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(https://www.psypost.org/study-links-infant-temperament-adhd-symptoms-and-childhood-maltreatment/) Study links infant temperament, ADHD symptoms, and childhood maltreatment
Dec 4th 2024, 08:00

An analysis of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study found that negative emotionality—the tendency to experience frequent and intense negative emotions—in infancy was associated with maltreatment at ages 5 and 9. Children with higher negative emotionality as infants also tended to exhibit more severe ADHD symptoms at age 9. This research was published in (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/development-and-psychopathology/article/longitudinal-association-between-infant-negative-emotionality-childhood-maltreatment-and-adhd-symptoms-a-secondary-analysis-of-data-from-the-fragile-families-and-child-wellbeing-study/9269896DD313E1B23259053B3445478F) Development and Psychopathology.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that interfere with daily functioning or development. It typically begins in childhood but can continue into adulthood. Symptoms of inattention include difficulty focusing, organizing tasks, and following through on instructions, while hyperactivity and impulsivity manifest as restlessness, excessive talking, or acting without thinking.
ADHD affects between 6% and 7% of children and is more common in boys. While ADHD has high heritability, multiple environmental factors might influence the risk of developing the disorder. One such factor is childhood maltreatment—specifically experiences of abuse and neglect, particularly during early childhood.
Study authors Dennis Golm and Valerie Brandt hypothesized that infants with difficult temperaments might be more likely to experience maltreatment, which in turn could increase the risk of ADHD later in life. Additionally, ADHD symptoms, once developed, might further increase the likelihood of maltreatment.
The researchers note that previous studies have already established associations between children’s temperament, parental stress, and harsh parenting. This is particularly evident when negative emotionality is considered a key aspect of the child’s temperament. Negative emotionality is a personality trait characterized by a tendency to experience frequent and intense negative emotions, such as anxiety, sadness, irritability, or anger, in response to stress or challenges.
The researchers analyzed data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which followed a birth cohort of 4,898 children born between 1998 and 2000. This study intentionally included a large proportion of unmarried mothers (3,600). Study participants were recruited from 75 hospitals across 20 cities in the United States.
The data used for this analysis included assessments of negative emotionality in infancy (measured using three items from the Emotionality, Activity, and Sociability Temperament Survey), childhood maltreatment in middle childhood (using selected items from the Conflict Tactics Scale), and ADHD symptoms (measured with the Child Behavior Checklist).
Results showed that children with higher negative emotionality at 1 year of age were more likely to experience maltreatment at ages 5 and 9. They also tended to exhibit more severe ADHD symptoms at age 5, but not at age 9. Furthermore, ADHD symptoms at age 5 were predictive of maltreatment experiences at age 9. In other words, children with more severe ADHD symptoms at age 5 were slightly more likely to experience maltreatment at age 9. Finally, children who experienced more maltreatment at age 9 tended to show more severe ADHD symptoms at the same age.
“The bidirectional relationship between ADHD and experiences of maltreatment highlights the need to identify early shared risk factors to prevent negative downstream effects of maltreatment and ADHD symptoms. Understanding these risk factors would enable social and clinical services to better support families at risk,” the study authors concluded.
The study sheds light on the links between temperament, ADHD, and childhood maltreatment. However, given the high heritability of ADHD, it is possible that parental ADHD influences the dimensions of temperament related to this disorder in their children, thereby contributing to the observed associations.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579423000457) The longitudinal association between infant negative emotionality, childhood maltreatment, and ADHD symptoms: A secondary analysis of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study,” was authored by Dennis Golm and Valerie Brandt.

