Q&A: Are there such things as ‘girl brains’ and ‘boy brains’?
The leader of UVA’s Baby Lab scrutinizes new research about newborns’ attention to faces.
How treatable is postpartum depression?
The condition is the most common birth complication, but a UVA expert says treatments are available.
Drug Improves Sexual Function for Patients with Depression, Study Finds
A UVA-led study of 480 patients with major depressive disorder found that adding lumateperone to standard antidepressant therapy significantly improved sexual function alongside depressive symptoms, benefiting women especially. Since antidepressants often cause sexual dysfunction, this add-on treatment offers a promising option for patients seeking symptom relief without worsening sexual side effects.
Q&A: How does UVA Health treat addiction without judgment?
An addiction specialist explains the warning signs, treatment options and why listening, not lecturing, is key to effective care.
Is diet culture fueling a new wave of eating disorders?
A UVA Health expert explains why today’s renewed focus on thinness may put people at greater risk for eating disorders.
Trial Testing Out-of-Body Experiences Produces Unexpected Twist
A UVA-led trial testing whether people with out-of-body experiences could identify objects in another room found results no better than chance. But two participants unexpectedly described researchers locations and activities behind closed doors with striking accuracy, prompting scientists to rethink how future studies might better evaluate claims of out-of-body perception and consciousness.
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Q&A: How do genes and environment shape the probability of autism?
A UVA researcher explains how a new tool could help scientists better understand the complex connections among children, their parents and their environment.
Autism Research Tool Uncovers How Nature, Nurture Shape Children’s Risk
UVA researcher Ziqiao Wang and Johns Hopkins colleagues developed PGS-TRI, a statistical tool analyzing family DNA trios to separate genetic and environmental influences on autism risk. Tested on over 18,000 families, it confirmed polygenic score accuracy varies by ancestry, linked maternal genetics to autism risk, and identified the CADM2 gene as a potential prevention target.
Good Disruption: Inside Brain-Computer Interfaces
PodcastIn this episode of Good Disruption, UVA Professor Jack Van Horn joins hosts Yael Grushka-Cockayne and Mike Lenox to explore brain-computer interfaces, a rapidly advancing neurotechnology that translates brain signals into action. From restoring movement and communication to bypassing damaged neural pathways, BCIs hold remarkable promise — alongside significant challenges — as the field moves from science fiction to reality.
The Conversation: Students are anxious – and it’s no surprise, since we are teaching them to be that way
Temporary anxiety can often surface before the first day of school. Sometimes, that can help kids get in the right mindset for a big day. But when anxiety becomes a constant feature of children’s and teenagers’ days, that stress doesn’t switch off when they leave the classroom or finish an exam. It can become the body’s normal, staying with learners long after graduation.
When is it safe to stop taking antidepressants?
A UVA Health psychiatrist explains new guidelines for safely reducing antidepressants and who should stay on them.