Reference Terms
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Psychopharmacology
Psychopharmacology is the study of drug-induced changes in mood, thinking, and behavior. These drugs may originate from natural sources such as plants and animals, or from artificial sources such as chemical syntheses in the laboratory. These drugs interact with particular target sites or receptors found in the nervous system to induce widespread changes in physiological or psychological functions. The specific interaction between drugs and their target sites or receptors is referred to as drug action. The widespread changes in physiological or psychological function is referred to as drug effect. In psychopharmacology, researchers are interested in a wide range of drug classes such as antidepressants and stimulants. Drugs are researched for their pharmaceutical properties, physical side effects, and psychological side effects.
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Mind & Brain News
June 17, 2026
June 17, 2026 A Rutgers study suggests GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may weaken the link between impulsive tendencies and violent behavior. The surprising finding hints that these medications could affect how people act on impulses, though researchers ...
June 17, 2026 Exposure to a common plastic chemical before and shortly after birth may have lasting effects on behavior. Researchers found that male rats exposed early in life to DEHP—a plasticizer used in products ranging from medical devices to toys—showed ...
June 17, 2026 A small clinical trial suggests that probiotics may offer a surprising mental health boost for older adults with depression. Seniors who took a daily probiotic alongside their regular antidepressant treatment experienced slightly greater ...
June 16, 2026 Depression appears to change what children notice in the faces around them, but the effect depends on family history. Kids with a higher inherited risk became more focused on sadness, while lower-risk children lost some of their natural attention to ...
June 16, 2026 Diabetes and dementia appear to be closely intertwined, with each condition potentially influencing the other. Problems with insulin and glucose can affect the brain’s energy supply, increase inflammation, and damage blood vessels linked to memory ...
June 16, 2026 A copper-based compound restored the brain’s ability to clear toxic Alzheimer’s proteins, dramatically reducing amyloid buildup and improving memory in laboratory experiments. The findings point to a potentially fast-tracked new treatment ...
June 15, 2026 A large-scale study suggests that men with higher levels of the amino acid tyrosine may have shorter lifespans, potentially losing close to a year of life expectancy. The finding is especially intriguing because tyrosine is commonly associated with ...
June 13, 2026 A new international study finds that middle-aged Americans are lonelier, more depressed, and experiencing worse memory and health than earlier generations. Researchers say growing financial strain, weaker social supports, and chronic stress may ...
June 13, 2026 A three-year study of nearly 4,000 adults ranging from age 19 to 94 found that brain health can improve at any age, challenging the common belief that mental sharpness must decline as we get older. Participants spent just a few minutes a day on ...
June 13, 2026 A child psychologist says grandparents are more important than ever as youth mental health challenges continue to rise. He argues that children need supportive relationships, meaningful conversations, and a sense of purpose—not just pressure to ...
June 13, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising new genetic cause of a rare movement disorder after analyzing nearly 3,000 patients with conditions affecting coordination and muscle control. The team identified mutations in a gene called CD99L2, previously ...
June 13, 2026 A new experimental vaccine developed by Scripps Research could offer a powerful new way to prevent fentanyl overdoses by stopping the drug before it reaches the brain. Rather than targeting only fentanyl itself, the vaccine trains the immune system ...
Latest Headlines
updated 12:56 pm ET
June 13, 2026 Learning a musical instrument later in life may help keep the brain younger for longer. In a four-year study, older adults who continued practicing maintained their memory performance and showed less ...
June 12, 2026 Researchers discovered that mutations linked to blood cancers may help trigger Alzheimer’s disease by creating overly inflammatory immune cells in the brain. The unexpected finding could lead to ...
June 10, 2026 Researchers gave top AI models a classic attention test used in psychology and found a major flaw. While the models could correctly name colors in short lists, their performance deteriorated sharply ...
June 10, 2026 A groundbreaking new connectome maps every neural connection in an adult fruit fly’s central nervous system, creating an unprecedented view of how ...
June 10, 2026 A major study suggests glucosamine, a popular supplement for joint pain, could be linked to faster progression from mild cognitive impairment to ...
June 9, 2026 “Chemo brain” affects up to 80% of people receiving chemotherapy, making everyday tasks harder. In a new trial, cancer patients who followed a ...
June 9, 2026 A study of more than 2,100 adults found that eating more ultra-processed foods was linked to poorer attention and slower mental processing, even among people with otherwise healthy diets. Researchers ...
June 8, 2026 Researchers have identified a new Alzheimer’s target and created an experimental compound that blocks a damaging process inside brain cells. In mice, the treatment slowed nerve cell loss, reduced ...
June 8, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a key brain signal that helps us break old habits and adapt when circumstances suddenly change. By watching mice navigate a virtual maze, researchers found that ...
June 3, 2026 A newly identified group of amygdala neurons appears to play a central role in anxiety and social behavior. Restoring normal activity in this tiny brain circuit reversed anxiety and social deficits ...