https://medicalxpress.com/psychiatry-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Psychiatry Children who grow up in unpredictable environments may face elevated risks for depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and other mental health challenges, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, Chapman University and Rady Children's Hospital Orange County, formerly called Children's Hospital of Orange County. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-unpredictable-childhood-routines-reveal-mental.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:20:05 EDT news703856701 GLP-1 receptor agonists are among the active ingredients in so-called weight-loss injections. Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, they are now also used to treat severe obesity. In recent years, studies have provided evidence that they may also reduce the consumption of alcohol and other substances. However, it has not been clear whether these potential effects persist after the medication is discontinued. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-consequences-discontinuing-glp-medications-addiction.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:00:10 EDT news703856461 People with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol addiction or psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia show increased brain aging, each in specific patterns within the brain, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine by Shile Qi from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-brain-scans-reveal-aging-signatures.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:00:01 EDT news703756261 Individuals with psychiatric conditions show reduced flexibility in their brain network dynamics, according to a new Rutgers study. The human brain is organized into networks that can adaptively shift and reorganize to meet ever-changing cognitive and emotional demands. This flexible reconfiguration of brain networks over time supports our ability to regulate our thoughts and behavior. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-brains-flexibility-psychiatric-conditions.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:00:11 EDT news703852562 For millennia, people have used the psychedelic mescaline as a spiritual and religious tool. Mescaline is a naturally occurring chemical found in cacti, mainly peyote cacti, that are located in the Southwest United States and Mexico. The drug has been used for 5,700 years, according to archaeological evidence, making it one of the oldest hallucinogens. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-oldest-psychedelics-modern-brain-imaging.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:00:01 EDT news703845722 Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have made remarkable progress restoring movement and speech in people with paralysis. While brain-computer interface technology thus far has largely focused on decoding motor function, the disorders responsible for the greatest global burden of brain disease—including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder—are fundamentally disorders of cognition: how we attend, remember, decide, and regulate emotion. As researchers seek to expand the clinical potential of BCIs, a new review argues that treating cognitive disorders will require fundamentally different approaches than the current BCI motor applications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-roadmap-brain-interfaces-depression-anxiety.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:10:01 EDT news703824926 Severe flooding may contribute to higher mortality rates from opioid use in rural Appalachia, according to a study by researchers at Penn State. The findings—published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—are particularly relevant as severe floods are increasing in prevalence and severity because of climate change, said Kristina Brant, assistant professor of rural sociology and co-lead author of the paper. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-severe-linked-deaths-opioid-rural.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:06 EDT news703748650 For more than two decades, scientists have uncovered remarkable links between the trillions of microbes living in our gut and the health of our brains. This research has transformed our understanding of stress, depression, anxiety and neurodevelopment, opening new possibilities for preventing and treating mental illness. What if much of this science is based on studying only a narrow slice of global diversity? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-brain-health-microbiome-science-world.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:24:59 EDT news703776265 An international team led by the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim has presented the largest genome-wide association study on borderline personality disorder to date. Data from about 13,000 affected people and more than 1.1 million controls from 14 countries were analyzed. The study identified 11 independent risk regions and nine genes that could contribute to the development of the disorder. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, show clear genetic overlaps with other mental and physical illnesses and open new perspectives for research and care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-largest-genetic-analysis-borderline-personality.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:20:07 EDT news703774454 Researchers have conducted one of the most comprehensive studies on how the autistic brain processes faces. Some hallmark characteristics of autism include tendencies to avoid looking at others' faces and to make less eye contact. Many autistic individuals have a harder time remembering faces and recognizing facial emotions than their neurotypical counterparts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-autistic-brains-differently.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:00:07 EDT news703770181 Social connections are known to contribute greatly to people's psychological and emotional well-being. In fact, difficulties socializing and bonding with others have been linked to various psychiatric conditions, including depression, social anxiety disorder (SAD), schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-sports-boosts-oxytocin-synchronizes-heartbeats.html Sun, 19 Jul 2026 08:20:01 EDT news703496346 Have you ever looked at a photograph of a raging wildfire, a flooded neighborhood or a starving polar bear and immediately felt something before you even had time to think? Most of us have. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-climate-human-emotions.html Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:40:01 EDT news703254950 A study by the University of Barcelona has identified nearly 20 genes that could contribute to some people being more susceptible to depression, anxiety and traits such as irritability and neuroticism. These genes are regulated by the RBFOX1 gene, which acts as the central hub of a genetic network linked to several key processes in brain function. According to the researchers, this genetic overlap between different disorders and traits could help explain why they often appear together in the same person. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genes-people-susceptible-depression-psychiatric.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:40:06 EDT news703497095 A research team at Fujita Health University led by Professor Tsuyoshi Miyakawa has uncovered a novel mechanism of cellular plasticity in which repeated neuronal stimulation can durably alter the identity of mature neurons. Using a neural stimulation pattern termed "Repetitive Optogenetic Stimulation (REPOPS)," the researchers found that granule cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus undergo long-lasting changes in nuclear structure and gene expression, revealing a novel process which the team terms "nuclear reprogramming." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ect-immature-state-adult-mouse.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:00:04 EDT news703402967 A study using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has found that patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower muscarinic acetylcholine M1 receptor availability (about 13%–19%) across multiple brain regions than healthy individuals. Reduced M1 receptor availability affects several brain regions involved in cognition, learning, memory and executive function. The findings in Biological Psychiatry provide the first in vivo evidence supporting widespread M1 receptor deficits in schizophrenia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-brain-imaging-reveals-receptor-dysfunction.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:00:06 EDT news703427743 Drugs commonly used for weight loss, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, have been found to reduce the key symptoms of binge eating disorder in a new review of evidence led by University College London (UCL) researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-weight-loss-drugs-binge-disorder.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:30:01 EDT news703318431 Dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate have been found to be equally effective in the treatment of ADHD in children, but greater weight loss was observed in children taking dextroamphetamine, according to an Australian study published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-adhd-medications-equally-effective-children.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:00:03 EDT news703328806 Why do some children with autism communicate more easily than others, even when they hear the same words? Researchers from the University of Virginia believe the answer may lie in the brain's electrical activity. In a new study published in Scientific Reports, they found that subtle patterns in brain activity while children listened to speech were linked to how well autistic youths communicate in everyday life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-brain-linked-communication-autism.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:50:01 EDT news703329536 Heated yoga, or hot yoga, is practiced in a room heated to 32–40°C (90–105°F) and has gained popularity in recent years. The warmth helps loosen your muscles, making it easier to stretch and increasing workout intensity. Conventional yoga has been shown to ease depressive symptoms in some people, and heat therapy has also shown potential mental health benefits. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-yoga-ease-depressive-symptoms.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 08:00:03 EDT news703319039 People who feel lonely are much more likely to experience poorer mental health and lower well-being, a new collaborative study led by the University of Bristol, Nesta and Amsterdam UMC has found. Loneliness was also found to be linked with worse general health, including experiencing multiple health conditions. Social isolation is associated with lower well-being, too. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-loneliness-strongly-linked-poorer-mental.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:00:10 EDT news703263282 Research involving a Rutgers professor sheds new light on the biological basis of schizophrenia by directly measuring synaptic connections in the human brain using specialized positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-imaging-reveals-widespread-brain-loss.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:20:05 EDT news703257918