(https://www.psypost.org/mind-diet-slows-cognitive-decline-in-older-adults-but-effects-vary-by-race/) MIND diet slows cognitive decline in older adults, but effects vary by race
Dec 4th 2024, 06:00

A new study published in (https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.14277) Alzheimer’s & Dementia provides evidence that the MIND diet—a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets—may help slow cognitive decline in older adults, though its effects vary by race. While both Black and White participants showed benefits, White adults needed only moderate adherence to the diet to see improvements, whereas Black adults required stricter adherence.
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are growing public health concerns, particularly for underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Black and Hispanic older adults have higher rates of dementia than their White counterparts, often due to a combination of socioeconomic disparities, healthcare access issues, and vascular risk factors.
While dietary patterns like the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets are known to benefit cognitive health, most existing research has focused on predominantly White populations. This new study aimed to investigate whether the MIND diet’s protective effects against cognitive decline apply across diverse racial groups and whether benefits differ within specific racial and gender subgroups.
“I am a trained nutritionist and a nutritional epidemiologist and was always interested in learning more about the preventive aspects of nutrition for various diseases, specifically neurodegenerative diseases of aging where there are very limited cures,” said study author Puja Agarwal, an assistant professor at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center.
The MIND diet emphasizes the consumption of 10 brain-healthy food groups, including leafy green vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and a moderate amount of wine, while limiting five unhealthy food groups such as red meats, butter, cheese, sweets, and fried or fast foods. By focusing on foods rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and nutrients linked to better cognitive function, the diet is designed to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
For their study, the researchers used data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), a long-term study of older adults in Chicago neighborhoods. The study involved 5,259 participants aged 65 and older, 62% of whom were Black. Participants were followed for an average of nearly eight years, undergoing periodic cognitive tests and dietary assessments.
Diet was measured using a modified Harvard Food Frequency Questionnaire, which asked participants about their intake of 144 food items. From this, researchers calculated MIND diet scores on a scale from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater adherence to the diet’s guidelines.
Cognitive function was assessed using a battery of tests that measured memory, attention, and processing speed. The researchers analyzed how changes in MIND diet scores corresponded to changes in cognitive performance over time. They also adjusted their analyses for factors such as age, education, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and vascular health.
The findings confirmed that adherence to the MIND diet was associated with slower cognitive decline in older adults.
“Eating healthy may help your brain age slower,” Agarwal told PsyPost. “We found that the MIND diet may prevent cognitive decline with aging in both non-Hispanic White and Black older adults. We found that adding one MIND diet-recommended component or limiting any unhealthy component resulted in a rate reduction of cognitive decline equivalent to being two years younger in age.”
However, the relationship between diet and cognitive function was not uniform across racial groups. Among White participants, moderate adherence to the diet—scoring around 7 out of 15 on the MIND diet scale—was sufficient to observe cognitive benefits. In contrast, Black participants needed stricter adherence, scoring at least 8.5, to experience similar effects. This difference suggests that the diet’s protective impact may be influenced by broader social, environmental, or biological factors that vary by race.
Interestingly, the diet’s effectiveness for Black participants diminished when researchers adjusted for lifestyle and vascular health factors, such as physical activity, hypertension, and diabetes. In White participants, however, the association between the MIND diet and slower cognitive decline remained strong, even after accounting for these factors. These findings suggest that disparities in health and lifestyle factors could play a significant role in shaping how dietary patterns influence cognitive aging in different populations.
The researchers also uncovered gender-specific trends within racial groups. Among White participants, women benefited more from the MIND diet than men, suggesting potential biological or behavioral differences in how diet impacts cognition. No such gender differences were observed among Black participants, highlighting the need for further investigation into how intersecting factors like race, gender, and lifestyle interact with diet to affect brain health.
“Different risk factors impact brain health, and these risk factors vary in diverse populations who are underrepresented in Alzheimer’s research,” Agarwal explained. “We need more studies in this space, as diet varies by race/ethnicity, geographical location, socioeconomic status, and personal preferences.”
“Additionally, we need to further examine and understand the mechanistic link between diet and cognition in different subgroups with varying degrees of vascular and lifestyle factors or preexisting comorbidities. With recent advancements in science, using novel biomarkers may help us better understand the role of nutrition in brain health and may help design more targeted nutrition interventions for dementia prevention.”
“Our future goal is to further understand culturally appropriate diets as a critical lifestyle modification to reduce dementia risk in populations at higher risk and explore the factors that impact them.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14277) Association of MIND diet with cognitive decline among Black and White older adults,” was authored by Puja Agarwal, Lisa L. Barnes, Klodian Dhana, Xiaoran Liu, Yanyu Zhang, Todd Beck, Marilyn C. Cornelis, Christy Tangney, and Kumar B. Rajan.

