Category Archives: Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Personality Traits and Social Media’s Influence on Teen Depression – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers explored how different social media platforms relate to depressive symptoms in teens. The study, involving 237 participants aged 14 to 16, found that personality traits, particularly extraversion, significantly influence how teens experience social media.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube varied in their impact, with TikTok associated with higher depressive symptoms in teens prone to negative thoughts. The research underscores the importance of considering individual differences in how social media affects mental health.

Key Facts:

Source: West Virginia University

Teens using social media are vulnerable to depressive symptoms and some platforms, like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, may be linked to higher levels of depression than others, according toWest Virginia Universityresearch.

Amy Gentzler, professor ofpsychologyat theWVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, as well as graduate students Jacob Alderson, Jeff Hughes and Matty Johnston,published an articlefrom a National Institutes of Health-funded study on how teens use social media and how specific platforms relate to depressive symptoms. They considered attributes like gender, personality and self-esteem.

While studies have looked at social medias effects on overall teen mental health, Gentzler wanted to see how individuals are differentially affected.

The goal was to consider the individual people more than research has done in the past, she said. Its good to look at your teen and ask, Who are they as a person? How does that influence how they navigate these apps? I think thats a much more interesting question as a researcher, and its also much more important for parents and educators to consider.

Gentzlers research revealed a subjects personality in particular the degree of extraversion can determine how they experience social media. Findings indicated teens with higher levels of extraversion who use Instagram often may not experience depression, whereas those with low and average levels of extraversion may be at risk for greater depressive symptoms.

Alderson focused on the role personality played in the study.

When were thinking about personality and social media, were thinking about how your general disposition influences how you navigate and interact with these platforms, he explained, adding that social media platforms use predictive algorithms to match the content users see to their personality and interests.

If your teen is highly extroverted or has even average levels of extraversion, the social media content they see and how they interact with that content may differ relative to teens lower in extraversion, Alderson continued.

I think that gets at some of the negative affective reactions to social media that we saw as well, particularly for an app like TikTok thats tailored to them through an algorithm.

The researchers believe its important for teens to take note of how they feel on a social media platform.

Those cognitions you have while youre navigating an app are important, Alderson said. A teen could take a step back and think, What is it Im consuming on this platform? And when Im scrolling through, what am I thinking about? Do I feel better or worse after Ive scrolled TikTok for 30 minutes? As the study talks about, there are different ways of interacting with social media platforms, which in turn may influence how you feel after using them.

This may be because extroverted teens are likely to have more friends who will like and interact with their posts, thereby making their experiences on Instagram more rewarding. Also, extroverted people tend to have more positive outlooks and may interpret negativity on social media in a more positive way.

Gentzler said passively using social media rather than actively communicating directly with others has been found to be particularly problematic for teens mental health. While Instagram users often interact with friends, TikTok users usually watch videos from strangers.

TikTok was also associated with higher depressive symptoms, but only for teens who said they were likely to have negative thoughts and feelings while using social media. For the teens who reported they were unlikely to have negative reactions to social media, TikTok was unrelated to depressive symptoms.

Social comparison is common for adolescents both in person and online, she said. Thus, it is possible that these teens who already said theyre prone to negative thoughts and feelings may be comparing themselves to people they see on TikTok and feeling badly about themselves as a result.

This study also suggested teens who were more often on YouTube reported higher levels of depressive symptoms, and the association did not vary based on gender, self-esteem or personality.

The study included 237 participants, most from West Virginia, aged 14 to 16. Gentzler employed the help of students in the research.

Through the NIH funding, I was able to support graduate students with research stipends, she said. And regarding undergraduate students, there were probably 12 to 15 in the lab at a time, and they really had a lot of hands-on experience with this project.

In addition to creating surveys and planning, her undergraduate research assistants assisted with data collection while the study leads met with parents and teens.

They would pile in the cars with us at five in the morning to get to high schools because we were not just going to Monongalia County we were all over, Gentzler said.

Sometimes the undergraduates would present to entire homerooms, trying to get students interested in our study. The undergraduate students got a lot of experience, and it was nice to see a lot of them go on to graduate school and use what theyve learned.

According to Gentzler, the big takeaway is how people react differently to social media.

Researchers are often trying to find direct associations between time on social media and depressive symptoms, she said. Sometimes that holds, but its not going to be the same association for everyone. Some people might be prone to more bad feelings than good when using social media, so we need to recognize that were all different.

