TL;DR: A 2026 Mendelian randomization study in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry used genetic data to test direction of effect between brain structure and neurodevelopmental conditions, and found that increased surface area in the superior frontal gyrus raised ADHD risk while increased surface area in the orbital frontal gyrus protected against autism — with …
TL;DR: A 2024 Gastroenterology study found that intestinal epithelial serotonin reduced anxiety- and depression-like behavior in mice through vagal signaling, while prenatal SSRI exposure in a human cohort predicted infant functional constipation independent of maternal depression. Key Findings Gut-only serotonin reuptake transporter ablation reduced anxiety and depression-like behavior: Targeting SERT only in the intestinal epithelium …
TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in iScience found that anesthetic emergence slowed sharply below 31.9°C because two hypothalamic thermoregulatory pathways pushed anesthesia in opposite directions: preoptic BDNF neurons deepened anesthesia, while a dorsomedial-hypothalamus-to-raphe-pallidus glutamate pathway accelerated emergence. Key Findings Emergence delay grows logarithmically below 31.9°C core temperature: In mice, anesthetic emergence time increases logarithmically as …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found that ex-smokers had higher fMRI blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses to high-energy food pictures than adults with obesity or abstinent alcohol dependence, suggesting a brain reward route for post-quitting weight gain. Key Findings 77-person fMRI comparison: Researchers compared 25 ex-smokers, 26 abstinent adults with alcohol dependence, and 26 …
TL;DR: A 2026 rat study in Neurobiology of Stress found that early-life visceral stress produced adult IBS-like symptoms alongside auditory brainstem sensitization and cochlear protein changes, giving a mechanistic explanation for sound sensitivity reported by some IBS patients. Key Findings Early-life visceral stress sensitized the auditory brainstem: Rats exposed to early-life visceral stress (the standard …
TL;DR: A 2025 Molecular Psychiatry study of more than 36,000 people found that higher autism polygenic risk was associated with lower MRI-derived neurite density, a measure of neural-fiber packing, across cortex and white matter in both children and adults. Key Findings Higher autism polygenic score predicted lower neurite density: Across over 36,000 individuals, a robust …
TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review in Translational Psychiatry found that depression brain-stimulation studies repeatedly linked treatment response to subcallosal cingulate connectivity, but inconsistent methods still limit its use as a treatment-selection biomarker. Key Findings 28 studies met criteria: The review included resting-state functional MRI (fMRI), a scan that tracks blood-flow changes as a proxy for …
TL;DR: A 2025 mouse study in Cell mapped a sleep-growth hormone circuit, showing how hypothalamic GHRH and somatostatin neurons coordinate hormone pulses and then feed back onto wakefulness. Key Findings GH rose in REM and NREM: Growth hormone release was enhanced during both rapid eye movement and non-REM sleep. Two neuron types controlled release: Hypothalamic …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found that alpha-synuclein seed-positive Parkinson’s patients had slower ON-medication motor progression, measured while usual Parkinson’s medication was active, and more sustained levodopa responsiveness than matched seed-negative patients. Key Findings 223 matched patients: The analysis compared 40 SAA-negative and 183 SAA-positive sporadic Parkinson’s patients from PPMI. ON-state progression diverged while medication …
TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review in The British Journal of Psychiatry linked schizophrenia to a multisystem advanced-aging phenotype, including older-appearing brain scans, shorter telomeres, inflammation, and higher dementia risk. Key Findings 170 studies included: The review synthesized studies of aging markers in schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis published after 2009. Most studies were moderate or high …