(https://www.psypost.org/gazing-at-your-dog-can-connect-your-brain-with-theirs-research-shows/) Gazing at your dog can connect your brain with theirs, research shows
Dec 3rd 2024, 16:00

It might sound far-fetched, but (https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202402493) recent research suggests that dogs’ and humans’ brains synchronise when they look at each other.
(https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202402493) This research, conducted by researchers in China, is the first time that “neural coupling” between different species has been witnessed.
Neural coupling is when the brain activity of two or more individuals aligns during an interaction. For humans, this is often in response to a conversation or story.
Neural coupling has been observed when members of the same species interact, including (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.022) mice, (https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30551-3) bats, (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053811911010421?via%3Dihub) humans and other (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22679-x) primates. This linking of brains is probably (https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613(11)00258-0) important in shaping responses during social encounters and might result in complex behaviour that would not be seen in isolation, (https://www.biotechniques.com/lab-design-machinery/the-brains-social-network/) such as enhancing teamwork or (https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/17/4/367/6358695) learning.
When social species interact, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2020.06.008) their brains “connect”. But this case of it happening between different species raises interesting considerations about the subtleties of the human-dog relationship and might help us understand each other a little better.
What’s new puppy dog?
The dog was one of the (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2010083118) first animals humans domesticated. And they have a (https://theconversation.com/were-wolves-dependent-on-humans-long-before-they-became-mans-best-friend-49390) long history of sharing time and space with us. Dogs are not only companions for us, they also have key roles in our society, including (https://theconversation.com/how-animals-can-help-autistic-children-73002) therapeutic support, (https://theconversation.com/doctor-dog-how-our-canine-companions-can-help-us-detect-covid-and-other-diseases-204603) detecting diseases and protecting and herding livestock.
As a result, dogs have developed some impressive skills, including the ability to (https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0883) recognise and respond to our emotional state.
In the recent study, the researchers studied neural coupling using brain-activity recording equipment called non-invasive (https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-63934-9.00018-4) electroencephalography (EEG). This uses headgear containing electrodes that detect neural signals – in this case, from the beagles and humans involved (https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202402493) in the study.
Researchers examined what happened to these neural signals when dogs and people were isolated from each other, and in the presence of each other, but without looking at each other. Dogs and humans were then allowed to interact with each other.
Look into my eyes
When dogs and humans gazed at each other and the dogs were stroked, their brain signals synchronised. The brain patterns in (https://doi.org/10.1177/1073858411409051) key areas of the brain associated with attention, matched in both dog and person.
Dogs and people who became more familiar with each other over the five days of the study had increased synchronisation of neural signals. Previous studies of human-human interactions have found (https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsaa016) increased familiarity between people  also resulted in more closely matching brain patterns. So the depth of relationship between people and dogs may make neural coupling stronger.
The (https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1364661313000788) ability of dogs to form strong attachments with people is well known. A 2022 study found the (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.9299) presence of familiar humans could reduce stress responses in young wolves, the dog’s close relative. Forming neural connections with people might be one of the ways by which the dog-human relationship develops.
The researchers also studied the potential effect of differences in the brain on neural coupling. They did this by including dogs with a mutation in a gene called Shank3, which can lead to impaired neural connectivity in (https://doi.org/10.1016/s1388-2457(02)00362-0) brain areas linked with attention. This gene is responsible for making a (https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/shank3/#conditions) protein that helps promote communication between cells, and is especially abundant in the brain. Mutations in Shank3 have also been associated with (https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn.2016.183) autism spectrum disorder in humans.
Study dogs with the Shank3 mutation did not show the same level of matching brain signals with people, as those without the mutation. This was potentially because of (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-02277-8) impaired neural signalling and processing.
However, when researchers gave the study dogs with the Shank3 mutation, a single dose of LSD (a hallucinogenic drug), they showed increased levels of attention and restored neural coupling with humans.
LSD is (https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2020705118) known to promote social behaviour in mice and (https://www.nature.com/articles/npp201682) humans, although clearly there are ethical concerns about such treatment.
The researchers were clear that there remains much to be learned about neural coupling between dogs and humans.
It might well be the case that looking into your dog’s eyes means that your respective brain signals will synchronise and enhance your connection. The more familiar you are with each other, the stronger it becomes, it seems.
So the next time a dog gazes at you with their (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.568935/full) puppy dog eyes, remember you could be (https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/3/502) enhancing your relationship.
 
