Prosocial helping behavior, characterized by voluntary actions taken to benefit others, plays a vital role in promoting cooperation and maintaining social bonds across human and animal social groups. In this review, we examine key conceptual issues surrounding prosocial behavior, focusing specifically on targeted helping and comforting actions. We outline the behavioral paradigms used to study these

Hallucinations and delusions are often grouped together as positive symptoms of psychosis. However, recent evidence suggests that they may be driven by distinct computational and neural mechanisms. Examining the time course of their emergence may provide insights into the relationship between these underlying mechanisms.

Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a rapidly evolving topic in both neurology and psychiatry. A recent international consensus article defined criteria for possible, probable, and definite autoimmune psychosis (AP) inspired by the principles established in neurology for the definition of AE. This has stimulated much clinical research on AP but also criticism of the validity of the criteria for possible

In this study, we investigated the interplay between molecular measures of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) and conventional measures of family history (FH) on the risk of 4 psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BPD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in community samples of East Asian populations. We examined the individual and joint associations

Psychiatric disorders have complex genetic architectures with substantial genetic overlap across conditions, which may partially explain their high levels of comorbidity. This presents significant challenges to research. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have uncovered hundreds of loci associated with single disorders, but the genetic landscape of psychiatric disorders has remained largely obscure

Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) are uniquely human disorders with a complex pathophysiology that involves adverse neuropathological events in brain development. High disease polygenicity and limited access to live human brain tissue make these disorders exceedingly challenging to study mechanistically. Cellular cultures and brain organoids generated from human-derived pluripotent stem

As global gene discovery efforts move away from a historic Eurocentric focus and advance toward embracing more diverse populations, consideration of sociocultural aspects of bipolar disorder (BD) become critical to their success. Diversity can be leveraged to accelerate gene discovery, via different patterns of linkage disequilibrium that lead to greater resolution of mapping association signals, and

Echoes of natural and anthropogenic stressors not only reverberate within the physiology, biology, and neurobiology of the generation directly exposed to them but also within the biology of future generations. With the intent of understanding this phenomenon, significant efforts have been made to establish how exposure to psychosocial stress, chemicals, over- and undernutrition, and chemosensory experiences

COVID-19 lockdowns were linked to a surge in unhealthy food–related behaviors, potentially as an attempt to cope with disrupted social homeostasis. Here, we tested bidirectional associations between momentary psychological states and prospective food consumption and the moderation of these associations by quality and quantity of social interactions.

Long-term pharmacological treatment is the cornerstone of the management of bipolar disorder (BD). Clinicians typically select mood-stabilizing medications from among several options through trial and error. This process could be optimized by using robust predictors of treatment response. We review clinical features and biological markers studied in relation to outcome of long-term treatment of BD

The brain integrates multiple scales of description, from the level of cells and molecules to large-scale networks and behavior. Understanding relationships across these scales may be fundamental to advancing understanding of brain function in health and disease. Recent neuroimaging research has shown that functional brain alterations that are associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs)

Repeated use of addictive drugs produces long-lasting and prepotent drug-cue associations that increase vulnerability for relapse in individuals with a substance use disorder. Epigenetic factors, such as HDAC5 (histone deacetylase 5), play a key role in regulating the formation of drug-cue associations, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

The current study aimed to identify classes of cognitively impaired older individuals based on their neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) and to investigate the contribution of NPS class to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Cannabis use is common, particularly during emerging adulthood when brain development is ongoing, and its use is associated with harmful outcomes for a subset of people. An improved understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying risk for problem-level use is critical to facilitate the development of more effective prevention and treatment approaches.

Tourette disorder (TS) is characterized by motor hyperactivity and tics that are believed to originate in the basal ganglia. Postmortem immunocytochemical analyses has revealed decreases in cholinergic (CH), as well as parvalbumin and somatostatin GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) interneurons (INs) within the caudate/putamen of individuals with TS.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. There has been substantial progress in identifying genetic variants that underlie AUD. However, whole-exome sequencing studies of AUD have been hampered by the lack of available samples.

Chronic social isolation alters behavior across animal species. Genetic model organisms such as mice and flies provide crucial insight into the molecular and physiological effects of social isolation on brain cells and circuits. Here, we comparatively review recent findings regarding the function of conserved neuropeptides in social isolation in mice and flies. Analogous functions of 3 classes of

Longitudinal changes in cognitive function may be crucial in predicting clinical outcomes in clinical high-risk (CHR) individuals. In this study, we aimed to investigate the predictive value of baseline cognitive impairment and short-term cognitive changes for nonremission and conversion to psychosis in individuals at CHR for psychosis compared with healthy control individuals (HCs).

Long-term fear memory storage involves gradual reorganization of supporting brain regions over time, a process termed systems consolidation. Memories initially rely on the hippocampus but gradually shift dependence to the neocortex. Although hippocampal activity drives this transfer, the molecular basis of systems consolidation is largely unknown. DNA methylation changes accompany persistent fear memory

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition caused by exposure to traumatic events that affects 5% to 10% of the population, with increased prevalence among women and individuals in war zones. Beyond psychological symptoms, PTSD induces significant physiological changes across systems. Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology (PNIE) offers a framework to explore these complex interactions

The persistence of cocaine-evoked adaptations relies on gene regulations within the reward circuit, especially in the ventral striatum (i.e., nucleus accumbens [NAc]). Notably, activation of the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway in the striatum is known to trigger a transcriptional program shaping long-term responses to cocaine. Nuclear calcium signaling has also been shown to control

Meal variety promotes overconsumption by delaying sensory-specific satiety (SSS), the transient reduction in reward value of a recently consumed food. Despite its role in meal cessation, the neuroendocrine mechanisms that underlie SSS are largely unknown.

