Classically, the dorsal and ventral hippocampus are thought to play distinct roles in fear conditioning, with the dorsal hippocampus primarily handling information about environmental cues and contexts, and the ventral hippocampus more involved in emotional processing. Both functions are essential for the learning and expression of conditioned fear responses, but how these processes are integrated remains largely unexplored. In this study, we simultaneously recorded single-unit activity from the dorsal and ventral hippocampus during fear conditioning in male rats to identify the neural dynamics that may underlie these processes and their integration. As fear expression emerged, shifts in neural firing patterns were observed in both regions, with a stronger shift in ventral hippocampal activity, as expected. However, contrary to the prevailing view of the ventral hippocampus as central to anxiety and fear regulation, surprisingly, fear expression-related neuronal responses were more predominant in the dorsal hippocampus. In contrast, ventral hippocampal neuronal activity was more closely linked with the acquisition of conditioned fear. These features were combined in cell assemblies that emerged during fear conditioning, composed of both dorsal fear expression-responsive neurons and ventral fear learning-responsive cells. These multifactorial engrams, distributed along the hippocampal dorsoventral axis, provide a potential substrate for integrating fear acquisition and expression, thereby coordinating associative learning.

In modern cognitive warfare, adversaries deliberately target human cognition, emotion, belief, trust, and decision-making processes, seeking to destabilize democratic societies through disinformation and divergent media campaigns. This article argues that the growing accessibility and vulnerability of the human emotional brain to external influence in a technologically connected world has important repercussions for global defense and security strategy. Recent EU/NATO strategic documents emphasize the need to strengthen resilience, counter hybrid/cognitive threats, and protect societies against disinformation and manipulation. Resilience to cognitive warfare, however, depends on distributed societal capacities for emotional literacy, deliberation, and comprehension—grounded in emotional and cognitive superiority, political culture, robust democratic institutions, and an informed public. Deep security crises and prolonged military conflicts arouse strong negative emotions among affected individuals, groups, and societies. Accordingly, this article proposes Emotionally Based Strategic Communications (EBSC) as a scientifically and ethically grounded approach for applying cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI) to design emotionally resonant, legitimate, and strategically aligned communications, aiming to strengthen societal cohesion, counter adversary narratives, and build societal resilience against cognitive threats. EBSC provides tools for identifying and transforming dominant emotional states within target populations through the intentional design of structured multimodal narratives, language, imagery, and symbolic framing, with the aim of positively reconfiguring collective emotions without coercion. EBSC is conceptualized as a Large Language Model (LLM)–based systematic approach to strategic communications, which senses the emotional climate of target populations via social-sentiment analysis algorithms applied to various open digital sources; interprets and contextualizes this emotional climate; conducts design and development of appropriate output messages; delivers these messages across mass media; assesses their impact; and adapts them in a real-time closed loop, under supervision of accountable human decision-makers. The article calls for integrating the proposed closed-loop, LLM-based EBSC approach into the European defense ecosystem and strategic communications policy, aligned with EU frameworks on resilience and counter-disinformation. Such integration may offer a means of bridging cognitive neuroscience and AI into operational, scientifically informed, and emotionally resonant strategic communications that counter adversary narratives, prepare the public to resist disinformation and psychological pressure, and strengthen trust, cohesion, and overall societal resilience among EU/NATO allies.

This study aimed to identify what young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) do to make diabetes care fit in their lives and the impact of diabetes and diabetes care on living. Dutch young adults with T1D (18-30 years old) submitted photographed real-life situations of efforts to make care fit and of the impact of care on their lives. Participants organised their photos in themes, which guided the focus group discussions. We added a reflective questionnaire, semi-structured interview and iterative validation to identify participant-defined themes and summarise the data. Participants (N = 18) submitted 240 photographs in total, showing a broad range of situations and emotions. Participants identified 16 themes, grouped into four overarching categories describing their experiences with diabetes: (1) My diabetes: glucose levels, workload, 24/7 present; (2) My life: flow of (daily) life, special and irregular circumstances, life changes, body and health; (3) Support: devices and technology, social network, clinical (diabetes) care; (4) Mental aspects: emotional processes, perspective, being a patient. In the overlap of My diabetes and My life, they identified eating and counting carbohydrates, activity and exercise, recreational substances. Young adults with T1D face the complex challenge of fitting their care into their ever-changing lives. While support systems, such as devices, healthcare professionals and social networks can help, they can also create burdens. Participants emphasised the importance of mental health in their lives with T1D. This study highlights the need for diabetes care that acknowledges the emotional, social and practical realities of young adults' lives.