This article is republished from (https://theconversation.com) The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the (https://theconversation.com/gazing-at-your-dog-can-connect-your-brain-with-theirs-research-shows-239859) original article.

(https://www.psypost.org/do-men-find-female-genitalia-attractive-heres-what-the-research-says/) Do men find female genitalia attractive? Here’s what the research says
Dec 3rd 2024, 14:00

New research published in the (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19317611.2024.2424887) International Journal of Sexual Health has found that men’s perceptions of female genitals are mostly positive but show considerable variation. While most men view female genitals in a favorable light, focusing more on functional aspects rather than appearance, a significant minority hold negative attitudes.
Existing research shows that women’s perceptions of their genitals are often shaped by sociocultural influences, including unrealistic ideals perpetuated by media and pornography. Negative genital self-image has been linked to lower sexual satisfaction, poorer sexual health, and an increased likelihood of considering cosmetic surgery.
However, research also suggests that a woman’s self-perception is influenced by her partner’s attitudes, with even passing negative comments potentially causing long-term harm to her self-esteem. Despite this, little is known about how men actually perceive female genitals or how these perceptions may impact their partners.
“We had done qualitative research with women about their genital self-image that found that even casual negative remarks from male partners could have a big impact on women. Hence, the need to investigate men’s attitudes towards female genitals as well as the link between those attitudes and genital feedback to partners,” said study author E. Sandra Byers, professor emerita at the University of New Brunswick.
For their study, the researchers recruited 212 self-identified heterosexual men aged 19 to 77, primarily from the United States, who had experience with female partners. Participants completed an online survey hosted on a crowdsourcing platform, ensuring anonymity and confidentiality.
The researchers found that men’s attitudes toward female genitals were generally positive, but there was significant variation across individuals. On average, participants rated their overall perceptions of female genitals as moderately positive, agreeing with statements such as, “Women’s genitals are beautiful” and “Women should feel proud of their genitals.”
However, this positivity was not universal. About one-fifth of participants reported negative views, indicating that a notable minority of men harbor unfavorable attitudes toward female genitals.
Another significant finding was the association between men’s attitudes and their behavior in sexual and relational contexts. Men who held positive views were more likely to engage in behaviors fostering intimacy and confidence in their female partners, such as providing positive verbal feedback about their genitals. Conversely, men with negative attitudes were more likely to provide critical feedback, though the overall frequency of negative feedback was low.
Men with more positive views also reported having a greater number of lifetime female sexual partners. Surprisingly, the researchers did not find a link between attitudes and the frequency of specific sexual activities, such as oral sex.
Men also underestimated women’s satisfaction with their own genitals. While previous research found that 82% of women reported being satisfied with their genitals, men estimated this figure to be only 62%. This gap may reflect societal messages portraying female dissatisfaction as the norm.
“Most, but not all, men who are attracted to women have positive (though not very positive) views of female genitals,” Byers told PsyPost. “Holding negative views likely reflects societal messages about female genitals and may influence not only men’s own but also their female partners’ sexual well-being.”
When evaluating the importance of 23 specific genital characteristics, men did not prioritize appearance as highly as functional and sensory aspects. The attributes rated most important included physical pleasure, smell, taste, tightness, and lubrication, suggesting that men focus more on functional experiences than aesthetic considerations, such as symmetry or labial size.
“Men did not identify any of 23 aspects of female genitals, including appearance, as particularly important to them,” Byers noted.
While some men undoubtedly value appearance, the overall findings suggest that functionality and sensory enjoyment are more central to men’s positive perceptions. This contrasts with societal messaging emphasizing “idealized” genital appearances and may reassure women concerned about aesthetic judgments.
The new findings align with (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2015.05.063) a 2015 study of 1,847 men aged 18–80 across the United States, which found that most men did not have strong preferences for specific vulvar characteristics. Participants in the study rated images depicting small, medium, and large labia as attractive, neutral, or unattractive.
While small and medium labia were generally preferred over large labia, a significant portion of respondents (36%) remained neutral toward all three sizes. When directly asked about their preferences, over half (54%) indicated they had no preference regarding labial size. Furthermore, the majority (60%) reported that appearance did not affect their sexual pleasure.
But the new study, like all research, includes some caveats. The sample was predominantly young, White, and educated, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to more diverse populations. Additionally, the study relied on self-reported data, which could be influenced by social desirability bias. Men may have been reluctant to fully disclose negative attitudes or behaviors.
“This is part of a program of research on women’s genital self-image; a number of our findings have already been published,” Byers said. “We are in the process of writing up some findings regarding men’s genital self-image.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2024.2424887) Men’s Perceptions of Female Genitals,” was authored by E. Sandra Byers and Miranda C. Fudge.

