Author: dispatchtimes news

A six-week programme of collaborative drawing has yielded fresh insights into how the brain wires itself to create social bonds across generations. The study, published in PLOS Biology, found that younger and older adults who regularly work together show decreasing neural synchronisation over time, while same-age pairs become more synchronised, even as both groups report growing feelings of closeness. The findings come as loneliness remains a global health concern and cross-generational community schemes are increasingly used to foster connection. The research suggests that the physical brain changes accompanying these relationships are nuanced and depend on who is interacting with whom.…

A new study from Boys Town National Research Hospital in Nebraska shows that children’s brains processing facial expressions become more specialised with age, and that elevated anxiety can alter reactions to faces displaying potential threat. The research, conducted by Hua Bai, Yasra Arif and Tony W. Wilson among others, examined how emotion and face gender interact in the developing brain and behavioural responses in youths aged six to 17, with data from 149 participants. Researchers note that cultural norms and early experiences shape how children interpret emotions on different faces. Anger is often linked with male faces and interpreted as…

An explosion and fire struck an ammunition-storage facility belonging to Bulgarian arms manufacturer EMCO early Saturday, marking the second incident at one of the company’s sites in just over a month. The fire broke out near the village of Tsareva Livada in central Bulgaria and spread through the storage complex, producing several explosions that illuminated the night sky. Authorities said the situation had been brought under control and no injuries were reported. Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said investigators would examine possible links with previous fires at EMCO facilities, including an explosion at another depot near Belitsa on August 10. “We…

Pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a Boiler Room electronic-music event in Brooklyn, New York, by staging a “die-in” on the dance floor to protest the company’s ownership links to private-equity giant KKR. At least five protesters lay motionless on the floor during the July 10 event at Under the K Bridge. They wore shirts and displayed messages accusing Boiler Room of being owned by “Israeli arms investors” and telling attendees they were “dancing on every martyr’s grave.” Footage circulating online shows partygoers continuing to dance around the demonstrators. Some appeared to step on them, while one attendee was filmed jumping onto the…

A pair of studies published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships suggests that having multiple romantic or sexual partners does not compromise sexual health. Led by Michelle Larva-Ruhala, a doctoral researcher at the University of Turku’s INVEST Research Flagship Centre in Finland, the research draws on two large datasets and finds that people in consensual non-monogamous relationships, including polyamory or open arrangements, report sexual functioning, satisfaction, and health outcomes that are comparable to, and in some cases slightly better than, those in strictly monogamous partnerships. The work distinguishes between consensual non-monogamy and secrecy or infidelity. Consensual non-monogamy involves…

A Swedish study at Uppsala University Hospital has found that escitalopram, given at 20 mg daily during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, effectively reduces the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, with the strongest impact on irritability and anger. The menstrual cycle comprises hormonal changes that prepare the body for potential pregnancy. It is commonly divided into four phases, including the luteal phase, during which rising levels of hormones can influence both mood and physical wellbeing. PMDD is a more severe form of premenstrual symptoms that can significantly disrupt daily life. It typically emerges in the late luteal phase…

A Perth-based study suggests that when parents help with writing out of genuine enjoyment or belief in its value, their children show more positive attitudes to writing and perform better in the classroom. The findings, published in the Journal of Writing Research, come from a team led by Bronte Kelso-Marsh of Edith Cowan University and include Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis and Debora Similieana Valcan. Researchers emphasise that writing is a highly social activity, shaped by the local social and cultural environment. While teachers teach grammar and structure, parents often support informal writing at home, making the home a crucial…

A large observational study led by researchers at nference suggests that reaching higher doses of semaglutide (Wegovy) may be linked to a lower incidence of certain neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions, independent of how much weight a patient loses. The findings, published in npj Metabolic Health and Disease, analyse thousands of medical histories to explore whether drug dose or weight loss better predicts subsequent brain-related diagnoses. Semaglutide is part of the GLP-1 receptor agonist family, originally developed to help manage blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and later largely adopted as an obesity treatment. Beyond metabolic effects, the drugs interact with…

A major UK Biobank study has found that heightened activity in the brain’s emotion centre, the amygdala, during negative emotional processing is linked to a person’s lifetime history of recurrent depression rather than their current mood, suggesting each depressive episode may imprint a lasting biological vulnerability. The research, published in Psychological Medicine, indicates the amygdala may act as a long-term trait marker for depression rather than a state marker tied to present symptoms. Major depressive disorder is a common condition that affects millions worldwide, yet psychiatrists still rely largely on clinical interviews and patient history for diagnosis and treatment decisions.…

A new study published in Psychological Science suggests that a deep-seated need to feel our actions matter can propel both children and adults to work harder, with signs of this drive appearing as early as four years old. The research team, led by Yilin Liu of the University of Texas at Dallas and Fan Yang of the University of Chicago, argues that even the smallest amount of lasting meaning can shift motivation, hinting that the longing to do meaningful work is a fundamental part of human nature. Central to the researchers’ idea is the concept of “mattering” — the sense…