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AI Suicide-Risk Agent Detected 91.5% vs. ChatGPT Health

MHD featured image for AI suicide-risk safety-agent research.

A 2026 preprint found that an independent supervisory safety agent detected suicide-risk signals in 205 of 224 synthetic evaluations, compared with 41 of 224 for native ChatGPT Health crisis safeguards.1 The result is a strong benchmark signal for external monitoring, not proof that AI systems can safely manage suicidal patients without human oversight. Research Highlights …

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Women With Problematic Sexual Behavior Had Higher NSSI Risk

MHD featured image for non-suicidal self-injury and problematic sexual behavior.

A 2026 preprint combining 2,189 university participants with 477 clinical patients with problematic sexual behavior found a gender-specific self-harm signal: women with problematic sexual behavior had higher non-suicidal self-injury risk, but clinical severity of problematic sexual behavior did not predict NSSI inside the patient cohort.1 Research Highlights Total sample was 2,666 people: Jiang et al. …

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Single-Session tDCS Fails Working-Memory Test in Schizophrenia

Stylized illustration of tDCS electrodes positioned over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on a brain outline, with a pre-post working-memory task in the foreground, representing the null-result trial in schizophrenia.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been pitched as a scalable cognitive-enhancement tool for schizophrenia, where roughly 98% of patients show working-memory deficits, but a 2026 sham-controlled crossover trial from Ke et al. delivered the standard 1.5 mA anodal protocol over the right DLPFC to 27 stable patients and found no detectable benefit over sham.1 …

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Pregnancy Inflammation Linked to 79% Lower Postpartum Anxiety Odds

Stylized illustration of a pregnant silhouette with overlay of immune cells and a postpartum anxiety questionnaire, illustrating the inverse association between pregnancy inflammation indices and postpartum anxiety risk.

The depression-inflammation literature has firmly established that elevated inflammatory markers track with mood symptoms, but a 2026 study of 14,419 postpartum women from Xie et al. found the opposite pattern for postpartum anxiety: women with higher second-trimester platelet-neutrophil products and related immune-inflammation indices had substantially lower postpartum anxiety risk.1 Research Highlights Higher second-trimester PPN was …

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Schizophrenia Risk Genes Reshape Microglial Pruning in CRISPR Screen

Stylized microglial cell engulfing synaptic material with CRISPR gene-editing elements, representing schizophrenia risk genes altering synaptic pruning.

Schizophrenia’s genetic architecture sits awkwardly between neurons and the immune system. A 2026 CRISPR screen of 30 schizophrenia-associated genes in human microglia-like cells found that several risk genes meaningfully alter how microglia engulf synaptic material, supporting the synaptic-pruning model at the functional gene level.1 Research Highlights 30 schizophrenia risk genes were knocked out one by …

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ALS Anxiety: 18% State, 14% Trait in 433 Patients

MHD featured image for anxiety and depression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

In 433 non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, clinically significant anxiety was present in 18.2% for state anxiety and 13.9% for trait anxiety. The strongest predictor was not motor severity, cognition, or caregiver-rated behavior; it was depression, especially cognitive-affective depression symptoms.1 Research Highlights ALS anxiety was measurable but not universal: Aiello et al. found clinically …

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Anxiety Biomarkers: gp130, MMP-1, APRIL in 190 Adults

Stylized illustration of an anxious silhouette overlaid with vials and three biomarker labels (gp130, MMP-1, APRIL), representing the inflammation-anxiety biomarker associations in the Cancer Disparities Research Network cohort.

The link between psychological stress and chronic inflammation is well-documented — what’s been less clear is which specific inflammatory proteins move with anxiety in real-world community samples. A 2026 analysis from Loomans-Kropp et al. measured a 33-marker panel in 190 minoritized and medically underserved adults from the Cancer Disparities Research Network and identified three biomarkers …

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