(https://www.psypost.org/ai-chatbots-outperform-humans-in-evaluating-social-situations-study-finds/) AI chatbots outperform humans in evaluating social situations, study finds
Dec 3rd 2024, 12:00

Recent research published in (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79048-0) Scientific Reports has found that certain advanced AI chatbots are more adept than humans at making judgments in challenging social situations. Using a well-established psychological tool known as a Situational Judgment Test, researchers found that three chatbots—Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and you.com’s smart assistant—outperformed human participants in selecting the most effective behavioral responses.
The ability of AI to assist in social interactions is becoming increasingly relevant, with applications ranging from customer service to mental health support. Large language models, such as the chatbots tested in this study, are designed to process language, understand context, and provide helpful responses. While previous studies have demonstrated their capabilities in academic reasoning and verbal tasks, their effectiveness in navigating complex social dynamics has remained underexplored.
Large language models are advanced artificial intelligence systems designed to understand and generate human-like text. These models are trained on vast amounts of data—books, articles, websites, and other textual sources—allowing them to learn patterns in language, context, and meaning.
This training enables these models to perform a variety of tasks, from answering questions and translating languages to composing essays and engaging in detailed conversations. Unlike earlier AI models, large language models rely on their ability to process context and generate responses that often feel conversational and relevant to the user’s input.
“As researchers, we are interested in the diagnostics of social competence and interpersonal skills,” said study author Justin M. Mittelstädt of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine.
“At the German Aerospace Center, we apply methods for diagnosing these skills, for example, to find suitable pilots and astronauts. As we are exploring new technologies for future human-machine interaction, we were curious to find out how the emerging large language models perform in these areas that are considered to be profoundly human.”
To evaluate AI performance, the researchers used a Situational Judgment Test, a tool widely used in psychology and personnel assessment to measure social competence. The test presented 12 scenarios requiring participants to evaluate four potential courses of action. For each scenario, participants were tasked with identifying the best and worst responses, as rated by a panel of 109 human experts.
The study compared the performance of five AI chatbots—Claude, Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and you.com’s smart assistant—with a sample of 276 human participants. These human participants were pilot applicants selected for their high educational qualifications and motivation. Their performance provided a rigorous benchmark for the AI systems.
Each chatbot completed the Situational Judgment Test ten times, with randomized presentation orders to ensure consistent results. The responses were then scored based on how well they aligned with the expert-identified best and worst options. In addition to choosing responses, the chatbots were asked to rate the effectiveness of each action in the scenarios, providing further data for comparison with expert evaluations.
The researchers found that all the tested AI chatbots performed at least as well as the human participants, with some outperforming them. Among the chatbots, Claude achieved the highest average score, followed by Microsoft Copilot and you.com’s smart assistant. These three systems consistently selected the most effective responses in the Situational Judgment Test scenarios, aligning closely with expert evaluations.
Interestingly, when chatbots failed to select the best response, they most often chose the second-most effective option, mirroring the decision-making patterns of human participants. This suggests that AI systems, while not perfect, are capable of nuanced judgment and probabilistic reasoning that closely resembles human thought processes.
