Reviews & Analysis

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  • Combining accelerometry, electronic diaries and neuroimaging, we found that physical activity is reproducibly linked to better wellbeing in people lacking social contact in everyday life, especially in people at neural and psychological risk of affective disorders.

    Research Briefing
  • In this Perspective, Minnis and co-authors propose a new framework, the bio-exposome, to integrate the multiple aspects of biological and exposome factors associated with childhood adversity that interact and influence outcomes for individuals across their lifespan.

    • Helen Minnis
    • Anne-Laura van Harmelen
    • Paul G. Shiels
    Perspective
  • In this Perspective the authors survey the state of computerized cognitive training interventions for mental health and identify some of the challenges and opportunities in the scale-up of certain interventions.

    • Lauren S. Hallion
    • Kean J. Hsu
    • Jessica L. Schleider
    Perspective
  • Inconsistent results have been obtained regarding the role of obesity and its related metabolic syndrome in neurological and psychiatric diseases. This systematic research using the UK Biobank demonstrates effects of body weight on the risk of several neurological and psychiatric disorders, and suggests that the higher risks may be partially explained by brain structure, food intake and inflammation.

    Research Briefing
  • Nicotine withdrawal and anxiety symptoms are overlapping barriers to smoking cessation. We examined the effects of a smoking cessation treatment — noninvasive neuromodulation — on nicotine withdrawal and anxiety symptoms, which revealed information on how neuromodulation can treat substance use disorders.

    Research Briefing
  • Short-lived online social network experiments show that making the in-game wealth of immediate neighbors invisible improves the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of poorer participants. This status invisibility reduced the strength of the positive association between in-game wealth and SWB in social networks. However, in real-world settings, status is often visible.

    Research Briefing
  • In this Perspective the authors detail the potentially parallel systemic economic risk of psychological distress and climate change, and argue for the adoption of a similar set of policy interventions, including bolstering cross-agency capability and capacity and increased investment in targeting root causes and solutions.

    • Nathaniel Z. Counts
    • David E. Bloom
    • Neal Halfon
    Perspective
  • Numerous randomized placebo-controlled studies over the past two decades have shown that ketamine has a rapid antidepressant action. However, its acute transient effects on cognition and perception are likely to unmask study-arm assignment. Now, the use of surgical anesthesia to conceal treatment assignment finds high rates of rapid antidepressant response among participants, regardless of whether they are randomized to ketamine or placebo.

    • Gerard Sanacora
    • Luana Colloca
    News & Views
  • After the hindrance imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, neuroscience research pushed forward. NeuroFrance 2023 took place as an in-person meeting and highlighted current and future strategies for exploring the brain and its pathologies, including a strong pathway to mental health research.

    • Glenn Dallérac
    • Armelle Rancillac
    Meeting Report
  • Robust 24-hour light–dark cycles are crucial for healthy circadian rhythms. A study now shows that there is an independent association between increased light at night and decreased light during the day with a variety of mental health disorders.

    • Jamie M. Zeitzer
    News & Views
  • Some individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience a series of symptoms attributable to ‘dissociation’ — severance either with themselves or their surroundings. A new study on the neurobiology of dissociation in PTSD uses functional MRI analysis to identify unique patterns of brain–behavior associations.

    • Athina R. Aruldass
    • Nikolaos P. Daskalakis
    News & Views
  • A study drawing on the expansive UK Biobank dataset to explore the lifestyle, genetic and biological underpinnings of mental health highlights the influence of lifestyle on depression risk and suggests that detailed investigations into lifestyle factors, in conjunction with psychological aspects and advanced analysis methods, may reveal a deeper understanding of the complexities of mental health.

    • Oleg N. Medvedev
    • Christian U. Krägeloh
    News & Views