Author: Jake Stump Source: West Virginia University Contact: Jake Stump West Virginia University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. Which social media platforms matter and for whom? Examining moderators of links between adolescents social media use and depressive symptoms by Amy Gentzler et al. Journal of Adolescence

Abstract

Which social media platforms matter and for whom? Examining moderators of links between adolescents social media use and depressive symptoms

Despite extensive research on social media and risks for mental health, not enough is known about individual differences in these risks.

The present study, with data collected from 2018 to 2020, investigated the association between social media use (total and for specific platforms) and depressive symptoms in a sample of 237 American adolescents (Mage=15.10; SD=0.49; 51.1% girls and 48.5% boys). We investigated several moderators: gender, self-esteem, personality, and negative reactions to social media. Covariates were gender, timing of the follow-up (pre vs. during the pandemic), and depressive symptoms a year earlier.

Results indicated that greater total time spent on social media was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. This effect held for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube (but not Snapchat, Facebook, or Twitter). Several moderated effects were found. Twitter was associated with more depressive symptoms for girls but not boys. More frequent Instagram use was linked to more depressive symptoms for less or average-level extraverted teens but not for more extraverted teens, suggesting extraversion may be protective. More frequent TikTok use was associated with more depressive symptoms, particularly for teens who said they have more or average-level negative reactions to social media a year earlier.

This study suggests that certain adolescents may be at increased risk for serious mental health challenges, like elevated depressive symptoms, when using TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter more frequently, underscoring the importance of examining individual differences and particular social media platforms.

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Personality Traits and Social Media's Influence on Teen Depression - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Inflammation and Poverty Increase Health and Mortality Risks – Neuroscience News

Summary: Recent research highlights a synergistic relationship between chronic inflammation and poverty, exacerbating health risks and reducing life expectancy in the U.S.

Analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers found that individuals suffering from both poverty and chronic inflammation face significantly worse health outcomes than those affected by either factor alone. The study used high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels to measure inflammation and considered household income against the poverty threshold.

The findings suggest that the combined effect of poverty and inflammation on mortality is not merely additive but synergistic, emphasizing the need for targeted healthcare interventions.

Key Facts:

Source: Frontiers

In the US, approximately 37.9 million people, or 11.4% of the population, lived below the poverty line in 2022. It has been well demonstrated that poverty negatively affects physical and mental health. For example, people living in poverty run a greater risk of mental illness, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, and have a higher mortality and lower life expectancy.

The mechanisms by which poverty impacts on health outcomes are manifold: for example, people experiencing poverty have reduced access to healthy food, clean water, safe housing, education, and healthcare.

Now, researchers have shown for the first time that the effects of poverty may combine in a synergistic manner with another risk factor, chronic inflammation, to reduce health and life expectancy even further. They found that health outcomes for Americans living in poverty and with chronic inflammation are significantly worse than expected from their separate health effects.

The results are published inFrontiers in Medicine.

Here we show that clinicians need to consider the effect of inflammation on peoples health and longevity, especially on those experiencing poverty, said lead author Dr Arch Mainous, a professor at the University of Florida.

Inflammation is a natural physiological reaction to infections or injuries, essential for healing. But chronic inflammation caused by exposure to environmental toxins, certain diets, autoimmune disorders such as arthritis, or other chronic diseases like Alzheimers is a known risk factor for disease and mortality, just like poverty.

NHANES

Mainous and colleagues analyzed data from adults aged 40 and older, enrolled between 1999 and 2002 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and followed them until 31 December 2019. The NHANES, conducted since 1971 by the National Center for Health Statistics, tracks the health and nutritional status of US adults and children.

The NHANES allows for estimates of the US population represented by the cohort, and this study represented nearly 95 million adults. The authors combined NHANES data with records from the National Death Index, to calculate mortality rates over a period of 15 years after enrollment.

Among other demographics, NHANES records the household income. The authors divided this by the official poverty threshold to calculate the poverty index ratio, a standard measure of poverty.

Chronic inflammation

Whether participants suffered from severe inflammation was deduced from their plasma concentration of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), produced by the liver in response to the secretion of interleukins by immune and fat cells.

The concentration of hs-CRP, included among NHANES data, is a readily available, informative, and well-studied measure of inflammation: for example, elevated concentrations are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

Typically, a concentration of greater than 0.3 mg/dl hs-CRP is taken to indicate chronic systemic inflammation, but Mainouset al.also considered the more stringent threshold of 1.0 mg/dl in a separate analysis.

The authors classified participants in four groups: with or without chronic inflammation, and living below the poverty line or not. By comparing the 15-year mortality rate between these, they could thus study the effects of poverty and inflammation separately and jointly.

