Cognitive inflexibility in ASD affects more than behaviour: “Addressing CI could have wide-ranging benefits.”

https://www.acamh.org/research-digest/cognitive-inflexibility-contributes-to-both-externalising-and-internalising-difficulties-in-asd
#MentalHealthResearch #Autism #Anxiety

Explanation for mental health professionals

The brief highlights a mechanistic link between a specific protein, FTL1, and neural connectivity with downstream effects on memory. This sheds light on how molecular processes may contribute to cognitive aging and associated functional changes, offering a basis for understanding similar patterns in clients experiencing age-related memory decline or cognitive symptoms. The report also notes that downregulation of FTL1 led to recovery of connections and memory performance in animal models, illustrating a potential target pathway for future interventions and informing conversations about the biological dimensions of aging and cognition.

Article Title: Scientists found a protein that drives brain aging — and how to stop it

Link to Science Daily Mind-Brain News: https://www dot sciencedaily dot com/releases/2026/04/260405065236 dot htm

Scientists have uncovered a powerful new clue in the mystery of brain aging: a single protein called FTL1. In aging mice, higher levels of this protein weakened connections between brain cells and led to memory decline. But when researchers reduced FTL1, something remarkable happened — the brain began to recover, rebuilding lost connections and restoring memory performance.<br>
via Mind & Brain News -- ScienceDaily https://www dot sciencedaily dot com/news/mind_brain/<br>
April 5, 2026 at 07:08AM

#BrainAging #FTL1 #MemoryRecovery #Neuroscience #MentalHealthResearch

Copy and paste broken link above into your browser and replace "dot" with "." for link to work.

We have to do it this way to avoid display of copyrighted images.

“High IGD symptoms at age 10 and 12 years predicted decreased anxiety symptoms 2 years later.”

https://www.acamh.org/research-digest/does-an-internet-gaming-disorder-prospectively-predict-psychiatric-symptoms
#MentalHealthResearch #Anxiety

“Julie Arsandaux and colleagues recruited 131 high-school students (mean age 11.”

https://www.acamh.org/research-digest/should-we-pay-more-attention-to-self-esteem-in-young-people
#MentalHealthResearch

Most interventions targeted at-risk youth, not those reporting loneliness. “Very few interventions actually targeted those who reported loneliness.”

https://www.acamh.org/research-digest/interventions-for-reducing-loneliness-seem-effective-in-young-people
#MentalHealthResearch

The article examines how different kinds of childhood maltreatment are linked to distinct patterns of brain development, with effects varying by age and sex. It highlights that abuse and neglect relate to specific structural brain differences that emerge more clearly in young adulthood, especially among females. The study uses normative modeling and large international samples to differentiate trauma-related brain changes from normal variation.

This work is of interest to psychology readers because it sheds light on how early experiences shape neural development in ways that depend on type of adversity, sex, and developmental stage, informing theories of vulnerability and resilience.

Article Title: Different types of childhood maltreatment appear to uniquely shape human brain development

Link to PsyPost Article: https://www.psypost dot org/different-types-of-childhood-maltreatment-appear-to-uniquely-shape-human-brain-development/

Copy and paste broken link above into your browser and replace "dot" with "." for link to work. We have to do it this way to avoid displaying copyrighted images.

#childhoodmaltreatment #braindevelopment #trauma #normativemodeling #mentalhealthresearch

“Anxious or inattentive children were more likely to remain unpartnered across early adulthood”

https://www.acamh.org/research-digest/childhood-behaviour-patterns-linked-with-romantic-partnering-in-adulthood
#MentalHealthResearch #ADHD #ConductDisorder