News Mentions for the week of November 27, 2023

Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, explains how and why people feel lonely and how they can use evidence-based tools to increase feelings of connectedness. This post also features a new animated video created by Maya Adam, clinical associate professor of pediatrics.

A Kentucky commission agreed Tuesday to simplify its grant application process, then had a robust discussion about its chair’s proposal to spend up to $42 million on clinical trials that could lead to legalization of the psychedelic drug ibogaine for treatment of opioid-use disorder. An excerpt from a letter encouraging rigorous, thoughtful and ethical research of therapeutic treatments sent in by Robert Malenka, the Nancy Friend Pritzker professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is quoted.

An estimated 18.1 million cancer survivors live in the United States, and that number is expected to exceed 22 million by 2030. This positive trend — due to advances in detection and treatment — has created challenges for the clinical community. Catherine Benedict, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is quoted on the topic.

The staff of The New York Times Book Review choose the year’s standout fiction and nonfiction. Congratulations to Daniel Mason, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, whose book, "North Woods" is included on the list!

A new partnership between Vaden Health Services and the program Art Pharmacy taps into the power of experiences like taking a poetry workshop or attending a photography exhibit for enhancing student well-being. James Jacobs, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, executive director of Vaden Health Services, and associate vice provost, provides comment.

We value something more if we’ve put a lot of sweat equity into it - neuroscientists may have figured out the biochemical basis of why. Neir Eshel, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Rob Malenka, Nancy Friend Pritzker professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and colleagues began conducting experiments to learn more about wanting versus liking and what, if any, role dopamine secretion in the brain plays in each of these states. Learn more about their findings in this Stanford Medicine article.

Some people can close their eyes and instantly drop into a deep slumber. But others need a specific set of routines, conditions or mental exercises to signal to our brain that it is time to release its grip on consciousness. Rafael Pelayo, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is quoted.

In encouraging news for people recovering from alcohol use disorder, new research demonstrates how quickly the brain can repair its structure once drinking ceases. Timothy Durazzo, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.