Synergistic effect

We found that participants with either inflammation or poverty alone each had about a 50% increased risk in all-cause mortality. In contrast, individuals with both inflammation and poverty had a 127% increased heart disease mortality risk and a 196% increased cancer mortality risk, said Dr Frank A. Orlando, an associate professor at the University of Florida and the studys second author.

If the effects of inflammation and poverty on mortality were additive, youd expect a 100% increase in mortality for people where both apply. But since the observed 127% and 196% increases are much greater than 100%, we conclude that the combined effect of inflammation and poverty on mortality is synergistic.

Routine screening for both risk factors?

A wide variety of treatments for systemic inflammation exists, ranging from diet and exercise to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids. The present results suggest that clinicians might consider screening socially disadvantaged people already a medically vulnerable group for chronic inflammation, and if necessary treat them with such anti-inflammatory drugs.

However, steroids and NSAIDS arent without risks when taken long-term. More research will thus be needed before patients are routinely prescribed them in clinical practice to decrease systemic inflammation.

Its important for guidelines panels to take up this issue to help clinicians integrate inflammation screening into their standard of care, particularly for patients who may have factors that place them at risk for chronic inflammation, including living in poverty. It is time to move beyond documenting the health problems that inflammation can cause, to trying to fix these problems, concluded Mainous.

Author: Mischa Dijkstra Source: Frontiers Contact: Mischa Dijkstra Frontiers Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: The findings will appear in Frontiers in Medicine

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Inflammation and Poverty Increase Health and Mortality Risks - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Universal Emotional Hubs in Language – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers made a breakthrough in understanding the universality of emotions across languages by using colexification analysis, a method of studying word associations. Their study identifies four central emotion-related concepts GOOD, WANT, BAD, and LOVE as having the highest number of associations with other emotional words in multiple languages.

This finding aligns with traditional semantic methods and natural semantic metalanguage (NSM), reinforcing the universality of these emotions. The studys insights can significantly impact natural language processing and cross-cultural communication, aiding the development of language processing algorithms and large language models (LLMs).

Key Facts:

Source: Tokyo University of Science

Emotions exert a profound influence on human behavior, prompting extensive explorations in the realms of psychology and linguistics. Understanding central emotions also has practical utility since it can help organizations create messages that resonate better with people. For instance, businesses can enhance their connection with their customers, and non-profits can prompt quicker action by skillfully leveraging the salient emotions in humans.

Colexification is a phenomenon in which the occurrence of a single word is associated with multiple concepts that share semantic relationships. The analysis of colexification is an innovative linguistic method for indirect semantic associativity analysis, leveraging existing semantic relations without the need for additional data.

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from Japan have identified emotional hubs that exist across languages. Their work,published online in Scientific Reportson December 09, 2023, analyzed word associations by employing a colexification network and revealed that the emotion-related concepts GOOD, WANT, BAD, and LOVE have the highest number of associations with all other words that represent emotions.

The researchers, including Dr. Tohru Ikeguchi, Ms. Mitsuki Fukuya, and Dr. Tomoko Matsumoto from the Tokyo University of Science, and Dr. Yutaka Shimada from Saitama University, built a network by connecting concepts in several languages. In doing so, they ensured that the connection between two words represented the strength of colexification.

Colexification is the phenomenon of a single word with multiple concepts. For example, the Spanish word malo has two meanings BAD and SEVERE. It means that the two concepts of BAD and SEVERE are colexified in Spanish. In this paper, by focusing on colexification, we succeeded in detecting central emotions that share semantic commonality with many other emotions, explains Dr. Ikeguchi, the lead author of the study.

In a discovery that affirms the universality of their findings, the team discovered that three of the four emotions they identified are identical to core emotions discovered through traditional semantic methods and the natural semantic metalanguage (NSM), which corresponds with their previous study findings.

In this context, Dr. Ikeguchi notes, To identify the semantic primes, NSM researchers studied numerous languages using traditional semantic methods. Intriguingly, the set of semantic primes includes three of our four central emotion-related concepts: GOOD,BAD, and WANT. This agreement supports our conclusion that the central concepts identified by colexification analysis could be shared by many languages rather than specific to English.

The findings of this study may offer novel insights into the evolution of languages and cross-cultural communication since words are considered to be intricately connected to emotions. The outcomes gain significance amid the increasing importance of comprehending natural language processing.

As Dr. Ikeguchi explains, Concepts associated with sentiments or emotions play an important role in the field of natural language processing, particularly sentiment analyses. The analysis methods enable us to identify semantically positive and negative orientations of written texts and have various applications in the real world.

