Concurrent use of alcohol and cannabis leads to higher levels of drinking in the longer term

Co-existing use of alcohol and cannabis can lead to negative outcomes such as the development of a substance-use disorder, poor academic and occupational performance, and psychiatric disorders when compared to use of either drug alone. New research that examines simultaneous alcohol/cannabis use has found higher levels of drinking after 18 months. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

Neuroimaging Study Reveals Functional and Structural Brain Abnormalities in People with Post-Treatment Lyme Disease

In a study using specialized imaging techniques, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report distinctive changes in the “white matter” and other brain tissue physiology of those with post-treatment Lyme disease, a condition affecting 10% to 20% of the nearly half a million Americans who contract Lyme disease annually.

Human Cocaine and Heroin Addiction Is Found Tied to Impairments in Specific Brain Circuit Initially Implicated in Animals

Study results suggest the pre-frontal cortex-habenula circuit is potentially amenable for targeted interventions and prevention.

Artificial Intelligence Reveals Links Between Individual Differences in Brain Anatomy and Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms

Differences in behavior among people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are closely related to differences in neuroanatomy – the shape of a brain – a team of Boston College neuroscientists report today in the journal Science. This discovery could help to understand the causes of ASD, and to develop personalized interventions.

New advances in brain region targeting may support future research in treating visual hallucinations in psychiatric patients

A literature review in Harvard Review of Psychiatry indicates that, while transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has rarely been used in treating visual hallucinations (VH) among patients with psychiatric disorders, recent advances in neuroimaging technology show promise in helping tES to more effectively treat VH in psychiatric disorders where VH are a core symptom. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Neurological Complications of COVID-19 in Children: Rare, but Patterns Emerge

While neurological complications of COVID-19 in children are rare, in contrast to adults, an international expert review of positive neuroimaging findings in children with acute and post-infectious COVID-19 found that the most common abnormalities resembled immune-mediated patterns of disease involving the brain, spine, and nerves. Strokes, which are more commonly reported in adults with COVID-19, were much less frequently encountered in children. The study of 38 children, published in the journal Lancet, was the largest to date of central nervous system imaging manifestations of COVID-19 in children.

Compassion meditation may ease anxieties related to coronavirus, says WVU meditation expert

Practicing social distancing is one way to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, but practicing emotional closeness may help alleviate the anxiety that the coronavirus can provoke.  Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, a research assistant professor in the West Virginia University Department…

Brain model offers new insights into damage caused by stroke and other injuries

A University at Buffalo neuroimaging researcher has developed a computer model of the human brain that more realistically simulates actual patterns of brain impairment than existing methods. The novel advancement represents the union of two established approaches to create a digital simulation environment that could help stroke victims and patients with other brain injuries by serving as a testing ground for hypotheses about specific neurological damage.