Aging doesn't just dull our memories; it destabilizes our emotions while further impairing sleep quantity and NREM sleep quality. Emotional dysregulation and anxiety symptoms in older adults accelerate their risk of cognitive decline and dementia, yet the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In young adults, reductions in deep sleep, specifically the loss of slow wave activity (SWA) during non-REM sleep, impair the brain's ability to regulate anxiety overnight. This raises a testable hypothesis: Does age-related decline in SWA contribute to increased anxiety symptoms in older adults? We test this hypothesis in 61 cognitively healthy older adults (>65 y) experiencing varying levels of anxiety. Each participant underwent polysomnography-recorded sleep in the lab, followed by a structural MRI the next morning to assess atrophy in anxiety-sensitive brain regions. A subset of 24 participants was tracked longitudinally over 4 ± 2.02 years. The findings were consistent. Greater impairment in nighttime SWA predicted higher next-day anxiety in older adults, both at baseline and at follow-up. Brain imaging revealed the mechanism: atrophy in key emotion-processing regions was associated with reduced capacity to generate robust slow waves needed for overnight anxiety regulation. Critically, mediation analysis showed that impaired SWA fully accounted for the relationship between regional atrophy and disrupted overnight anxiety regulation. These findings suggest that even in the presence of age-related brain atrophy, intact SWA may preserve emotional stability by rescuing the brain's nightly emotional recalibration process, protecting mental health in aging populations.

This paper investigates aspects of informal and non-formal learning that emerge through adults’ participation in collective actions and social movements. Drawing on qualitative data derived from interviews with members of social collectives in an urban area of Athens (Greece), the study illustrates how these spaces function as dynamic learning environments. Participants develop practical knowledge, social skills, critical awareness, and a deeper understanding of social issues. Moreover, engagement in collective actions also fosters emotional bonds, solidarity, and processes of personal transformation. The findings underline that learning is not confined to formal settings but emerges meaningfully through participation in civic life. The study highlights the pivotal role of collective action in promoting adult learning and self-awareness, contributing to the broader dialogue in the field of adult education by demonstrating how involvement in social groups constitutes a significant site for both individual and collective transformation.

Previous studies have shown that the hope of breast cancer patients is related to the social relational quality, and personality is related to acceptance of disability. However, research is still unclear about the underlying potential psychological mechanisms of various psycho-social factors for this population. This study aims to investigate the impact of breast cancer patients' hope and type C personality on social relational quality and acceptance of disability, and to evaluate the mediating the role of medical coping styles. A total of 141 breast cancer patients during chemotherapy were recruited from Harbin, China completed a self-reported questionnaire containing the personal information questionnaire, Herth hope index (HHI), Type C behavior scale, Medical coping modes questionnaire (MCMQ), Social relationship quality scale (SRQS) and Acceptance of disability scale (ADS). Results showed that the proposed model fitted the data very well (χ2 = 8.357, df = 7, p = 0.302, χ2/df = 1.194, GFI = 0.981, CFI = 0.991, TLI = 0.982, RMSEA = 0.037). Further analyses revealed that, confrontation mediated the relationship between hope and social relational quality (indirect effect = 0.025, BC 95%CI = 0.001, 0.079), and acceptance-resignation mediated the relationship between type C personality and acceptance of disability (indirect effect = - 0.109, BC 95%CI = - 0.188, - 0.044). Confrontation and acceptance-resignation played critical roles in the relationship between hope, type C personality and social relational quality, the acceptance of disability of breast cancer patients. Healthcare practitioners should be aware of the coping strategies of breast cancer patients, and psycho-social interventions and supportive care should focus on these cognitive and emotional processes to improve social relational quality and acceptance of disability for this population.

Social workers in domestic violence shelters face chronic exposure to traumatic narratives, often resulting in secondary traumatic stress. This study examines archaeological pottery restoration as a citizen-science intervention supporting resilience among shelter-based social workers. Five licensed social workers participated in a 3-month program combining hands-on restoration with reflective dialogue, conducted during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war under conditions of heightened stress. Using ethnographic methods, including participant observation, field notes, and interviews, thematic analysis explored participants' experiences. Findings indicate restoration fostered self-reflection, emotional processing, and symbolic associations with healing. The study introduces an innovative interdisciplinary model bridging social work, archaeology, and citizen science.