A better understanding of natural language processing will also aid in the development of language processing algorithms and large language models (LLMs). LLMs are now used extensively for information processing and content generation. Globally, there is a trend of increasing investments aimed at enhancing and refining these models. Therefore, the findings of this study may have useful implications for the future of online communication.

Author: Hiroshi Matsuda Source: Tokyo University of Science Contact: Hiroshi Matsuda Tokyo University of Science Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. Central emotions and hubs in a colexification network by Tohru Ikeguchi et al. Scientific Reports

Abstract

Central emotions and hubs in a colexification network

By focusing on colexification, we detected central emotions sharing semantic commonalities with many other emotions in terms of a semantic relationship of both similarity and associativity. In analysis, we created colexification networks from multiple languages by assigning a concept to a vertex and colexification to an edge.

We identify concepts of emotions with a large weight in the colexification network and specify central emotions by finding hub emotions. Our resultant central emotions are four: GOOD, WANT, BAD, and LOVE.

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Universal Emotional Hubs in Language - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Addiction treatment pioneered by WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute featured on ’60 Minutes’ – West Virginia MetroNews

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. The work of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and Director Dr. Ali Rezai to help people suffering from Alzheimers disease and substance abuse disorder was the focus of the news magazine 60 Minutes on CBS Sunday evening.

Rezai, who was featured in two segments, said the addiction treatment uses a focused ultrasound on a specific area of the brain. He compared the effect of the ultrasound beam to rebooting the computer at home or work, or in this case, resetting the brain to remove cravings that allow the patient to focus on treatment and reduce detractors.

We are resetting the brain and allowing people more control, Rezai said during an appearance on MetroNews Talkline. Cutting the cravings and reducing them so people are not being driven by the next fix or the next drink because the cravings are down.

The process targets the area of the brain associated with addiction that malfunctions electronically and chemically, non-invasively. The procedure could become a groundbreaking treatment for many other disorders as well.

For addictions of all kindssubstances, alcohol, drugs, Rezai said. Its even for behavioral addictionseating disorders, gambling, or social media addiction.

Rezai said initial results suggest the treatments can give more control to the patient going through addiction treatment by reducing cravings. The patients are then more focused on the next aspect of recovery and growth.

The initial results are very encouraging in reducing cravings, drug intake, and even making people who have suffered for years and decades with addiction become abstinent, Rzai said.

The goal is to make this treatment available to more people, possibly in an out-patient setting. But, he described how the treatment is currently administered.

You come in, lay down in the MRI, a helmet goes on your head, and the ultrasound beam is delivered to the part of the brain involving addiction, then you get off the table and go home, Rezai said. Our goal is to work harder, do more research, and get more clinical trials.

For now, the treatment is reserved for those who have continued to suffer from addiction and have failed over a long period of time.

People who have tried in-patient treatment, residential treatment, and out-patient treatments and are taking medications and behavioral therapy are still failing, Rezai said. Even people who have overdosed or have had multiple overdoses, so its for people with severe addiction disorders.

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Addiction treatment pioneered by WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute featured on '60 Minutes' - West Virginia MetroNews

Neuroscience

Autism and Beyond: Unveiling Overlapping Neurotypes – Neuroscience News

Summary: A study has uncovered significant overlaps in neurodivergent traits among children diagnosed with autism.

The research, which evaluated medical records of children referred for autism assessments, revealed that 76.2% of these children also exhibited traits associated with other neurotypes such as ADHD. Over half (55.6%) of the children assessed for autism potentially met the criteria for ADHD, indicating a high level of co-occurrence.

This study, a pioneering effort in Scotland, emphasizes the need for holistic assessments in child neurodevelopment, considering multiple neurotypes for accurate diagnosis and tailored support.

Key Facts:

Source: University of Glasgow

Three quarters of children (76.2%) who were diagnosed with autism also had traits of other neurodivergent neurotypesincluding traits associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning and motor differencesaccording to a new study.

The researchled by the University of Glasgow andpublished inPLOS Onefound that more than half (55.6%) of children referred for autism assessment may also meet the diagnostic threshold for ADHD, and certainly have at least some significant ADHD traits.

The study only looked at a small selection of possible neurotypes, suggesting the actual number of children with autism and other neurotypes may be higher.

This study is believed to be the first time the level of overlap of different neurodivergences in children has been studied in Scotland, where services aim to move away from single neurotype assessments to a more holistic assessment model, where all possible overlapping neurotypes are explored and identified.

The research showed there was apositive associationbetween the number of neurodivergence detected and an earlier age of referral and also suggested that neurodivergent females were less likely than males to be identified before the age of five. However, despite clinical overlap and co-occurrence of neurodivergence in children, just 26% of those in the study with other traits were investigated for an additional underlying diagnosis.

