Child Psychology News

August 10, 2026

Top Headlines

Scientists Say Just 7 Days of Meditation Can Rewire Your Brain

Aug. 8, 2026 An intensive seven-day meditation retreat triggered striking changes across the brain and body, including shifts tied to neuroplasticity, immunity, metabolism, and natural pain relief. Participants also showed brain connectivity patterns resembling ...

Teen Cannabis Use Linked to Slower Memory and Thinking Growth

Aug. 7, 2026 Teens who start using cannabis may experience slower growth in memory, attention, language, and processing speed. Their abilities often developed normally at first, then began leveling off while nonusers continued improving. THC appeared to be the ...

Wearable Ultrasound Patch Boosts REM Sleep Without Drugs or Surgery

Aug. 7, 2026 A new wearable patch may help people reach REM sleep faster and remain there longer without medication or surgery. In a study of 28 participants, the device shortened the time to REM by 43 minutes and extended it by about 16 minutes. Researchers ...

Your Brain May Be Wired to Regain Lost Weight

Aug. 3, 2026 Weight loss is not simply a test of willpower. The human brain evolved to protect body fat during times of scarcity, and it can treat a previously higher weight as the new normal, triggering stronger hunger, cravings, and lower energy use after ...

A Single Dose Reversed Autism-like Symptoms in Adult Mice Within Hours

July 25, 2026 Even mild inflammation during pregnancy led mouse offspring to develop persistent brain overactivity, sensory sensitivity, repetitive behaviors, and increased seizure risk. Remarkably, one dose of rapamycin improved nearly all of these problems ...

Magic Mushrooms May Reshape the Brain Long After the Trip Ends

July 22, 2026 A single dose of psilocybin produced measurable changes in brain activity and possible changes in brain structure that lasted for up to a month. Participants who experienced the greatest increase in flexible, varied brain activity also reported more ...

Watching Too Much TV in Midlife May Shrink the Brain

July 21, 2026 Watching television very often in midlife may be linked to troubling brain changes decades later. In a study of about 1,700 adults, frequent TV viewers later showed smaller brain regions involved in memory, decision-making, and visual processing, ...

Common Constipation Drug May Help Clear Depression Brain Fog

July 15, 2026 An existing constipation drug may have an unexpected new use: helping clear the "brain fog" that often lingers after depression. In a small clinical trial, people with a history of depression who took the medication prucalopride for about a week ...

Scientists Discovered the Brain Doesn't Make Decisions the Way We Thought

July 13, 2026 A new study suggests the brain begins making decisions much earlier than scientists previously thought. Researchers found that even primary sensory regions are influenced by higher brain areas through rapid feedback loops, rather than simply passing ...

Second Pregnancy Changes the Brain in Surprising New Ways

July 11, 2026 Researchers found that every pregnancy rewires the brain in its own way, with a second pregnancy bringing a different pattern of changes than the first. The discoveries could lead to better ways to recognize and treat maternal mental health ...

Massive Study Links Teen Marijuana Use to Double the Risk of Serious Mental Illness

June 27, 2026 Teens who use cannabis may face a substantially greater risk of developing serious mental health conditions, including psychotic and bipolar disorders, according to a study of more than 463,000 ...

They Knew the Pill Was Fake but Their Memory Still Improved

June 25, 2026 Healthy older adults experienced measurable improvements in memory, physical performance, and stress after taking placebo pills for just three weeks. The most surprising finding was that the placebo often worked even when participants knew the pills ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:52am EDT

Your Dreams Aren’t Random. Your Brain Is Rewriting Reality

July 27, 2026 Dreams are not random mental noise. A large study of more than 3,700 dream and waking reports found that what we experience during sleep is shaped by both our personalities and the world around us. ...

Modern Neuroscience Is Rediscovering an Idea Freud Had 130 Years Ago

July 1, 2026 What if Sigmund Freud was onto something that modern neuroscience is only now beginning to explain? A new paper argues that today's leading theory of the brain—as a prediction machine constantly ...

New Brain Study Reveals Speech Learning Works Differently Than We Thought

June 23, 2026 A new study suggests that learning and remembering speech relies more on how the brain processes sounds and sensations than on the areas that control mouth and face movements. The discovery could ...

Yale Study Finds Nearly Half of Older Adults Improved With Age

June 21, 2026 A long-term Yale study is challenging one of the biggest myths about aging. Nearly half of adults over 65 improved physically, mentally, or both over time, despite the common belief that aging means ...

A Daily Probiotic May Help Relieve Depression and Anxiety

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 ...

Scientists Found an Early Depression Clue Hidden in Children’s Eyes

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 ...

Why Middle Age Is Becoming a Breaking Point in the U.S.

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, ...

Why Grandparents Matter More Than Ever for Children's Mental Health

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 ...

Scientists Mapped Every Neural Connection in a Fruit Fly and Found a Surprise

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 ...

Scientists Reverse Anxiety by Fixing a Tiny Brain Circuit

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 ...

