Emotion processing

Recent articles

Illustration of ketamine blocking open ion channels in active NMDA receptors, quieting the cells and disrupting downstream signaling involved in depression.

Ketamine targets lateral habenula, setting off cascade of antidepressant effects

The drug’s affinity for overactive cells in the “anti-reward” region may help explain its rapid and long-lasting results.

By Olivia Gieger
4 September 2024 | 6 min read
Research image of microglia in rats.

Temperament is innate but hackable, animal studies suggest

Emotional reactivity and vulnerability to stress are largely inherited in rodents — but can be modified in early life by targeting inflammation-related cells or even just adjusting an animal’s environment.

By Holly Barker
23 January 2024 | 8 min read

Autism research hits the road

Some scientists are thinking creatively about how to collect data in flexible environments and meet communities where they’re at.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
8 December 2023 | 0 min watch
A cross-section of the human brain and limbic system
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Amygdala-linked brain areas grow differently in autism

The growth differences vary between autistic boys and girls and are most apparent among children with prominent social difficulties.

By Charles Q. Choi
13 July 2022 | 5 min read
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results

Null and Noteworthy: Halted vasopressin trial, intact visual memory, a new way to study emotions

In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, a large clinical trial goes sideways, while memory and emotions hold up.

By Laura Dattaro
10 March 2022 | 4 min read
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How an understudied trait has skewed autism studies for decades

Many autistic people have a little-known trait called alexithymia, defined as having difficulty identifying one's own emotions. New research suggests that the overlap has been confounding studies of emotional issues in people with autism for decades.

By Laura Dattaro
27 October 2021 | 9 min read
Photo: A boy in a yellow long-sleeve shirt washes his hands in a public restroom.
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Inflexible thinking in adolescence linked to emotional, behavioral issues in adulthood

Treating cognitive inflexibility — for example, by practicing problem-solving — might help ease anxiety and depression in autistic people.

By Emma Yasinski
22 October 2021 | 3 min read
Two people having an intense conversation, one unable to make direct eye contact.

Alexithymia, not autism, may drive eye-gaze patterns

How autistic people look at a face may be linked more to alexithymia, a condition marked by difficulties recognizing one's own emotions, than to autism.

By Laura Dattaro
14 June 2021 | 5 min read
Boy in front of colorful constellation or universe, studying the realms of outer space.

The benefits of special interests in autism

Researchers are studying how the intense passions of autistic people shape the brain, improve well-being and enhance learning.

By Emily Laber-Warren
12 May 2021 | 18 min read
Female teen in an institutional setting, blue light by widows, blinds drawn.

Emotional challenges predict hospital stays in autistic children

Autistic children who have difficulty managing their emotions are also likely to take medication and need assistance from emergency responders.

By Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky
24 February 2021 | 3 min read

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Kim Stachenfeld on the dance between neuroscience and artificial intelligence

As a researcher at both Google DeepMind and Columbia University, Stachenfeld offers cross-disciplinary insight into how to understand the brain.

By Paul Middlebrooks
11 September 2024 | 92 min listen
World map displaying an analysis of years of life lost to suicide among autistic people in 2021.

PPP2R5D gene; social-communication intervention in infants; autism and suicide

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 September.

By Jill Adams
10 September 2024 | 2 min read
Illustration with panels depicting two people working together at a computer and a high-five, and a lone researcher in the foreground, looking up.

Should I work with these people? A guide to collaboration

Kevin Bender offers advice for early-career neuroscientists on how to choose the right collaborations and avoid the bad ones.

By Kevin Bender
10 September 2024 | 7 min read