For the study, the researchers evaluated anonymized medical records of children aged between two and 17 years old who were referred for anautismassessment, using validated questionnaires to assess for neurodivergent traits.

The research suggests that validated questionnaires may help clinicians identify co-occurring neurodivergence at the firstassessment, allowing for earlier support and the development of whole-system insight into a childs neurotype.

Dr. Jason Lang, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Neurodevelopment and Honorary Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, said, This study is extremely important, as it shows how vital it is to have aholistic approachto assessing children, to identify possible overlapping neurotypes properly. As well as a better understanding of the neurodivergent population as a whole, identifying a childs precise make and model will help provide better and more bespoke support for these children when needed.

However, it can be challenging for professionals to work across various neurotypes. As such, more work must be done to ensure services are truly holistic for overlapping traits to be properly identified. Our work suggests that one way to help is for services to use holistic questionnaires to gather this information.

And while this work is based inchildrens services, we would also recommend that similar studies be carried out in adult populations, where current approaches remain, to a large extent, siloed in approach.

Author: Jason Lang Source: University of Glasgow Contact: Jason Lang University of Glasgow Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. Towards system redesign: An exploratory analysis of neurodivergent traits in a childhood population referred for autism assessment by Jason Lang et al. PLOS ONE

Abstract

Towards system redesign: An exploratory analysis of neurodivergent traits in a childhood population referred for autism assessment

Childrens health services in many countries are moving from single condition diagnostic silo assessments to considering neurodevelopment in a more holistic sense. There has been increasing recognition of the importance of clinical overlap and co-occurrence of different neurotypes when assessing neurodivergent children. Using a cross-sectional service evaluation design, we investigated the overlap of neurodivergences in a cohort of children referred for autism assessment, focusing on motor, learning, and attention/activity level domains. We aimed to determine what proportion of children in a cohort referred for an autism assessment showed traits of additional neurodivergences, and what proportion were further investigated.

We evaluated anonymised medical records of children aged between two and 17 years referred for autism assessment. We used validated questionnaires to assess for neurodivergent traits. A weighted scoring system was developed to determine traits in each neurodevelopmental domain and a score above the median was considered to indicate a neurodivergent trait. Evidence of further investigations were recorded. We then examined the relationships between autism traits and traits of additional neurodivergence.

114 participants were included for evaluation. 62.3% (n = 71) had completed questionnaires for analysis. Of these, 71.8% (n = 51) scored greater than the median for at least one additional neurotype, indicating the presence of other neurodivergent traits, and 88.7% (n = 64) attracted a diagnosis of autism. Only 26.3% of children with evidence of additional neurotypes were further investigated beyond their autism assessment.

Our results demonstrate the extensive overlap between additional neurodivergent traits in a population of children referred with suspected autism and show that only a small proportion were further investigated. The use of standardised questionnaires to uncover additional neurodivergences may have utility in improving the holistic nature of neurodevelopmental assessments.

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Autism and Beyond: Unveiling Overlapping Neurotypes - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Emotional and Social Toll of Antidepressant Withdrawal – Neuroscience News

Summary: New research reveals that coming off antidepressants like Prozac can cause not only physical symptoms but also emotional, cognitive, and social difficulties.

The study involved in-depth interviews with 20 individuals who attempted to withdraw from SSRIs in the past year, highlighting the complex challenges they faced, including emotional overwhelm, reduced enjoyment in social situations, and a feeling of detachment.

Many participants managed their withdrawal with minimal medical support, emphasizing a need for more emotional support from GPs and flexible, patient-tailored tapering strategies.

While withdrawal often led to negative physical and social effects, some reported positive changes like a return to normal emotional states and improved physical health.

Key Facts:

Source: University of Bath

Coming off antidepressants is known to trigger physical symptoms, such as restlessness, fatigue and excessive sweating, but new research suggests people can also experience emotional and social difficulties, and changes in their thinking patterns when they stop taking antidepressants like Prozac.

This is especially true when people dont taper their medication but instead stop taking it suddenly, and when the process is not adequately supervised by a doctor.

Forthis study, researchers from the Universities of Bath and Bristol investigated the lived experiences of antidepressant withdrawal, and how it affects quality of life across multiple life domains.

They conducted in-depth interviews with 20 people who had attempted to withdraw from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, such as Prozac, in the last year.

