An analysis of positron emission tomography data in Korea found that higher family income was associated with increased neural activity (estimated through increased glucose metabolism) in the caudate, putamen, anterior cingulate, hippocampus, and amygdala regions of the brain of middle-aged men. These areas of the brain are involved in reward processing and stress regulation. The paper was published in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

Socioeconomic status refers to a person’s position in society based on income, education, and social standing. It is a powerful predictor of many life outcomes. Individuals with higher socioeconomic status tend to have better physical and mental health and to live longer. Lower socioeconomic status is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders.

Cognitive abilities, intelligence, and academic achievement also tend to be higher in individuals with higher socioeconomic status. These effects are thought to arise partly through neurobiological pathways shaped by long-term social and environmental exposure. Research in animals shows that social hierarchy can alter neurotransmitter systems, influencing motivation, stress sensitivity, and vulnerability to addiction.

In humans, differences in socioeconomic status have been shown to produce differences in language development, learning opportunities, and responses to reward as early as childhood. Later in life, higher socioeconomic status contributes to cognitive reserve, affecting how well individuals maintain cognitive function despite aging or brain pathology.

Study author Kyoungjune Pak and his colleagues wanted to explore the associations between neural activity in middle adulthood, education, and family income. They note that a lot of research has focused on children, young people, and the elderly, but that the number of studies on middle-aged adults is relatively low. On the other hand, this period of life is particularly important, as accumulated experiences and exposures associated with socioeconomic status can have lasting effects on brain health.

They analyzed positron emission tomography data of 233 healthy males who underwent a health check-up program at Samsung Changwon Hospital Health Promotion Center (in Changwon, South Korea) in 2013. Their average age was 43 years. Participants’ mean family income was 61,319 USD per year. On average, they completed 13–14 years of education. Study authors also included data from 232 men with missing socioeconomic status data for comparison to ensure the sample was representative.

In their analysis, study authors used positron emission tomography recordings of participants’ brains alongside data on family income and education level. They also used data on stress (collected using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), anxiety (the Beck Anxiety Inventory), and depression (the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale).

Results showed that individuals with higher family income tended to have a higher education level. Higher family income was also associated with increased glucose metabolism in the caudate, putamen, anterior cingulate, hippocampus, and amygdala regions of the brain.

This means that neural activity in these regions was higher in individuals with higher family income. These regions of the brain are involved in reward processing and stress regulation. Interestingly, education level was not associated with brain activity patterns.

“Family income and education level show differential associations with brain glucose metabolism in middle-aged males. Family income is associated with elevated brain glucose metabolism in regions involved in reward processing and stress regulation, suggesting a potential link between current socioeconomic resources and neural activity. However, these findings are cross-sectional and must be interpreted as associative rather than causal. Education level does not show a significant association with brain glucose metabolism,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of neural correlates of socioeconomic status. However, it is important to note that study participants were Korean middle-aged men, so it remains unknown how much these findings can be generalized to other demographic groups and other cultures.

The paper, “Family Income Is Associated With Regional Brain Glucose Metabolism in Middle-Aged Males,” was authored by Kyoungjune Pak, Seunghyeon Shin, Hyun-Yeol Nam, Keunyoung Kim, Jihyun Kim, Myung Jun Lee, and Ju Won Seok.

A study in China found that junior high school students who recall more maternal touch in childhood tend to manifest more prosocial behavior. Attachment to mothers might be a mediator of this relationship. The paper was published in the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth.

Maternal touch refers to physical contact initiated by a mother toward her child, such as holding, cuddling, skin-to-skin contact, or gentle stroking, especially during early development. Although it was long underemphasized in developmental research, recent studies show that maternal touch plays a crucial role not only in infants’ physical growth but also in cognitive, emotional, and social development.

Frequent maternal touch has been linked to better psychomotor development, reduced stress responses, improved emotional regulation, and stronger mother–child bonding. Health organizations now formally recognize its importance, as reflected in recommendations for immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth, particularly for preterm and low-birthweight infants.