Brain Scans Reveal Two Distinct Types of Autism

June 3, 2026 Scientists have uncovered evidence that autism may include at least two biologically distinct subtypes, each marked by a different pattern of brain communication. By combining brain scans from nearly ...

This Simple Blood Test Might Detect Depression Before Symptoms Appear

May 4, 2026 A new study suggests depression may soon be detectable through a simple blood test—by tracking how certain immune cells age. Researchers found that accelerated aging in monocytes, a type of white ...

A Hidden Map in Your Nose Could Explain How Smell Works

Apr. 30, 2026 Scientists have finally cracked one of the biggest mysteries in the senses: how smell is organized. By mapping millions of neurons in mice, researchers discovered that smell receptors in the nose ...

Your Dreams Aren’t Random. Here’s What’s Really Happening

Apr. 28, 2026 Dreams are more structured than they seem, shaped by both personal traits and real-world experiences. Researchers found that the brain doesn’t just replay daily life—it reshapes it into ...

The Creepy Feeling in Old Buildings Might Have a Surprising Cause

May 3, 2026 A hidden force may be quietly shaping how you feel—and you’d never even know it. Infrasound, an ultra-low-frequency vibration below the range of human hearing, is everywhere from traffic to old ...

Scientists Just Discovered What Coffee Is Really Doing to Your Gut and Brain

May 3, 2026 Coffee doesn’t just energize—it actively reshapes the gut and mind. Researchers found that both caffeinated and decaf coffee altered gut bacteria in ways linked to better mood and lower stress. ...

Scientists Discover Gut Bacteria That May Help Protect Against Autism and ADHD

June 2, 2026 A major study suggests that some of the groundwork for brain development may be shaped before birth through a surprising partnership between a baby’s genes and gut microbes. Researchers found that ...

Study Finds Dangerous Lead Levels in Children’s Clothing

Apr. 2, 2026 Fast fashion might come with a hidden danger: lead. Researchers testing children’s shirts from multiple retailers found every sample exceeded U.S. safety limits, raising concerns about toxic ...

Fathers Face Rising Depression Risk a Year After Baby Arrives

Mar. 24, 2026 New fathers appear to have fewer mental health diagnoses during pregnancy and the early months after birth. But that early stability does not last. About a year later, depression and stress-related ...

Weight Loss Drug Ozempic Linked to Lower Depression and Anxiety Risk

May 4, 2026 GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide—best known for treating diabetes and driving weight loss under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy—may also deliver a surprising mental health boost. In a massive ...

A Gene Mutation May Trap the Brain in the Wrong Reality in Schizophrenia Patients

Apr. 3, 2026 A newly identified gene mutation may help explain why schizophrenia patients struggle to update their understanding of reality. The mutation disrupts a brain circuit involved in flexible ...

Weight Loss Drug Ozempic Cuts Depression, Anxiety, and Addiction Risk

Mar. 22, 2026 GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic) may offer unexpected mental health benefits alongside weight loss. A large study found major drops in depression, anxiety, and psychiatric-related ...

Huge Study Finds No Evidence Cannabis Helps Anxiety, Depression, or PTSD

Mar. 20, 2026 The largest review of medicinal cannabis to date found it doesn’t effectively treat anxiety, depression, or PTSD—despite millions using it for those reasons. Researchers warn it could even make ...

Scientists Link Childhood Stress to Lifelong Digestive Issues

Mar. 17, 2026 Early life stress may set the stage for long-term digestive problems by disrupting the gut-brain connection. Studies in both mice and thousands of children found links to symptoms like pain, ...

A Surprising Blood Protein Pattern May Reveal Alzheimer’s

Mar. 12, 2026 A new study suggests Alzheimer’s disease may be detectable through subtle shape changes in proteins found in the blood. Researchers discovered that structural differences in three blood proteins ...

This Ancient Sea Creature May Already Have Had a Brain

Mar. 6, 2026 Advanced 3D reconstructions of the comb jelly’s aboral organ reveal a sensory system far more complex than scientists expected. The organ contains a wide variety of specialized cells and is closely ...

New Drug Cuts Seizures by Up to 91% in Children With Rare Epilepsy

Mar. 4, 2026 A new experimental drug is showing remarkable promise for children with Dravet syndrome, a severe genetic form of epilepsy. In clinical trials, the treatment zorevunersen cut seizures by as much as ...

Scientists Discover the Brain’s Hidden “stop Scratching” Switch

May 10, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a hidden “stop-scratching” signal in the nervous system that tells your brain when enough scratching is enough. The discovery centers on a molecule called TRPV4, which ...

Sugary Drinks Linked to Rising Anxiety in Teens

Feb. 18, 2026 Sugary drinks may be linked to more than just physical health problems in teens. A new review of multiple studies found a consistent association between high consumption of beverages like soda, ...

Doing This Throughout Life May Cut Alzheimer’s Risk by 38%

Apr. 15, 2026 A lifetime of mental stimulation—like reading, writing, and learning new skills—may help protect the brain as we age. People with the highest levels of cognitive enrichment had a much lower risk ...