Raqeeb Mahmood, a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Bath and first author of the study, said: From these interviews, it became clear that the lived experience of withdrawal significantly impacts individuals wellbeing. The participants emphasised that withdrawal is not just about physical side effects, but it also affected their emotional, cognitive, and social functioning.

Challenges reported by study participants included feeling overwhelmed by their emotions, finding social situations less enjoyable, and feeling detached and less empathetic towards others.

Some symptoms were so severe, family and friends of the person coming off medication encouraged them to go back on it, said Mr Mahmood.

Some patients found the early stages of withdrawal the first few days or weeks most challenging, while others struggled more in the later stages, which might come several months after they started trying to come off their medication.

The study, which has been published in the journalHealth Expectations, suggests patients often manage their withdrawal alone, due to limited GP involvement and a lack of NHS online resources or evidence-based guidance.

Mr Mahmood said: The study participants expressed a desire for more emotional support from their GPs and emphasised the importance of flexible tapering, where the process of coming off medication happens at a pace tailored to them.

They also mentioned the importance of people timing their withdrawal attempts for less stressful or busy periods in their lives, to give them a better chance of coming off them without experiencing significant difficulties.

Dr Graeme Fairchild, Reader in Psychology at Bath, senior author on the study and project co-supervisor, said: Some of the people described social situations as feeling like a chore they felt as if they were just going through the motions of regular life. They also talked about being more difficult to live with or felt that their partners or family members wanted them to go back on their medication.

These impacts of antidepressant withdrawal on peoples social relationships are less widely known but need to be communicated to patients considering coming off their antidepressants.

Dr Katherine Button, Senior Lecturer at Bath, study co-author and project co-supervisor, added: Over half of the participants described withdrawal negatively affecting their relationships with others, with family members getting the brunt of their increased snappiness, for example.

This is an important finding as family members are often a key source of social support so being prepared for these potential changes may help both the patient and their family navigate the withdrawal process.

All of the participants encountered negative physical withdrawal symptoms which were short-lived for some, but continued for several weeks or even months for others. However, some positive effects of withdrawal were also reported, such as people feeling like their emotions were returning to normal (rather than being blunted by their medication).

Some participants reported positive changes in their thinking patterns and found it easier to recall positive memories. Some also experienced positive physical health effects, including weight loss, and identified exercise as a crucial protective factor and coping mechanism.

Author: Chris Melvin Source: University of Bath Contact: Chris Melvin University of Bath Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access. The lived experience of withdrawal from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants: A qualitative interview study by Raqeeb Mahmood et al. Health Expectations

Abstract

The lived experience of withdrawal from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants: A qualitative interview study

Our knowledge of the broader impacts of antidepressant withdrawal, beyond physical side effects, is limited. Further research is needed to investigate the lived experiences of withdrawal, to aid clinicians on how to guide patients through the process.

To explore antidepressant users experiences and views on the withdrawal process and how it affected their quality of life across multiple life domains.

We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 20 individuals from the community who had attempted to withdraw from Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor antidepressants in the past year.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted online. A topic guide was used to ensure consistency across interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis.

Five themes were generated. The first highlighted the challenges of managing the release from emotional blunting and cognitive suppression following antidepressant discontinuation. The second related to the negative impact of withdrawal on close relationships and social interactions. The third showed that concurrent with negative physical symptoms, there was a positive impact on health (exercise was reported by some as a coping mechanism). The fourth theme focused on support from GPs and families, emphasising the importance of mental health literacy in others. The final theme underscored the importance of gradual and flexible tapering in enabling a manageable withdrawal experience,and the consideration of timing.

The lived experience of withdrawal significantly impacts individuals well-being. Participants emphasised that withdrawal is not just about physical side effects but also affects their emotional, cognitive, and social functioning.

Eight people attended individual online meetings to share their experiences of antidepressant withdrawal to help inform the study design and recruitment strategy. Insights from these meetings informed the development of the topic guide. Questions about GP involvement, family relationships, and mood and thinking changes were included based on this PPI work. This ensured the inclusion of topics important to antidepressant users and facilitated the researchers questioning during the interviews.

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Emotional and Social Toll of Antidepressant Withdrawal - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Lust Over Love: The Psychology and Impact of Modern Music – Neuroscience News

Summary: Over 40 years, popular music lyrics have shifted from themes of love to lust, as revealed by a study of Billboards Top 40 songs from 1971 to 2011. This analysis indicates a decline in songs featuring love or a mix of love and lust, contrasting with a rise in songs focusing solely on lust, particularly in hip-hop/rap.

These trends reflect broader cultural changes towards accepting sexuality outside traditional romantic relationships. The study also considers the impact of these lyrical themes on young listeners attitudes and behaviors towards sexuality.

