A neuroimaging study in South Korea found that individuals with social anxiety disorder have increased cortical thickness in certain brain regions, along with reduced neuron numbers in areas related to attention and socio-emotional processing. The study, published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, identified alterations in the insula, superior parietal lobule, frontopolar cortex, and superior temporal gyrus, as well as reduced thickness in the left superior/middle frontal gyrus and left fusiform gyrus. These findings suggest distinct neural mechanisms underlying social anxiety disorder, although further research is needed to confirm the results.
A neuroimaging study found that toddlers who experienced more severe maltreatment had lower total brain volume, particularly smaller gray matter volume, which was linked to lower cognitive abilities. Childhood maltreatment encompasses physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect, and can have long-lasting effects on mental and physical health. The study, conducted on 86 children aged 3 to 5, suggests that greater maltreatment severity in early childhood is associated with smaller brain size and implications for intellectual ability, emphasizing the need for mechanism-driven targets for early intervention.
A large-scale neuroimaging study led by the NIH has revealed distinctive patterns of brain connectivity in youths with ADHD, particularly involving heightened interactions between deep brain structures and frontal areas responsible for attention and behavioral control. The study, analyzing nearly 10,000 brain images, provides new insights into the neurological underpinnings of ADHD and offers potential avenues for future research and treatments. While the findings align with existing models of the disorder, the study also highlights the complexity of ADHD's neurobiological mechanisms and the need for further longitudinal and genetic investigations.
A neuroimaging study involving young adults found that those with a stronger startle reaction to unpredictable threats were more likely to engage in binge drinking a year later. The study revealed increased reactivity in specific brain regions when faced with uncertain threats, which correlated with a higher likelihood of binge drinking. The findings suggest that exaggerated reactivity to uncertain threats may be a brain-based risk factor for problem drinking. However, the study had limitations, including a primarily female sample and a limited follow-up period.
A new neuroimaging study has found that playing a musical instrument can help keep the brain sharp, young, and focused as people age by exercising and preserving areas of the brain. The study discovered that long-term musical training could delay and even counteract the natural and age-related decline in the ability to listen and keep the mind young. Older musicians can even match the brains of young non-musicians in identifying audiovisual syllables under noisy conditions. The study provides invaluable insights into adaptive brain reorganization in aging populations and how lifelong musical training can lead to "successful aging" in speech processing by preserving youthful brain characteristics and enhancing compensatory brain scaffolding.