“We have seen that these models are good at answering knowledge questions, writing code, solving logic problems, and the like,” Mittelstädt told PsyPost. “But we were surprised to find that some of the models were also, on average, better at judging the nuances of social situations than humans, even though they had not been explicitly trained for use in social settings. This showed us that social conventions and the way we interact as humans are encoded as readable patterns in the textual sources on which these models are trained.”
The study also highlighted differences in reliability among the AI systems. Claude showed the highest consistency across multiple test iterations, while Google Gemini exhibited occasional contradictions, such as rating an action as both the best and worst in different runs. Despite these inconsistencies, the overall performance of all tested AI systems surpassed expectations, demonstrating their potential to provide socially competent advice.
“Many people already use chatbots for a variety of everyday tasks,” Mittelstädt explained. “Our results suggest that chatbots may be quite good at giving advice on how to behave in tricky social situations and that people, especially those who are insecure in social interactions, may benefit from this. However, we do not recommend blindly trusting chatbots, as we also saw evidence of hallucinations and contradictory statements, as is often reported in the context of large language models.”
It is important to note that the study focused on simulated scenarios rather than real-world interactions, leaving questions about how AI systems might perform in dynamic, high-stakes social settings.
“To facilitate a quantifiable comparison between large language models and humans, we selected a multiple-choice test that demonstrates prognostic validity in humans for real-world behavior,” Mittelstädt noted. “However, performance on such a test does not yet guarantee that large language models will respond in a socially competent manner in real and more complex scenarios.”
Nevertheless, the findings suggest that AI systems are increasingly able to emulate human social judgment. These advancements open doors to practical applications, including personalized guidance in social and professional settings, as well as potential use in mental health support.
“Given the demonstrated ability of large language models to judge social situations effectively in a psychometric test, our objective is to assess their social competence in real-world interactions with people and the conditions under which people benefit from social advice provided by a large language model,” Mittelstädt told PsyPost.
“Furthermore, the response behavior in Situational Judgment Tests is highly culture-dependent. The effectiveness of a response in a specific situation may vary considerably from one culture to another. The good performance of large language models in our study demonstrates that they align closely with the judgments prevalent in Western cultures. It would be interesting to see how large language models perform in tests from other cultural contexts and whether their evaluation would change if they were trained with more data from a different culture.”
“Even though large language models may produce impressive performances in social tasks, they do not possess emotions, which would be a prerequisite for genuine social behavior,” Mittelstädt added. “We should keep in mind that large language models only imitate social responses that they have extracted from patterns in their training dataset. Despite this, there are promising applications, such as assisting individuals with social skills development.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79048-0) Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments,” was authored by Justin M. Mittelstädt, Julia Maier, Panja Goerke, Frank Zinn, and Michael Hermes.

(https://www.psypost.org/psilocybins-mental-health-benefits-may-include-improved-sleep/) Psilocybin’s mental health benefits may include improved sleep
Dec 3rd 2024, 10:00

