“On the first session, I started by focusing on a difficult memory while concentrating on the pain that it caused me … This pain reached a climax, then … it died down, giving way to a feeling of peace and well-being … I sometimes felt myself shedding tears, but for each memory, the pain climaxed […]
Category Archives: Mental Illness
The Neuroscience of Stress
posted by Desi Chu
Not to brag, but I would consider myself to be an expert in stress – not the study of it, but because of how often I’ve experienced it throughout my adult life (yay, grad school!). If you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you can think of a time when you’ve experienced stress, whether that’s cramming […]
Ketamine and Psychedelics: Next-Wave Antidepressants
posted by JC Gorman
Ketamine and psychedelics are making headlines as new alternative antidepressant therapeutics. For years scientists have been studying the benefits of these drugs on the brain and exciting new research has led to the idea that our understanding of what underlies depression could be wrong and these next-wave antidepressants could be another remedy of one of […]
How Light Leads to Darkness: A Neural Link Between Nighttime Light and Depression
posted by Nicole Mlynaryk
Nighttime light exposure can lead to depression. A new study brings us closer to understanding why, and what we can do about it.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
posted by Margot Wagner
What is anxiety? Many of us know how it feels; our heart rate increases, our minds race, our palms get sweaty. Maybe it’s before giving a speech or taking a big exam. Maybe it’s because we have so many work deadlines that we’re convinced our bosses think we don’t sleep. Anxiety is an incredibly common […]
Get out of my personal s p a c e
posted by Jess Du
How does the brain dynamically represent our personal space? It’s more interesting, and complicated, than you may think.
Does cannabis help you sleep?
posted by Nicole Mlynaryk
Marijuana is commonly used to help people fall asleep, but does the science back that up?
Can we inherit family trauma?
posted by Nicole Mlynaryk
The epigenetics behind “generational trauma” [En español] The 23 and Me craze has officially reached my family. Both of my parents were born in Poland so the results weren’t a complete surprise, but as we watched the site track generations of family history from a single spit sample, new questions came up. When my sisters […]
When it gets dark, people get SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
posted by Emily Baltz
Here in San Diego, we get a minimum of 9 hours and 59 minutes of sunlight, even in the dead of winter. Boston and Chicago get closer to 9 hours and Anchorage gets as low as 5.5 hours compared to Miami’s 10.5 hours. Does this dramatic difference in sunlight have any health effects? 1% of […]
Is Addiction a Disease?
posted by Nicholas A. Nelson
While it may not seem obvious, this question carries a great deal of emotional weight to sufferers of addiction, as well as their families and friends. The answer to one question – Is addiction a disease? – seems to hold the answer to yet another question: Are many of the hurtful things I’ve done […]
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