Maternal touch is thought to support early attachment formation by providing comfort, safety, and a rewarding relationship experience. Secure attachment, in turn, is associated with greater empathy, emotional stability, and prosocial behavior later in life.

Theoretical models suggest that early tactile experiences may scaffold the development of human prosociality by shaping how children relate to others. Maternal touch also stimulates hormonal and neural processes that support caregiving, breastfeeding, and emotional connection.

Study authors Kuo Zhang and Jinlong Su wanted to explore the links between maternal touch experiences and prosocial behavior. They also wanted to see if the attachment pattern of a person is associated with this link. In their study, these authors decided to focus on adolescents because prosociality becomes relatively stable at that age. Prosociality is a tendency to display voluntary behaviors intended to benefit others, such as helping, sharing, cooperating, and showing empathy.

Study participants were 572 students from a public junior high school in western China. They were between 12 and 16 years of age, with the average being 13.56 years. Approximately 50% of them were boys. 61% of participating students were from rural areas.

Students completed an assessment of maternal touch experiences constructed by the study authors based on existing measures. It consisted of three items: ‘my mother usually held me in her arms when I was a little child’, ‘my mother usually held my hand when I was a little child’, and ‘my mother usually patted me as I fell asleep when I was a little child’.

They also completed assessments of prosocial behavior (the Prosocial Tendencies Measure), empathic concern (which study authors refer to as “sympathy”, using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index”), and mother-child affective attachment (the Experiences in Close Relationships – Relationship Structures Questionnaire).

Results showed that participants who reported more maternal touch in childhood tended to score higher on the prosocial behavior assessment, specifically regarding compliant prosocial behavior. Their attachment with their mother tended to be more secure and they tended to report more empathic concern. Empathic concern is the tendency to experience feelings of compassion, warmth, and concern for others who are distressed or in need.

Study authors tested a statistical model proposing that maternal touch leads to more secure affective attachment (i.e., less attachment anxiety and avoidance), and that this type of attachment, in turn, leads to more compliant prosocial behavior and more empathic concern. Results showed that attachment fully mediated these relationships.

“Our findings provided an initial empirical support for the touch-scaffolded prosociality model and suggested the importance of tactile interactions between mothers and children in daily parenting practice,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the importance of maternal touch in early childhood for children’s psychosocial development. However, it should be noted that information about maternal touch in early childhood came from self-reports based on recall in adolescence. This means that recall and reporting bias might have affected the results. Additionally, the design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results.

The paper, “Early maternal touch predicts prosocial behaviour in adolescents: the mediation role of attachment,” was authored by Kuo Zhang and Jinlong Su.

An analysis of U.S. Medicaid data found that 26.7% of autistic adults without intellectual disability had an ADHD diagnosis. This was the case for 40.2% of autistic adults with intellectual disability. The paper was published in JAMA Network Open.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by specificities in social communication, sensory processing, and patterns of behavior or interests. It is called a spectrum because its manifestations vary widely, from individuals who need substantial daily support to those who live independently.

Autism itself is not a disease and does not inherently imply poor health. However, autistic people have higher rates of certain co-occurring physical and mental health conditions compared with the general population. These commonly include anxiety, depression, ADHD, epilepsy, sleep disorders, and gastrointestinal problems.

Barriers to healthcare access, such as communication difficulties and lack of healthcare provider training for working with autistic individuals, can worsen overall health outcomes. Chronic stress from social exclusion, stigma, or masking autistic traits can negatively impact long-term physical and mental health. At the same time, when healthcare is accessible and appropriately adapted, autistic individuals can achieve health outcomes comparable to non-autistic peers.

Study author Benjamin E. Yerys and his colleagues note that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly co-occurring mental health conditions for autistic youths. At the same time, ADHD is associated with poorer health outcomes for both autistic and non-autistic children. These authors wanted to assess how often ADHD and autism occur together.

They analyzed Medicaid claims data from 2008 to 2019. Medicaid is a joint U.S. federal and state government health insurance program that provides free or low-cost medical coverage to people with low income, disabilities, or those meeting certain other eligibility criteria.