Research into psilocybin’s promise as a mental health treatment is expanding beyond mood disorders. In a new study, researchers found that participants consumed the psychedelic substance in a therapeutic context reported reduced depression and improvements in their sleep quality. The findings were published in (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01539-8) Current Psychiatry Reports.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound found in certain species of mushrooms, often referred to as “magic mushrooms.” When ingested, psilocybin is converted in the body to psilocin, which interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain. This interaction leads to altered perception, mood, and cognition. These effects are often described as psychedelic, producing vivid visual and auditory experiences, changes in self-awareness, and profound emotional or spiritual insights.
Scientists are particularly interested in psilocybin because of its potential to treat mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Unlike traditional antidepressants, which can take weeks to show effects and often require long-term use, psilocybin has been shown in preliminary studies to produce rapid and lasting improvements in mood after just one or two sessions. This has led researchers to explore its mechanisms of action.
The new study, led by (https://www.hopkinsbmrl.com/matthew-reid) Matthew J. Reid and (https://www.carhartharrislab.com/) Robin Carhart-Harris, aimed to better understand whether psilocybin improves sleep quality and whether initial sleep disturbances influence the antidepressant effects of psilocybin.
“My research focuses on understanding the relationship between sleep disturbances and mental health, and how sleep interacts with the treatment process,” said Reid, an assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
“In particular, I’m interested in how we might use sleep as a novel therapeutic target to replace pharmacological treatments or enhance their effectiveness. Exploring how this relationship might extend to psychedelic interventions seemed natural, and I was astounded that nobody had examined how psilocybin affects sleep in the medium to long term.”
The researchers recruited 653 participants planning to attend guided psilocybin sessions, such as retreats or ceremonial experiences, making this one of the largest studies to investigate psilocybin use in naturalistic, non-clinical settings.
About 60% of participants met the clinical threshold for significant depression, with the average depression severity falling within the mild-to-moderate range. Sleep disturbances were nearly universal, with all participants reporting some degree of sleep-related issues. Insomnia, particularly difficulty falling asleep, was the most common sleep complaint, followed by hypersomnia and early awakenings. Notably, for 26% of participants, sleep problems were their most severe depressive symptom.
“We were most struck by the finding that sleep symptoms seemed to dominate the profile of depressive symptoms among this cohort,” Reid told PsyPost. “Sleep disturbance is a frequent symptom of depression, but here, sleep disturbances were the most severe symptoms driving their depression—even more severe than symptoms like ‘feeling down or sad,’ which we typically associate with depression.”
In line with previous studies, the researchers found that psilocybin reduced depressive symptoms in participants. By two weeks after the session, depressive symptoms had dropped by an average of 33%, and by four weeks, they had decreased by over 50%. These improvements were more pronounced in participants who began with severe depression.
Sleep disturbances also improved following psilocybin use, although the changes were less pronounced than those observed for depression. Participants reported modest but statistically significant reductions in problems like insomnia and early awakenings. These improvements were evident at two weeks and remained stable through four weeks.
“There seems to be a small but reliable improvement in sleep following psilocybin administration in a therapeutic context,” Reid explained. “Whether this is due to the drug itself or some other indirect factor remains uncertain, and we aren’t able to determine that from the data.”
An important finding was the relationship between baseline sleep disturbances and depression outcomes. Participants with severe sleep issues at the start were less likely to achieve remission from depression, even if their depressive symptoms improved.
For example, individuals with pronounced insomnia or hypersomnia had lower odds of experiencing full recovery. This suggests that sleep disturbances might interfere with psilocybin’s therapeutic effects, potentially acting as a barrier to achieving optimal outcomes.
“Those with worse sleep seem to benefit less from psilocybin administration, which could have important implications for future clinical applications,” Reid told PsyPost. “But it is unclear why this occurs, and we need to study this in greater detail.”
The findings highlight the importance of considering sleep as a factor in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. However, as with all research, there are limitations to consider.
The lack of a control group makes it difficult to isolate psilocybin’s effects from other factors, such as the supportive retreat environment or participants’ expectations. Similarly, the naturalistic setting introduced variability in dosing, retreat protocols, and participant demographics. While this approach enhances the study’s ecological validity, it also complicates efforts to draw precise conclusions about psilocybin’s effects.
“It’s important to remember that these results were obtained ‘in the wild’ from people undergoing guided psilocybin administration of their own accord,” Reid said. “This wasn’t a controlled experiment conducted in a laboratory setting, like a clinical trial, so we need to account for potential bias, uncertainty, and the low signal-to-noise ratio inherent in this type of naturalistic research.”
The long-term goals for this line of research are “to continue exploring what role sleep, if any, may play in the mechanisms of psychedelic therapeutic processes,” Reid explained. “We have several ongoing research studies in that area and hope to share more findings relatively soon.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01539-8) Preliminary Evidence of Sleep Improvements Following Psilocybin Administration, and their Involvement in Antidepressant Therapeutic Action,” was authored by Matthew J. Reid, Hannes Kettner, Tessa F. Blanken, Brandon Weiss, and Robin Carhart-Harris.

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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