevent pathophysiological changes that occur with AD. Now a new study in a mouse model of AD examines the effects of environmental enrichment on AD symptom progression and pathology.

  • Fairy tales offer accessible ways to communicate energy research in the social sciences to help tackle climate change
    on May 31, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    A team of researchers has been developing accessible and creative means of communicating sustainability research from the social sciences for policymakers and the wider public. Using fairy tale characters -- mermaids, vampires, and witches -- as metaphors, the team has sought to communicate typically complicated arguments in evocative and engaging terms.

  • Flexible nanoelectrodes can provide fine-grained brain stimulation
    on May 30, 2023 at 9:43 pm

    Engineers have developed ultraflexible implantable nanoelectrodes that can administer long-term, fine-grained brain stimulation.

  • New tool may help spot 'invisible' brain damage in college athletes
    on May 30, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    An artificial intelligence computer program that processes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can accurately identify changes in brain structure that result from repeated head injury, a new study in student athletes shows. These variations have not been captured by other traditional medical images such as computerized tomography (CT) scans. The new technology, researchers say, may help design new diagnostic tools to better understand subtle brain injuries that accumulate over time.

  • Low sexual satisfaction linked to memory decline later in life
    on May 30, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    Low sexual satisfaction in middle age may serve as an early warning sign for future cognitive decline, according to a new study. The study, which tracked associations between erectile function, sexual satisfaction and cognition in hundreds of men aged 56 through 68, found that declines in sexual satisfaction and erectile function were correlated with future memory loss.

  • Obesity increases risk of mental disorders throughout life
    on May 30, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    Being obese significantly increases the chances of also developing mental disorders. This applies to all age groups, with women at higher risk than men for most diseases.

  • Junk food may impair our deep sleep
    on May 30, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    In a new study, researchers have investigated how junk food affects sleep. Healthy participants consumed an unhealthier as well as a healthier diet in a randomized order. After the unhealthier diet, the quality of the participants' deep sleep had deteriorated, compared with those who had followed the healthier diet.

  • Low-flavanol diet drives age-related memory loss, large study finds
    on May 29, 2023 at 9:17 pm

    Age-related memory loss is likely caused, in part, by lack of flavanols -- nutrients found in certain fruits and vegetables -- according to a large study in older adults.

  • Unexpected wins in both humans and monkeys increase risk taking
    on May 26, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    Researchers have developed 'Dynamic Prospect Theory,' which integrates the most popular model in behavioral economics -- prospect theory and a well-established model from neuroscience -- reinforcement learning theory. In doing so, they created a dynamic model that successfully explains decision-to-decision changes in the gambling behavior of humans and monkeys. In particular, they found that after unexpected wins both humans and monkeys tend to behave as if they thought that they are more likely to win again.

  • Improvement in older adults' cognitive function and manual dexterity due to repetitive training
    on May 26, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    Older adults, who were trained at home daily for 12 weeks using a digital trail-making peg test device improved their manual dexterity and cognitive functioning.

  • Robots and Rights: Confucianism Offers Alternative
    on May 25, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    As robots assume more roles in the world, a new analysis reviewed research on robot rights, concluding that granting rights to robots is a bad idea. Instead, the article looks to Confucianism to offer an alternative.

  • Brain imaging is on the move with wearable scanning development
    on May 25, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    New research has demonstrated that a wearable brain scanner can measure brain function whilst people are standing and walking around. This breakthrough could help better understand and diagnose a range of neurological problems that affect movement, including Parkinson's Disease, stroke and concussion.

  • Induction of a torpor-like state with ultrasound
    on May 25, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    Researchers induced a hibernation-like state in mice by using ultrasound to stimulate the hypothalamus preoptic area in the brain, which helps to regulate body temperature and metabolism. The findings show the first noninvasive and safe method to induce such a state; a similar condition has been previously proposed for spaceflight or for patients with life-threatening health conditions.

  • Living in an almshouse boosts life expectancy
    on May 25, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    Analysing up to 100 years' worth of residents' records from various almshouses in England, new research suggests that living in these communities can reduce the negative impact on health and social wellbeing which is commonly experienced by the older population in lower socioeconomic groups, particularly those individuals who are living in isolation.

  • Researchers identify potential new treatment for those who act out their dreams while sleeping
    on May 25, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    Experts say medication commonly used to treat insomnia may also be a therapeutic option for the condition known as REM sleep behavior disorder.

  • Words matter: How researchers can avoid stigmatizing language
    on May 25, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    New research offers insights into how researchers can use their platforms to help end the use of stigmatizing language.