Neuroscapes Neurofeedback

05/21/2026

05/19/2026

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05/19/2026

For people living with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD, standard therapies don't always provide enough relief. This is especially true for refugee populations, who often carry complex trauma layered with ongoing stressors like displacement, language barriers, and loss.

A recent feasibility study published in PMC examined neurofeedback therapy for chronic treatment-resistant PTSD among refugees. The results were encouraging: participants showed improved cognitive control and attentional focus, with measurable changes in brain activity (normalization of the P3 amplitude), alongside reductions in PTSD symptoms.

Neurofeedback addresses PTSD at the level of brain function, training neural patterns associated with hyperarousal and impaired attention to normalize over time. For people who haven't responded fully to talk therapy or medication, it offers a different pathway.

Find qualified providers at isnr.org.

05/17/2026

Yes! Our clients in their mid-80's are seeing the SAME changes as younger clients in terms of anxiety, insomnia, and improved cognitive functioning.

SWEDISH SCIENTISTS CONFIRM ADULTS CAN GROW NEW BRAIN CELLS EVEN INTO OLD AGE RESHAPING NEUROSCIENCE AND OPENING DOORS TO THERAPIES FOR MEMORY, MOOD, AND COGNITION.

05/17/2026

We absolutely love this characterization of ADHD: that a hugely advantageous reason for ADHD is having an abundance of curiosity. 🙏🏼

ADHD is officially a disorder of deficits in attention, behavior and focus. But patients point out upsides, like curiosity. Research is now catching up.

05/15/2026

FMRI studies are finally showing what neurofeedback providers already know - because we see it every day.

Neurofeedback trains the brain to decrease symptoms of rumination and depression. And, the more often you train, the more you experience symptom relief.

A new study uses real-time fMRI neurofeedback to help depression patients reduce rumination by training specific brain circuits in a gamified environment.

05/12/2026

Yet another reason why DSM-5 diagnosis is problematic and potentially quite skewed - DSM committee members received millions in funding from pharmaceutical companies. Those working on diagnoses that most respond to medications received the most money. Coincidence? I think not.

Objective To assess the extent and types of financial ties to industry of panel and task force members of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , fifth edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR), published in 2022. Design Cross sectional analysis. Sett...

05/08/2026

New research shows gut microbes from socially anxious teens induce anxiety-like behaviors and brain changes in rats.

05/07/2026

We know saffron is more effective for depression than antidepressants. Now, another study is showing positive effects in folks with ADHD - comparable to treatment with Ritalin!!

A 2022 clinical study published in National Library of Medicine compared 30 mg/day of saffron extract (Saffr’Activ) against methylphenidate in children and teenagers aged 7–17 with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Researchers found saffron’s overall effectiveness was comparable to the commonly prescribed stimulant medication. Interestingly, saffron appeared more effective for reducing hyperactivity symptoms, while methylphenidate remained stronger for attention-related symptoms.

The study was conducted because many parents are hesitant about long-term stimulant medication use due to side effects and were looking for alternative options. Researchers described saffron as a “natural stimulant” and used both objective testing and behavioral assessments during treatment. The findings suggest saffron may have potential as a complementary or alternative option for some children with ADHD, although larger randomized trials are still needed to confirm long-term effectiveness and safety.

PMID: 36235697
PMCID: PMC9573091

05/03/2026

It’s about time science is recognizing that inflammation and childhood adversity, amongst other environmental and lifestyle factors, are the likeliest culprit for mental health issues alongside and interacting with genetics.

🧠🔬 Psychiatry has long operated on a neurotransmitter model of mental illness — too little serotonin causes depression, too much dopamine causes psychosis. That framework is being fundamentally displaced. A sweeping 2025 meta-analysis from the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany, analyzing neuroimaging, biomarker, and post-mortem brain tissue data from over 50,000 patients across 12 major psychiatric conditions, found that neuroinflammation — chronic activation of microglial cells and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the brain — is present in virtually every major mental health disorder studied, including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, OCD, anorexia, and autism spectrum disorder.

The evidence points to neuroinflammation not merely as a correlate of mental illness, but as a primary causal driver. Chronically activated microglia release IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, which disrupt synaptic transmission, impair neurogenesis, destroy myelin integrity, and — critically — suppress the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway, redirecting the building blocks of serotonin synthesis toward the production of neurotoxic quinolinic acid instead. This single metabolic shift may explain both the serotonin deficit in depression and the concurrent glutamate dysfunction in psychosis — unified by a common inflammatory trigger.

What ignites the neuroinflammation? The German team identified a convergent set of upstream triggers: gut dysbiosis, early life adversity, chronic sleep disruption, obesity, viral infections (particularly herpesvirus family members), and air pollution. Anti-inflammatory interventions — including minocycline, celecoxib, omega-3 fatty acids, and microbiome modulation — are now in Phase II and III trials for multiple psychiatric conditions.

Treating mental illness as brain inflammation may be the reframing that psychiatry has needed for a generation. 🌍

Source: Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Molecular Psychiatry, 2025

What are your thoughts on this shift from a 'chemical imbalance' to a 'brain inflammation' model? How might this change the future of mental healthcare?

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only.

05/02/2026