Persistent affective disturbance is a core, disabling feature of major depressive disorder (MDD), thought to stem from a dysfunctional interaction between emotional bias and cognitive control. However, the underlying neural dynamics are debated, with studies reporting both hyper- and hypoactivation. This study utilized high-temporal-resolution electroencephalogram(EEG) to resolve this discrepancy by examining distinct stages of emotional information processing. We recruited 175 medication-free patients with MDD (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17≥14) and 101 healthy controls (HCs) who completed an emotional Stroop task while an EEG was recorded. We analyzed event-related potentials reflecting conflict monitoring (N250), inhibition (N450), and resolution (LSP) using a 2 (group)×2 (valence)×2 (congruency) analysis of variance. Results revealed a stage-specific neural cascade. Compared to HCs, the MDD group showed: (1) hypoactivation during initial conflict monitoring (attenuated N250 amplitude); (2) compensatory hyperactivation during conflict inhibition (a significant N450 interaction revealed generalized conflict activity in MDD, unlike the context-specific response in HCs); and (3) subsequent hypoactivation during conflict resolution (reduced LSP amplitude for negative stimuli). Crucially, altered N450 correlated with depression severity, and the entire neural cascade predicted behavioral performance. The apparent contradiction in the literature reflects a multistage process. MDD is characterized by an inefficient neural cascade: an initial deficit in conflict monitoring is followed by compensatory overactivation during inhibition, which ultimately proves insufficient, leading to impaired late-stage resolution. This temporally specific model advances our understanding of the pathophysiology of depression and identifies potential stage-specific targets for intervention.

AimTo assess the feasibility of embedding virtual reality‐based social skills training (SST‐VR) into a return‐to‐work day‐care program for major depressive disorder (MDD) and to estimate pre–post change in self‐reported social skills, with exploratory moderation by autistic traits.MethodsIn this single‐arm, add‐on pilot at a Japanese psychiatric day‐care Re‐Work center, 20 adults with MDD (18 men) received six 90‐min SST‐VR sessions every 2 weeks over approximately 3 months plus the standard Re‐Work program. The primary outcome was Kikuchi's Social Skills Scale–18 (KiSS‐18); secondary outcomes were social adaptation, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms (self‐report). A linear mixed‐effects model tested the effects of Time (pre vs post), baseline Autism‐Spectrum Quotient (AQ; mean‐centered), and their interaction. Feasibility was assessed via attendance and attrition.ResultsAttendance was 94.2% with no attrition. KiSS‐18 increased from 49.7 ± 10.6 to 53.5 ± 12.4 (p = 0.028; r = 0.56). The model showed significant effects of Time (χ²(1) = 8.11, p = 0.004) and Time × AQ (χ²(1) = 4.46, p = 0.035), suggesting smaller gains at higher AQ (exploratory; restricted AQ range). Emotional processing and stress management subscales improved; secondary outcomes showed no significant change. Bootstrap analyses were consistent with the mixed‐model findings.ConclusionSST‐VR was feasible. Because the single‐arm add‐on design cannot isolate SST‐VR–specific effects from concurrent care and nonspecific influences, the KiSS‐18 change is hypothesis‐generating. Controlled comparisons with Re‐Work alone in larger, more diverse samples should test efficacy, include objective behavioral and vocational outcomes, and prospectively evaluate moderation.

Sleep deprivation alters early event-related potentials during emotional face processing in adults with ADHD.

Brain activation and connectivity after 2-3weeks of escitalopram administration in anxiety disorders: A randomised trial.

Neuroendocrine profiles in relation to female callous-unemotional traits and distress facilitation.

Aberrant cortical morphology and brain structure similarity networks in first-episode, treatment-naive adolescents with major depressive disorder.

A shared hippocampal hub for anxiety and memory contrasts with depression-specific circuitry: A high-resolution 7T fMRI study.

Attentional biases in women with postpartum depressive symptoms: A comparative eye-tracking study.

Uncovering the role of sociodemographic factors in sex/gender differences in emotional brain activation: an SDM-PSI meta-analysis of fMRI studies.

Disconnected emotions, connected behaviors: Symptom network features of problematic mobile phone use across different alexithymia profiles.

PET-measured tau deposition in emotion-related brain regions is differentially associated with depressive symptoms in individuals with versus without Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Safety and efficacy of low intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation for depression: A single-blind randomized controlled clinical study.

Exogenous estradiol modulates entorhinal cortex contributions to episodic encoding of conditioned threat in women.