From these data, study authors constructed four groups: autistic individuals without intellectual disability, adults with intellectual disability without autism, autistic adults with intellectual disability, and (a random sample of) adult Medicaid enrollees without autism or intellectual disability. Only data of adults (i.e., 18 years of age and above) were analyzed.

The analysis included data belonging to a total of 3,506,661 individuals. Fifty-three percent were female, 20% were Black, 17% were Hispanic, and 60% were White.

The group without autism or intellectual disability had the lowest share of ADHD diagnoses at 2.7%. This percentage was 19% in the group with intellectual disabilities but without autism. In the group of autistic adults without intellectual disability, 26.7% had ADHD, and this was the case for 40.2% of autistic adults with intellectual disability.

Among people with an ADHD diagnosis, 36% of those without autism or intellectual disability were prescribed ADHD medication, while this was the case for 17.4% of individuals with intellectual disability (but no autism) and 26.8% of individuals who had both autism and intellectual disability. Forty-seven percent (46.7%) of participants with autism but no intellectual disability who were diagnosed with ADHD were prescribed ADHD medication.

“In this cohort study of Medicaid-enrolled adults, autistic adults experienced high rates of co-occurring ADHD and were more likely to receive ADHD medication prescriptions than adults in the general population. Negative health outcome rates are higher among autistic people with co-occurring ADHD, although ADHD medication prescriptions are associated with lower rates of negative health outcomes,” study authors concluded.

The study contributes to scientific knowledge about the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD. However, it should be noted that these data come solely from individuals enrolled in Medicaid. Results in the broader, non-Medicaid enrolled population may differ.

The paper, “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Medicaid-Enrolled Autistic Adults,” was authored by Benjamin E. Yerys, Sha Tao, Lindsay Shea, and Gregory L. Wallace.

A study on mice identified a group of neurons in the central amygdala region of the brain that display a unique pattern of increased activity during voluntary alcohol consumption. While these neurons also responded to other fluids, their activity was significantly higher when mice drank alcohol compared to when they drank sucrose or water. This unique response did not diminish over time. The paper was published in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry.

Alcohol use disorder is a chronic condition characterized by a problematic pattern of alcohol consumption that leads to significant distress or impairment in daily functioning. Despite treatment, relapses are frequent. Estimates suggest that around 30 million people in the U.S. alone are affected by it, which is around 9% of the population.

People with alcohol use disorder tend to have difficulty controlling how much they drink or how often they drink. They tend to continue drinking despite negative consequences. Common symptoms of this disorder include tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and spending a great deal of time obtaining, using, or recovering from alcohol.

Excessive alcohol drinking, characteristic of alcohol use disorder, increases the risk of liver disease, cardiovascular problems, and certain cancers. It also has substantial psychological and social consequences, including depression, anxiety, family conflict, and work-related difficulties.

Study author Christina L. Lebonville and her colleagues note that studies of rodents have revealed that the central amygdala is a key region of the brain for alcohol drinking behaviors, particularly in alcohol dependence. This region contains three groups of neurons (sub-nuclei) that differ in the type of neuropeptide they express.

Neuropeptides are small protein-like molecules that neurons use to communicate with each other and to regulate various functions of the body. Unlike neurotransmitters, neuropeptides are released more slowly and they act over a longer time span.

One of these groups of neurons produces dynorphin, a neuropeptide involved in stress, pain, and negative emotional states. They are called dynorphin-expressing neurons or CeADyn neurons.

Previous studies implicated their activity in excessive alcohol drinking both during acute and chronic alcohol exposure. They also showed that CeADyn neurons regulate both binge alcohol drinking and drinking enhanced by stress in individuals with alcohol dependence. The disruption of their activity reduced alcohol drinking.

This study was conducted on 35 prodynorphin-Cre mice. These are genetically engineered mice with genetic properties that allow researchers to selectively label, monitor, and manipulate their CeADyn neurons. Mice were 8–17 weeks of age at the start of the experiment. They had free access to food throughout the experiment and free access to water outside experimental drinking sessions.

