ADVANCES

Notable brain-science findings

EVERY YEAR IN THE US, about 100,000 young people will experience a first episode of PSYCHOSIS, which can include hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, disordered speech and behavior, and significant impairment at home and school. In a study and clinical trial led by Kelly Allott from the University of Melbourne, the youth who got placebos and those who got antipsychotics had similar levels of improvement in their social and occupational functioning. The findings support the need for careful consideration of the risks and benefits of various antipsychotics and the importance of accounting for their cognitive effects in longitudinal research. l

FOLLOWING A CORONAVIRUS INFECTION, even mild cases of Covid-19 are associated with subtle tissue damage and accelerated losses in brain regions tied to sense of smell, as well as a small loss in the brain’s overall volume, a new British study finds. The paper, published in Nature and led by University of Oxford investigators, is the first study of the disease’s potential impact on the brain that is based on brain scans taken both before and after participants contracted the coronavirus. l

BY EMPLOYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) and robotics to formulate therapeutic proteins, a team led by Rutgers researchers has successfully stabilized an enzyme able to degrade scar tissue resulting from spinal cord injuries and promote tissue regeneration. The study, recently published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, details the team’s groundbreaking stabilization of the enzyme Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), offering new hope for patients coping with spinal cord injuries. l

In a study led by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and part of a multi-institutional BRAIN Initiative consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers discovered two types of BRAIN CELLS that play a key role in dividing continuous human experience into distinct segments that can be recalled later. The discovery—published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Neuroscience—provides new promise as a path toward developing novel treatments for memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. l

California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed to address the overlapping MENTAL HEALTH AND HOMELESSNESS

CRISIS facing Los Angeles and other cities. The proposal, which would need approval by the Legislature—is called Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment, or “CARE Court.” It would enable people with severe untreated mental illness or substance use disorders to be placed under court-ordered psychiatric care at the request of family members, clinicians, and others who work closely with them. l

NOSTALGIA decreases activity in pain-related brain areas and decreases subjective ratings of thermal pain, according to research recently published in Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences measured the brain activity of adults with fMRI while the participants rated the nostalgia levels of images and rated the pain of thermal stimuli. Viewing nostalgic images reduced pain ratings compared to viewing control images, with the strongest effect on low-intensity pain. It also reduced activity in the left lingual gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus, two brain regions implicated in pain perception. l

Brain In The News

Links to brain-related articles we recommend

> The Economist: Video game makers must address worries about addictiveness

> New York Times: How Exercise May Tame Our Anxiety

> CNN Health News: Dogs can recognize different languages and nonsense words, study says

> NBC News: Even mild Covid is linked to brain damage, brain scans show

> New York Times: Wildlife Personalities Play a Role in Nature

> Brain + Life: Smart Ways to Make Playing Video Games Healthier

> New York Times: We Will Forget Much of the Pandemic. That’s a Good Thing

> Washington Post: This is why it’s hard to find mental health counseling right now

> Star-Ledger: ‘We must act’ on kids’ mental health crisis, experts say

> American Scholar: Footage from a war and the effects on your brain

> New York Times: Is Geometry a Language Only Humans Know?

> Psyche: Bias in mental health diagnosis gets in the way of treatment

The strategy the White House has laid out in its fact sheet is a necessary beginning—and it will save lives. Their approach will meet people where they are and will reduce disparities and promote equity across the mental health landscape.”