Key Facts:

Source: Neuroscience News

The lyrical landscape of popular music has undergone a significant transformation over the last four decades. A meticulous analysis of Billboards Top 40 songs from 1971 to 2011 reveals an intriguing shift: the prevalence of love themes has declined, while songs focusing on lust, especially without love, have surged, particularly in the hip-hop/rap genre.

This evolution in lyrical content not only mirrors but also potentially molds societal norms, especially regarding sexuality outside of love relationships.

This research offers a novel perspective on how sexual desire (lust) and romantic desire (love) are depicted in popular music, an influential medium in shaping public consciousness, particularly among adolescents and young adults.

The findings highlight a cultural shift towards greater acceptance of sexuality outside traditional romantic contexts. The analysis, encompassing 360 songs, sheds light on the interplay between lust and love themes in music lyrics and their evolution over time.

The decrease in songs with love themes and those combining lust and love, coupled with the increase in songs emphasizing lust in the absence of love, reflects changing societal attitudes.

These trends are particularly pronounced in hip-hop/rap music, though the change transcends genres. This shift may influence cultural norms and indicate a societal move towards embracing sexuality beyond the confines of love relationships.

Adolescents and young adults, who rank mass media as a crucial source of sexual information, are heavily exposed to these themes. This exposure shapes their sexual attitudes and scripts, potentially due to their limited personal experience.

Popular music, containing more sexual content than other media directed at young people, plays a significant role in this dynamic. The high consumption of music by 8- to 18-year-olds, averaging 16 hours a week, underscores its impact.

The study also explores the portrayal of gender roles in popular music. It documents a trend towards stereotypical gender roles, with women often depicted as sexual objects for male pleasure, particularly in music videos. This portrayal varies by genre, with hip-hop and rap displaying more explicit sexual content and objectification.

Notably, the study also situates these findings within the broader context of changes in popular music over time. Since the 1960s, popular music has evolved in terms of sound, content, and themes.

This includes not just the shift in sexual content but also changes in emotional tone (like sadder-sounding music), loudness, pitch variability, and references to antisocial behavior and substance use. These changes are reflective of broader social and cultural shifts.

The studys methodology, focusing on the themes of lust and love in lyrics, offers a unique lens to understand these trends. Unlike previous research that often focused on specific sexual acts or objectifying content, this study broadly categorizes themes into expressions of sexual desire (lust) and romantic love (love).

This approach provides a clearer picture of the evolving interplay between these two themes in popular music.

One key finding is that the increase in lust-focused themes is not simply an increase in sexual content overall. Instead, it represents a shift in how sexuality is framed moving away from romantic contexts towards a more casual or non-relational approach.

This shift, particularly marked from the early 2000s, suggests a cultural trend towards normalizing sexuality outside of traditional romantic relationships.

The study also investigates potential mediators of these trends, like the gender of the artist and the musical genre. Interestingly, the gender of the artist did not significantly influence the themes of lust and love in the songs.

However, the genre had a notable impact, with hip-hop/rap featuring more lust-focused themes and less love-oriented content compared to other genres. This genre-specific trend aligns with previous findings about the portrayal of sexuality in hip-hop/rap music.

Despite these insights, the study acknowledges limitations and calls for future research. It suggests that more detailed analyses, including annual assessments and broader genre sampling, could provide a more nuanced understanding of these lyrical trends.

Additionally, it recognizes the need to explore the impact of these themes on the listeners, especially adolescents and young adults, who are most exposed to and influenced by popular music.

In conclusion, the study offers a comprehensive view of how popular music lyrics have shifted over four decades, reflecting and potentially influencing societal attitudes towards love and lust. It underscores the power of music as a cultural barometer and a medium that both mirrors and shapes public consciousness, especially in the realm of human sexuality.

Author: Neuroscience News Communications Source: Neuroscience News Contact: Neuroscience News Communications Neuroscience News Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Closed access. Love lies: A content analysis of romantic attachment style in popular music by McKell AJorgensen-Wells et al. Psychology of Music

Abstract

Love lies: A content analysis of romantic attachment style in popular music

During adolescence, music consumption drastically increases and many adolescents become romantically involved. Popular songs often depict romance, and teens may incorporate tenets of these lyrics into their own romantic experiences.

Romantic attachment style is a primary indicator of relationship functioning, and individuals attachment style may shift according to romantic experiences they observe in media.

This study comprises a content analysis of the romantic attachment style portrayed in popular song lyrics. Findings revealed that more than 86% of songs illustrated an insecure attachment and various song/artist characteristics were associated with specific attachment styles.