The study authors performed a surgery on these mice during which they injected a virus into their central amygdala. This virus changed their DNA so that a fluorescent calcium sensor was expressed in their CeADyn neurons, allowing the authors to measure their activity. At the same time, they implanted a small optical fiber above this region allowing them to record neural activity through light signals (fiber photometry).

After recovery from surgery, mice were given access to different solutions for 2 hours per day, 5–6 days per week. In the first experiment, mice had access to 20% alcohol for 3 weeks, water for two weeks, and 0.5% sucrose for three weeks.

In the second experiment, mice first had access to solutions with different quinine concentrations, followed by water, water after 24 hours of water deprivation, a combination of 0.5% sucrose and low quinine concentrations, and 0.5% sucrose with high quinine concentrations. The study authors recorded the brain activity of the mice during these periods.

Results showed strong increases in CeADyn neuron activity after bouts of alcohol drinking compared to sucrose or water drinking. Behaviors specific for drinking alcohol, such as longer bout durations, did not fully explain the differences in the pattern of activity of these neurons when mice were drinking alcohol compared to when they were drinking something else.

“No other conditions or solutions tested reproduced the pronounced change in CeADyn activity associated with alcohol drinking. These findings support the presence of a unique functional signature for alcohol in a cell population known to control excessive alcohol drinking and further advance fiber photometric normalization and analytical methods,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the neural underpinnings of alcohol drinking behaviors. However, it should be noted that this study was done on mice, not on humans. While humans and mice share many physiological characteristics, they are still very different species. Findings on humans may differ.

The paper, “Alcohol drinking is associated with greater calcium activity in mouse central amygdala dynorphin-expressing neurons,” was authored by Christina L. Lebonville, Jennifer A. Rinker, Krysten O’Hara, Christopher S. McMahan, Michaela Hoffman, Howard C. Becker, and Patrick J. Mulholland.

A study conducted in Jordan found that primary school children’s dietary quality improved after 5 months of weekly gardening sessions and nutrition education. Their fiber intake increased, saturated fat intake decreased, and their overall knowledge of nutrition improved. The paper was published in Nutrients.

Childhood obesity has increased markedly over the past few decades, becoming a major public health concern worldwide. Rates have risen in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries, indicating that the trend is global rather than region-specific.

One of the strongest contributors to this increase is a shift in children’s diets toward energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Diets high in ultra-processed foods, added sugars, and saturated fats are associated with excess calorie intake and weight gain. Sugary drinks play a particularly important role, as they add substantial calories without promoting satiety. At the same time, consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber-rich foods has declined in many populations. Larger portion sizes and more frequent snacking have also normalized higher energy intake among children.

Study author Nour Amin Elsahoryi and her colleagues wanted to explore the effects of a five-month school-based vegetable gardening and education intervention on the body composition, dietary intake, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding vegetable consumption of primary school students (4^th – 6^th grade). They hypothesized that the gardening intervention would improve children’s dietary intake, body composition, and knowledge and attitudes about vegetable consumption.

Study participants were 216 4^th – 6^th grade students from two primary schools in Amman, Jordan. Their average age was 10 years. 88 of them were boys. 121 participants were from one school, and 95 were from the other school.

Students from one school were assigned to the intervention group, while those from the other participating school served as the control group. The intervention group participated in weekly 1-hour gardening exercises in a 1,000-square-meter garden built on land owned by the school where the intervention was taking place.

The garden contained self-irrigating raised beds with indigenous herbs and vegetables, and a separate storage shed to store tools and teaching materials. To facilitate the work, the school received the necessary gardening equipment, such as rakes, watering hoses, benches, gardening gloves, and composting bins, as well as educational material, tables, whiteboards, portable handwashing stations, and basic cooking instruments. Immediately after each gardening session, students participated in one-hour culturally adapted nutrition education sessions. These sessions were conducted by professionals trained in child-oriented nutrition education and behavioral modification.

Before and after the intervention, study authors measured participating students’ height and weight, asked them to report their dietary intake from the previous 24 hours, and assessed their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to vegetable intake.

