Outlook

Is it time for obesity to be treated as a mental-health concern?

Mind-altering drugs might provide relief for those who don’t respond to conventional therapies — but does the hype outweigh the hope?

How artificial intelligence detects lowered mood, why depression is linked to heart-disease risk, and other highlights.

Science is only now uncovering the complex interaction between hormones, neurosteroids and mood disorders.

Neurogenesis can halt depressive symptoms or prevent them from emerging. Harnessing this phenomenon could open up treatment options.

Menopausal depression takes a huge toll, but is underfunded and under-researched — that needs to change.

Despite growing awareness that children and teenagers can get depressed, substantial gaps remain in diagnosis and treatment.

Artificial-intelligence researchers turn to lifelong learning in the hopes of making machine intelligence more adaptable.

With millions of people losing their ability to detect aromas as a result of COVID-19, our most underappreciated sense is drawing researchers’ attention.

Computational neuroscientist Guangyu Robert Yang lifts the lid on the use of machine learning to detect and process odours, and the wider implications for neuroscience.

The hundreds of receptors that give us our sense of smell have been found to have important roles in other parts of the body, and the prospect of targeting them with drugs is growing.

Veterinarian Cynthia Otto explains how we might harness animals’ ability to smell human illnesses — including COVID-19.

The loss of the sense of smell has been a hallmark symptom of COVID-19. The mechanisms behind SARS-CoV-2’s ability to interfere with this sense — as well as why variants such as Omicron do so less frequently — are becoming clearer.

Olfaction could influence how people respond to threats or select a partner. To investigate, researchers need to design experiments that can capture its effects.

Development of an olfactory implant that could tackle anosmia is in its early stages.

Treatments for olfactory loss are currently scarce, but with millions of people unable to smell as a result of COVID-19, researchers are pursuing the problem with renewed vigour.

The ability of aromas to bring back highly specific memories is becoming better understood, and could be used to boost and heal our brains.

Robots have become increasingly adept at interacting with the world around them. But to fulfil their potential, they also need a sense of touch.

The fight against an infectious liver disease pivots from control to eradication.

Overhauling the guidelines for who has access to testing and treatment would lower costs and improve patient outcomes.