tDCS Over rTPJ and lDLPFC Changed Empathy Differently

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tDCS Over rTPJ and lDLPFC Changed Empathy Differently

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Psychological Medicine found that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a weak electrical brain-stimulation method, affected empathy differently depending on whether researchers targeted the right temporoparietal junction or the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Key Findings Two brain targets diverged: right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) stimulation strengthened cognitive empathy, while left dorsolateral prefrontal …

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tDCS Plus Cognitive Training Gave Short-Term Cognitive Benefit

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tDCS Plus Cognitive Training Gave Short-Term Cognitive Benefit

TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review posted on medRxiv found that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a weak noninvasive brain-stimulation method, added to cognitive training produced a small short-term cognitive benefit across 27 trials, but the effect faded at follow-up and the evidence certainty was very low. Key Findings 27 controlled studies: The meta-analysis included 1,012 …

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Targeted PGx Testing Found Actionable Depression Drug-Gene Results

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Targeted PGx Testing Found Actionable Depression Drug-Gene Results

TL;DR: A 2026 study in The Pharmacogenomics Journal tested pharmacogenomic (PGx) depression care, meaning medication guidance based on drug-gene interactions; targeting Veterans already taking antidepressants with common PGx interactions raised the actionable-result rate to 30%, but immediate test-result access did not improve Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression scores over 12 weeks. Key Findings 60 Veterans …

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SYNGAP1 Atypical Absence Seizures Linked to Higher Autistic Behavior Scores

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SYNGAP1 Atypical Absence Seizures Linked to Higher Autistic Behavior Scores

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv linked atypical absence seizures in SYNGAP1-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (SYNGAP1-DEE) to higher caregiver-reported autistic behavior scores, while caregiver-reported peak seizure frequency did not show the same association. Key Findings 337-person analytic cohort: Researchers analyzed 337 SYNGAP1 registry participants with complete epilepsy and behavior questionnaires. 259 epilepsy-positive participants: Epilepsy …

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Most NHS Psychiatric Trusts Could Not Report Parent-Patient Data

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Most NHS Psychiatric Trusts Could Not Report Parent-Patient Data

TL;DR: A 2026 study in BJPsych Bulletin used Freedom of Information requests and found that most English NHS trusts providing in-patient psychiatric care were unable to report basic data on which patients were parents of children under 18. Key Findings 50 trusts contacted: Researchers sent Freedom of Information requests to all English NHS trusts providing …

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Human Substantia Nigra Neurons Reflected Recent Reward History

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Human Substantia Nigra Neurons Reflected Recent Reward History

TL;DR: A 2026 iScience study recorded human substantia nigra neurons during Parkinson’s surgery and found that putative dopamine-neuron firing was higher after a prior reward, while the next response was modestly faster. Key Findings Direct human recordings: Researchers recorded 27 substantia nigra neurons across 13 sessions in 11 Parkinson’s disease patients undergoing deep-brain stimulation surgery. …

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Stress Disrupted Social Behavior Through mPFC Oxytocin Circuit

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Stress Disrupted Social Behavior Through mPFC Oxytocin Circuit

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Communications Biology found that restraint stress weakened medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC, a frontal brain region that helps organize social behavior) activity during social testing, while stress-activated amygdala and hypothalamic oxytocin inputs pushed the circuit toward inhibition. Key Findings Two-hour acute restraint preserved basic sociability but disrupted social novelty preference, suggesting …

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Mental-Health Stigma Delayed Care-Seeking in Somali Regional State

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Mental-Health Stigma Delayed Care-Seeking in Somali Regional State

TL;DR: A 2026 qualitative study in BJPsych Open found that mental-health stigma in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State shaped how people recognized illness, delayed biomedical care-seeking, and reinforced neglect of mental-health services. Key Findings Sixteen interviews anchored the study: Researchers interviewed health workers, service users, carers, and community-facing professionals in Jigjiga and Kabridahar. Mental illness was …

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Slow-Wave EEG-fMRI Maps Could Track Brain Network Deviation

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Slow-Wave EEG-fMRI Maps Could Track Brain Network Deviation

TL;DR: A 2026 iScience study used simultaneous EEG-fMRI from 24 healthy adults to build reference maps for slow-wave events (SWEs), brief sleep-related brain waves, and proposed SloCAD as a way to measure how an individual brain deviates from healthy slow-wave network patterns. Key Findings Two healthy cohorts were mapped: Researchers analyzed simultaneous EEG-fMRI sleep recordings …

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SLC35F2 Solved a Queuosine Transport Mystery

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SLC35F2 Solved a Queuosine Transport Mystery

TL;DR: A 2025 study in PNAS found that sLC35F2 emerged as the high-specificity transporter for queuine and queuosine, linking gut-derived micronutrients to tRNA modification and the cell’s protein-translation machinery. Key Findings 30-year transporter mystery: Scientists had suspected a selective queuine transporter for more than three decades. SLC35F2 carried Q and q: The study identifies SLC35F2 …

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