Patients living with fibromyalgia (FM) -- a disease that predominantly affects women and is characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and brain fog -- often find limited treatment options and a scarcity of explanations for their symptoms. Investigators have now found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can significantly reduce the burden of FM by, in part, reducing pain-catastrophizing, a negative cognitive and emotional response that can intensify pain through feelings of helplessness, rumination and intrusive thoughts. This finding is backed by neuroimaging data, evidencing reduced connectivity between regions of the brain associated with self-awareness, pain and emotional processing.
Read more …Cognitive behavioral therapy eases how fibromyalgia pain is experienced by the brain
A team of leading clinicians, engineers, and neuroscientists has made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of treatment-resistant depression. By analyzing the brain activity of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS), a promising therapy involving implanted electrodes that stimulate the brain, the researchers identified a unique pattern in brain activity that reflects the recovery process in patients with treatment-resistant depression. This pattern, known as a biomarker, serves as a measurable indicator of disease recovery and represents a significant advance in treatment for the most severe and untreatable forms of depression.
Read more …Decoding depression: Researchers identify crucial biomarker that tracks recovery from...
Hearing the sound of a newborn's wail can trigger the release of oxytocin, a brain chemical that controls breast-milk release in mothers, a new study in rodents shows. Researchers found that once prompted, this flood of hormones continues for roughly five minutes before tapering off, enabling mothers to feed their young until they are sated or begin crying again.
Read more …Newfound brain circuit explains why infant cries prompt milk release