We assert that parents, teens, and educators should be mindful of the lyrics adolescents listen to, working together to ensure adolescents navigate musics messages about romance in a positive way.

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Lust Over Love: The Psychology and Impact of Modern Music - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

From baseball to neuroscience to the Big 12, Pat Suemnick is hitting his stride with West Virginia – Blue Gold Sports

Pat Suemnick has scored a career high in points in three of his last four games. However, if you ask Suemnick, basketball is the last sport he thought hed end up playing and his focus is on things that take place off the hardwood.

Growing up in Wisconsin, Pat Suemnick always excelled at basketball. But baseball was more of his sport early on in high school.

I thought I was going to be a baseball or football player and then I just kept growing, Suemnick said.

Suemnick went to Denmark High School, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. Suemnick said he was throwing at least 90 miles per hour in high school, but as he got taller, basketball seemed more realistic.

My dad is 6-foot, my mom is 5-foot-7. I didnt expect to be 6-foot-8. I kind of just played everything, Suemnick said. I never really pictured playing in the Big 12 as a kid. As I kept growing, got to be like a 6-foot-4 freshman in high school, I was like, man, I should probably start playing some basketball, maybe I can get my school paid for.

Suemnick would end his senior year in high school averaging 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in his final season. That year, Suemnicks squad went to the state championship game, ultimately falling short. For him though, making that game helped him get noticed by several schools.

I didnt have a single offer in high school until we made it to state. No ones watching us. Unless youre successful, unless youre making it. I was a 6-foot-8 kid, averaging three dunks a game. I had a game with 20 rebounds but no ones recruiting me, just because the area were in, Suemnick said.

From there, Suemnick attended prep school, going to the Bosco Institute in Crown Point, Indiana. In one season there he averaged 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds, getting him looks by many high major Division I programs. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, and the offers and contacts went away with it.

I was having a whole bunch of schools interested, Suemnick said. COVID hit, we never got to finish our season, and the schools were like, COVID is going to be gone in a month, youll just take the visit after. Obviously that didnt happen. Ended up losing all the big schools I thought I was going to end up going to.

With that, Robert Morris continued to contact Suemnick. He never stepped foot on their campus and didnt take a visit before committing.

Suemnick played in 16 games in his one season at Robert Morris but didnt see the floor much during his time there. He decided to leave RMU, and received heavy amounts of interest once again. This time for Suemnick, he went back to junior college, before coming to the type of place he thought he would have ended up all along.

Now in his second year with WVU, Suemnick has started to see his role expand. Some of it was not supposed to happen as Jesse Edwards went down with an injury. Suemnick got his first start on Dec. 30 against Ohio State.

He scored two late buckets to help send that game to overtime and has been playing with a increased amounts of confidence ever since then.

When they are playing better you can tell. You can tell that theyre carrying themselves differently, theyre carrying themselves with a lot more moxie and confidence, West Virginia interim head coach Josh Eilert said. Thats starting to help his mentality each and every day in practice and hopefully it continues to snowball in that direction.

Suemnick was a big reason why West Virginia beat No. 25 Texas this past Saturday, and if the Mountaineers are going to have success the rest of this season, he will have to continue to be a difference maker.

For Suemnick though, he recognizes life is more important than basketball. Suemnick has loftier goals off the court. Suemnick knows many recognize him as No. 24 Pat Suemnick on Mountaineer Basketball, but he says he knows there are things bigger than sports.

Theres a lot more behind the scenes. Im big into neuroscience and listening to ted talks and planning things that are a little bit bigger than sports for my life. Im always trying to promote being more than just an athlete, Suemnick said.

Suemnick said he doesnt have a set career path. He had to recently change his major to fit the basketball portion of being a student-athlete.

Its not really set up for you to be a neuroscience major and a basketball player, Suemnick said. Ive just been trying to take as much classes as I can that Im interested in but keep basketball as the main thing.

Suemnick hitting his stride on the court is no accident. He has somewhat waited his turn behind multiple big men over the last few seasons. He was thrust into a role that took him time to settle into. For him though, it goes deeper than basketball. While he may be slamming home dunks against the Longhorns, he still finds joy playing in softball leagues, or learning about the human body.

I guess every game you go out there just trying to do what you can, make the most of your opportunities, Suemnick said. Ive really just been capitalizing on the opportunities Ive been given.

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From baseball to neuroscience to the Big 12, Pat Suemnick is hitting his stride with West Virginia - Blue Gold Sports

Neuroscience

WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute reports breakthrough in treating Alzheimer’s – WV News

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