Innovative treatments for paranoia, which significantly impairs social functioning in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs), are urgently needed. The pathophysiology of paranoia implicates the amygdala–prefrontal cortex (PFC) circuits; thus, in this study, we systematically investigated whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the ventrolateral PFC can attenuate paranoia and improve

Certain cognitive processes require inhibition provided by the somatostatin (SST) class of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This inhibition onto pyramidal neuron dendrites depends on both SST and GABA signaling. Although SST messenger RNA (mRNA) levels are lower in the DLPFC in schizophrenia, it is not known whether SST neurons exhibit alterations

Valid scalable biomarkers for predicting longitudinal clinical outcomes in psychiatric research are crucial for optimizing intervention and prevention efforts. Here, we recorded spontaneous speech from initially abstinent individuals with cocaine use disorder (iCUDs) for use in predicting drug use outcomes.

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious psychiatric disorders with an estimated 3.3 million healthy life-years lost worldwide yearly. Understanding the course of illness, diagnostic transitions and remission, and their associated genetic correlates could inform both ED etiology and treatment. We investigated occurrences of ED transitions and presumed remission and their genetic correlates as captured by

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric condition with unclear etiology and no established biomarkers. Here, we aimed to characterize the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome in euthymic individuals with BD to identify potential protein biomarkers.

Fine motor challenges are prevalent in autistic populations. However, little is known about their neurobiological underpinnings or how their related neural mechanisms are influenced by sex. The dorsal striatum, which comprises the caudate nucleus and putamen, is associated with motor learning and control and may hold critical information. We investigated how autism diagnosis and sex assigned at birth

Minimally verbal children with autism are understudied and lack effective treatment options. Personalized continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) targeting the amygdala and its circuitry may be a potential therapeutic approach for this population.

Opioid use disorder remains a critical health care challenge because current therapeutic strategies have limitations that result in high recurrence and deaths. We evaluated the safety and feasibility of focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation to reduce substance cravings and use in severe opioid and co-occurring substance use disorders.

Early in life, behavioral and cognitive traits associated with risk for developing a psychiatric condition are broad and undifferentiated. As children develop, these traits differentiate into characteristic clusters of symptoms and behaviors that ultimately form the basis of diagnostic categories. Understanding this differentiation process—in the context of genetic risk for psychiatric conditions,

Empathy, which is typically regarded as a positive attribute, is now being critically evaluated for its potential negative implications for mental health. A growing body of research indicates that excessive empathy, particularly a high level of affective empathy, can lead to overwhelming emotional states, thereby increasing susceptibility to psychological distress and psychiatric disorders. In this

There is an increasing awareness that B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated athanogene (BAG) proteins play critical roles in maintaining neural homeostasis and that their dysregulation contributes to neurological disorders. This protein family, which comprises 9 members, is evolutionarily conserved, with each member having at least one BAG domain that binds to the nucleotide-binding domains of Hsp70

Identifying neurobiological targets predictive of the molecular neuropathophysiological signature of human opioid use disorder (OUD) could expedite new treatments. OUD is characterized by dysregulated cognition and goal-directed behavior mediated by the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and next-generation sequencing could provide insights regarding novel targets.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with altered brain function related to processing of negative emotions. To investigate neural correlates of negative valence in OCD, we pooled functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 633 individuals with OCD and 453 healthy control participants from 16 studies using different negatively valenced tasks across the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging

The rise of social media has profoundly altered the social world, introducing new behaviors that can satisfy our social needs. However, it is not yet known whether human social strategies, which are well adapted to the offline world we developed in, operate as effectively within this new social environment. Here, we describe how the computational framework of reinforcement learning (RL) can help us

Understanding the heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is crucial for advancing precision medicine specifically tailored to this disorder. Recent research has deepened our understanding of AD heterogeneity; however, translating these insights from bench to bedside via neuroimaging heterogeneity frameworks presents significant challenges. In this review, we systematically revisit prior studies

Pharmacological interventions are a cornerstone of psychiatric practice. The taxonomies used to classify these interventions influence the treatment and interpretation of psychiatric symptoms. Disease-based classification systems (e.g., antidepressant and antipsychotic) do not reflect the fact that psychotropic agents are used across diagnostic categories or account for the dimensional nature of both

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) consists of repetitive, nonaccidental movements that result in physical damage inflicted upon oneself, without suicidal intent. SIB is prevalent among children with autism spectrum disorder and can lead to permanent disability or death. Neuromodulation at a locus of neural circuitry implicated in SIB, the nucleus accumbens (NAc), may directly influence these behaviors

Copy number variations (CNVs) have emerged as crucial genetic factors that influence a wide spectrum of human health outcomes, with particularly strong associations to psychiatric disorders. In this review, we present a synthesis of diverse impacts of psychiatric disorder–associated CNVs on neurodevelopment, brain function, and physical health across the lifespan. Large-scale studies have revealed

Psychiatric disorders pose an enormous economic and emotional burden on individuals, their families, and society. Given that the current analysis of the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders remains challenging and time consuming, elucidating modifiable risk factors is crucial for the diagnosis and management of psychiatric disorders. However, inferring causal risk factors for these disorders from

Glutamatergic signaling is essential for modulating synaptic plasticity and cognition. However, the dynamics of glutamatergic activity over the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, particularly in relation to sleep, remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate diurnal variations in brain Glx levels—representing the combined concentrations of glutamate and glutamine—in humans and to explore

Chronic social defeat stress is a widely used depression model in male mice. Several proposed adaptations extend this model to females with variable, often marginal effects. We examined if the widely used male-defined metrics of stress are suboptimal in females witnessing defeat.