Author: dispatchtimes news

A large, multi-cohort study has identified a distinctive pattern in blood proteins tied to inflammation, synaptic connections and brain ageing as women move through menopause. The researchers report that these molecular changes track more closely with reproductive hormone levels than with chronological age, and that older women with a stronger menopausal protein fingerprint show faster cognitive decline and a modestly higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The work, published in Nature Medicine, suggests blood-based markers could illuminate the biological pathways linking reproductive ageing with long‑term brain health. The study’s lead author, Madeline Wood Alexander, a doctoral candidate in the Hurvitz Brain…

A new UK-led study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders casts doubt on the long‑standing assumption that people with social anxiety are more likely to perceive others as staring at them. The researchers reassessed previous claims and carried out three online experiments alongside a pair of meta-analyses, concluding that links between social anxiety and altered gaze perception are weak and difficult to replicate. The authors suggest the cone of gaze should not be relied upon as a standard biological marker for social anxiety. In everyday interaction, humans constantly infer where others are directing their attention. Psychologists describe this with…

A single dose of psilocybin triggers heightened immediate behavioural responses in mice bred to model aspects of schizophrenia, while also producing a lasting improvement in sensory filtering among female animals. The findings, conducted at the University of Melbourne’s Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and published in Neuropsychopharmacology, suggest that the acute psychedelic‑like effects and longer‑term brain changes may operate through different biological pathways that differ by sex. Psilocybin is the principal psychoactive component of “magic mushrooms” and is converted in the body to psilocin, a compound that alters perception, mood and thought chiefly by activating serotonin 2A receptors…

A new case report describes a 37-year-old woman with severe personality disorders and ADHD who showed marked improvement over a year of specialised psychotherapy, during which she also self-administered psychedelic drugs. By the end of the year, she no longer met the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic or paranoid personality disorder, and her borderline symptoms and emotional instability had eased. The authors say the findings raise the question of whether psychedelics might aid psychotherapy for personality disorders, a possibility they say requires testing in further pilot studies. Personality disorders are deeply ingrained patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that deviate from…

A small study conducted in Germany has found that men with schizophrenia are less accurate than their healthy peers at recognising emotions from both body movements and facial expressions depicted as simple moving dots. The experiment, carried out at University Hospital Tübingen, involved 28 men with schizophrenia or related disorders and 28 healthy men, and the researchers published their findings in the journal Schizophrenia. Global impairment in social cognition among men with schizophrenia Understanding others’ emotions, intentions and social signals is a fundamental social skill. The study notes that in typical people the brain merges information from faces, body movements…

A UK-led study of more than 300,000 adults has found that social isolation and loneliness are each linked to an older biological age than would be expected from a person’s chronological age, and that the combination of the two factors yields the greatest acceleration. The research, published in Health Psychology, also ties these conditions to a higher risk of death over a follow-up period of around 14 years. Biological age differs from chronological age because it reflects the physiological condition of cells, tissues and organ systems. When biological age runs ahead of one’s actual age, researchers describe this as biological…

A proof-of-concept study using machine learning on structural brain scans has suggested that the volumes of specific brain regions can partly predict how strongly a person prioritises immediate rewards over larger future gains. In a cohort of 146 young adults, researchers found that models based on gray matter and white matter volumes could indicate individual levels of delay discounting. The work, published in JAMA Psychiatry, highlights the frontolimbic circuit as a potential structural marker and points to the right accumbens and right frontal pole as key regions. Delay discounting describes the tendency to devalue rewards the longer one has to…

A new study suggests that watching athletes and coaches graciously concede defeat on television can make voters more willing to accept unfavourable election results, bolstering the sense that the process was fair. Led by Alex Tolkin, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, the research explores legitimating rituals—public acts that signal a contest was conducted fairly. Tolkin notes these rituals exist in both politics and sport: concessions, handshakes, and inaugurations in politics; post‑game handshakes and defeat acknowledgements in sport. Drawing on social learning theory, the study argues people learn how to behave by observing role models such as professional…

A new theoretical paper published in The Neuroscientist proposes that the most basic feeling of being a conscious self originates in the brainstem rather than the outer layers of the brain. Led by Marshall Devor and Mark Baron of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the authors argue that raw sentience is computed in an ancient subcortical structure beneath the cortex, acting as a gatekeeper for attention. The piece challenges dominant models that locate conscious awareness primarily in the cerebral cortex, the wrinkled outer layer associated with thought and language. The authors contend that while the cortex is vital for processing…

A new study mapping the psychological profile of reality dating show participants has found that individuals who appear on such programmes tend to exhibit higher levels of grandiose narcissism, place substantial self-worth in physical appearance, and report lower anxiety about romantic rejection. The research, published in Psychology of Popular Media, was led by Leonie Schlebusch, Florian Hutzler and Sarah Schuster of the Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg. Reality dating programmes place contestants in highly visible, competitive environments where the aim is to attract romantic partners. The format has become a staple of mainstream entertainment over the past two decades, offering a controlled…