Why our brains age differently

High blood pressure, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, air quality, social circumstances, and much more leave their mark on the brain

29-May-2026 - Why do some people remain mentally sharp into old age, while others experience cognitive impairments earlier in life? Two recent studies involving Forschungszentrum Jülich provide new answers to this question. They show that brain health does not depend on a single factor, but on the interaction ...

Daily glass of 100% fruit juice could help support mental wellbeing

Simple diet change cuts depression scores in adults with low fruit intake

29-May-2026 - People who drink a glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie each day as part of the UK’s 5-a-day healthy eating guidance see improvements in their mental wellbeing, according to new research from Newcastle University, UK. In a new randomised controlled trial, adults with low intakes of fruit and ...

How Psychedelic Drugs Affect the Brain

Developing new therapy approaches

16-Feb-2026 - Research findings reinforce new approaches in psychology, using psychedelic substances under medical supervision to treat certain clinical conditions. Psychedelic substances are increasingly being used under medical supervision to treat anxiety disorders and depression. However, the mechanisms by ...

Treasure trove of data on aging publicly accessible

Berlin study on aging with health and lifestyle data is being released and aims to answer unresolved questions

16-Jan-2026 - One of the most important gerontological data sets has been opened to the research community. The data of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) are accessible via the Research Data Center of the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID). This secures a valuable set of data and makes them available for new ...

Changes in a single gene can cause mental illness

18-Nov-2025 - Until now, researchers assumed that schizophrenia, anxiety disorders or depression arise from an interplay of many different factors, including genetic ones. An international study led by the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Leipzig Medical Center has now demonstrated for the ...

Can exercise counteract the effects of eating junk food?

Exercise counteracts junk food's depression-like effects through gut-brain metabolic signaling

22-Oct-2025 - Researchers led by Professor Yvonne Nolan at University College Cork have identified specific metabolic pathways through which exercise counteracts the negative behavioral effects of consuming a Western-style cafeteria diet. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Medicine, this research ...

Sugary Drinks Influence the Psyche via the Intestine

Soft Drink Consumption Associated with Higher Risk of Depression

26-Sep-2025 - A new study involving the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) provides strong evidence that sugary drinks affect not only metabolic but also mental health – especially in women. This effect is probably mediated by the sensitive microbiome of the intestine. As is well known, people who ...

Does a late breakfast shorten your lifespan?

Meal timing in later life may matter for health and longevity

09-Sep-2025 - As we age, what and how much we eat tends to change. However, how meal timing relates to our health remains less understood. Researchers at Mass General Brigham and their collaborators studied changes to meal timing in older adults and discovered people experience gradual shifts in when they eat ...

Ready-made pizza & co.: How fast food damages the brain

Ultra-highly processed is ultra-poor

18-Jul-2025 - The international "World Brain Day" on July 22, 2025 focuses on the prevention of neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, dementia and strokes. As many as 45% of all cases of dementia and almost 90% of all strokes are preventable. The German Society of Neurology (DGN) and the German Brain ...

Mental Knots – A Proteins Role in Schizophrenia

Two studies shed light on structural changes in the protein DISC1 and point to a novel therapeutic approach

27-Jun-2025 - Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany have published two new studies offering fresh insight into a protein believed to play a pivotal role in the development of chronic mental health conditions such as schizophrenia. The protein, known as DISC1, short for Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 ...