Reduced grey matter in frontal lobes linked to teenage smoking and nicotine addiction
15 August 2023Findings may demonstrate a brain and behavioural basis for how nicotine addiction is initiated and then takes hold in early life, say scientists.
Chemical imbalance in the forebrain underpins compulsive behaviour and OCD
27 June 2023Neuroscientists say that the findings are a “major piece of the puzzle” in understanding OCD, and could open up new lines of treatment.
A mental health revolution
07 October 2021Cambridge-led computerised cognitive assessments transform early detection and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Marmoset study identifies brain region linking actions to their outcomes
24 June 2021Researchers have discovered a specific brain region underlying ‘goal-directed behaviour’ – that is, when we consciously do something with a particular goal in mind, for example going to the shops to buy food.
Cambridge University and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore establish new research centre to support lifelong learning
06 October 2020A new research centre focused on improving support for lifelong learning and cognitive agility opened on 1 October 2020 in Singapore.
‘Mental rigidity’ at the root of intense political partisanship on both left and right – study
29 August 2019Latest research shows that reduced cognitive flexibility is associated with more 'extreme' beliefs and identities at both ends of the political spectrum. Researchers say that “heightening our cognitive flexibility might help build more tolerant societies”.
Deep brain stimulation may significantly improve OCD symptoms, study suggests
07 March 2019The debilitating behaviours and all-consuming thoughts, which affect people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), could be significantly improved with targeted deep brain stimulation, according to new research published today.
‘Cognitive flexibility’ associated with voting attitudes in EU Referendum, study finds
16 April 2018Latest research combining social and political surveys with objective cognitive testing suggests that “cognitive flexibility” contributes to formation of ideology. The study finds correlations between cognitive thinking styles and support for Brexit.
The OCD Brain: how animal research helps us understand a devastating condition
28 March 2017OCD can be a devastating condition: therapy and medication often doesn’t work, leaving many people unable to hold down a job or a relationship – or even to leave their house. In our series of films, science writer David Adam looks at how research at Cambridge using animals helps us understand what is happening in the brain – and may lead to better treatments.
Patients with OCD have difficulty learning when a stimulus is safe
06 March 2017People who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are poorer at learning about the safety of a stimulus than healthy volunteers, which may contribute to their struggles to overcome compulsive behaviour, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.
