This review from Sophie Holmes and Gwenn Smith highlights findings from molecular imaging studies revealing widespread alterations in the brain that may contribute to cognitive decline and elevated risk of dementia in late-life depression
What beats summer sunshine? 🌞
Reading top-notch science while soaking up rays 😎
See below for the latest from NPP #ThisWeekInNPP
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Rapid computational markers of decision-making predicted daily smoking and cessation outcomes. Higher craving and depressive symptoms forecast more smoking; first-week data alone predicted treatment success
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Knockdown of enkephalin in the dorsal raphe nucleus raised pain sensitivity and odor aversion while lowering sucrose preference and social interaction—identifying a non-serotonergic population that promotes reward
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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In a rat model, offspring of dams given uncontrolled gestational oxycodone showed more drug taking and seeking than offspring of self-administering dams, despite similar exposure. Effects were strongest in females
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In this study, turning off one 🧠 pathway reduced drug seeking—but turning off another made it worse, illustrating “inhibitory” optogenetics can have opposite effects depending on the circuit, revealing new insights into relapse vulnerability
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Heavy drinkers showed elevated brain acetate oxidation, which dropped after ~1 week of abstinence but normalized to light-drinker levels by 1 month. Alcohol-related shifts in acetate metabolism appear reversible
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Adolescent cannabis use tracked with lower subcortical tissue iron in dopamine-rich regions (VTA, pallidum, thalamus), an MRI proxy for dopamine neurophysiology. Concentrates showed stronger links than flower
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This recent study suggests that MDMA's primary effect limits trauma-driven alcohol escalation rather than enhancing extinction learning in 🐀 / Gavan McNally Shalini Arunogiri Leigh Walker
Neuropsychopharmacology - Rapid and reliable computational markers of decision-making for predicting daily smoking behavior and smoking cessation treatment outcomes
Neuropsychopharmacology - Contrasting roles of secondary motor cortex projections to the dorsolateral and dorsomedial striatum in incubation of cocaine-seeking
Neuropsychopharmacology - MDMA alters fear extinction, and reduces alcohol consumption in inbred alcohol preferring iP rats but not outbred Wistar rats