Results showed that the intervention group lost 1.88 kg of weight, on average, while the control group showed minimal weight increases. The dietary quality of the intervention group improved. More specifically, the intervention group increased fiber intake (by 2.36 grams per day) and reduced saturated fat consumption (by 9.24 grams per day). The intervention group also showed better nutrition knowledge compared to the control group.

“This intervention effectively improved body composition, dietary quality, and nutrition knowledge among Jordanian primary school children. These findings provide evidence for implementing culturally adapted school gardening programs as childhood obesity prevention interventions in Middle Eastern settings, though future programs should incorporate family engagement strategies to enhance behavioral sustainability,” study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the potential effects of gardening interventions. However, it should be noted that dietary changes were self-reported, which left room for recall bias to have affected the results.

The paper, “A School-Based Five-Month Gardening Intervention Improves Vegetable Intake, BMI, and Nutrition Knowledge in Primary School Children: A Controlled Quasi-Experimental Trial,” was authored by Nour Amin Elsahoryi, Omar A. Alhaj, Ruba Musharbash, Fadia Milhem, Tareq Al-Farah, and Ayoub Al Jawaldeh.

A study of psychiatrists in Turkey found a strong correlation between the imposter phenomenon on one side, and burnout, maladaptive perfectionism, and compassion fatigue on the other. In other words, psychiatrists who experienced burnout, compassion fatigue, and maladaptive perfectionism were more likely to doubt their abilities and fear being exposed as frauds despite objective evidence of competence. The research was published in BMC Psychiatry.

The imposter phenomenon refers to a persistent feeling of intellectual or professional fraudulence despite clear evidence of competence and achievement. Individuals experiencing it tend to attribute their own success to luck, effort, or external factors rather than ability. It was first described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in the late 1970s.

The phenomenon is common among high-achieving individuals, particularly in competitive academic or professional environments. People with imposter feelings fear being exposed as incompetent by others. These feelings can coexist with objectively strong performance and external recognition. The imposter phenomenon is associated with anxiety, stress, and reduced job or academic satisfaction. It is not a mental disorder but a psychological pattern of self-evaluation. Social comparison, perfectionism, and minority or outsider status can intensify imposter experiences.

Study author Nur Nihal Türkel and her colleagues wanted to explore the relationship between the imposter phenomenon, burnout, and maladaptive perfectionism among mental health professionals. They note that because maladaptive perfectionism and the imposter phenomenon both stem from elevated expectations and feelings of inadequacy, they are likely to be related. Maladaptive perfectionism is a pattern of striving for unrealistically high standards accompanied by excessive self-criticism, fear of failure, and distress when those standards are not met.

Study participants were 160 psychiatrists from Turkey between 24 and 70 years of age. Study authors recruited them by sending emails to psychiatrists registered with the Turkey Psychiatric Association. The participants’ average age was approximately 34 years. 69% were women. 46% of them worked in university hospitals, and 37% worked in public hospitals.

Study participants completed an online survey that included assessments of burnout, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue (the Professional Quality of Life Scale), perfectionism (the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised), and the imposter phenomenon (the Clance Imposter Scale).

Results showed that individuals with a more pronounced imposter phenomenon tended to have more pronounced maladaptive perfectionism, compassion fatigue, and burnout. They also tended to experience lower compassion satisfaction and to be younger on average.

“This study found that burnout and maladaptive perfectionism impact the imposter phenomenon in psychiatrists. To mitigate the effects of the imposter phenomenon on mental health professionals, societal norms that contribute to burnout and perfectionism must be reassessed,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the psychological underpinnings of the imposter phenomenon. However, it should be noted that all study data was collected using self-reports, leaving room for reporting bias to have affected the results. Additionally, the cross-sectional design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results.

The paper, “The imposter phenomenon in psychiatrists: relationships among compassion fatigue, burnout, and maladaptive perfectionism,” was authored by Nur Nihal Türkel, Ahmet Selim Başaran, Hande Gazey, and İrem Ekmekçi Ertek.