Resting-state fMRI studies of postpartum depression have produced inconsistent results for years. A 2026 voxel-based meta-analysis pooled 12 studies of 475 patients and found 4 reliable regional differences (amygdala, precuneus, occipital, precentral cortex) at uncorrected thresholds, none of which held up under strict family-wise error correction.1 Research Highlights 12-study fMRI pool: Chen et al. analyzed …
A 228-person randomized trial found a split result for workplace mental-health apps: executive-function training reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms at 12-week follow-up, while a self-guided CBT app improved workplace wellbeing without reducing symptoms.1 The mechanism claim was weaker than the outcome claim because measured executive-function change did not explain the improvements. Research Highlights 228 adults …
A 40-person pilot trial found depression remission in 69% of adults who did 30 minutes of moderate exercise before individual CBT, compared with 33% of adults who did a calming pre-CBT activity.1 Compared with a broad “exercise boosts therapy” claim, acute exercise is a plausible priming step; the alliance and activation mechanisms still need a …
A 2026 qualitative study of a 10-week Danish Arts on Prescription program found that young adults aged 18 to 30 often described more stable daily routine, confidence, and belonging, but some activities also caused stress, fatigue, or discomfort.1 The useful interpretation is structured creative groups may help some disconnected young adults rebuild daily life when …
A 99-patient randomized trial found that adding esketamine to sufentanil patient-controlled analgesia lowered postoperative depression and anxiety scores at 24 and 72 hours after colorectal cancer surgery, while resting and activity pain scores did not differ by group.1 That pattern makes the result more interesting than simple pain relief: the mood signal was partly independent …
A 2026 Add Health analysis found that combining major-depression and alcohol-use-disorder polygenic scores added 4.88% variance for comorbid MDD-AUD prediction, while same-trait scores added only 0.65% for MDD and 1.52% for AUD alone.1 The genetic signal is strongest where the clinical problem is hardest: depression plus alcohol-use disorder, not either diagnosis in isolation. Research Highlights …
A 2026 longitudinal study involving 951 adolescents found 5 emotion-regulation profiles, not the 3-profile structure the researchers expected, and the clearest mental-health separation came from the adaptive and maladaptive profiles.1 Teen coping looked less like a single good-versus-bad scale and more like a pattern of motives, strategies, and beliefs about whether those strategies work. Research …