Jason Herr Psy.D.

11/11/2025

Low Choline Could Be a Hidden Driver of Anxiety

Researchers reviewing 25 brain-imaging studies found an 8% drop in choline levels among people with anxiety disorders compared to those without anxiety.

This pattern was strongest in the prefrontal cortex, a hub for regulating thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

The results suggest that anxiety may involve measurable metabolic imbalances, not just psychological or behavioral factors.

The work opens the door to exploring whether dietary choline or other metabolic interventions could support brain health in anxiety.

11/07/2025

Early Trauma Hardwires the Brain for Aggression and Self-Harm

A new study reveals how childhood trauma alters brain wiring, creating vulnerability to both self-harm and aggression.

Trauma boosts the activity of calcium channels within a neural circuit that regulates emotion, pain, and decision-making.

This hyperactivation amplifies pain sensitivity and impulsive responses, suggesting that both behaviors may arise from a single disrupted pathway.

Understanding this shared circuitry could pave the way for new, brain-targeted treatments for trauma survivors.

07/23/2025

Dr Brooke Laufer and I are engaging in the topic of how to be more neutral in the therapy room with clients. In a world of deep polarization it can be hard as a clinician to be neutral for our clients. We will be exploring ways to identify bias on ourselves and the client. Furthermore, developing ways to stay neutral so that the clients process is not affected by basis accidently created by the clinician. Please join us and earn some CEUs in the process.

“A therapist’s neutrality, coupled with empathy and authenticity, allows clients to experience themselves without fear of judgment or rejection.” — Carl Rogers   Times: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, London UK 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, New York, USA

04/22/2025

Brain Prioritizes What to Remember When Memory Space Runs Low

A new neuroscience study has revealed how the brain manages its limited working memory capacity by prioritizing important information.

When people are asked to remember multiple visual items, their brains allocate more neural resources to high-priority information, resulting in more precise memory for those items.

Using fMRI, researchers observed that the visual cortex encodes visual representations, while the frontal cortex determines which items should receive greater attention.

04/17/2025

How the search for certainty becomes a never-ending cycle.

03/05/2025

Anxiety and Apathy Affect Decision-Making in Opposite Ways

A new study shows that anxiety and apathy influence decision-making in fundamentally different ways.

Anxious individuals perceive their environment as unpredictable and volatile, leading them to explore more options, especially after negative outcomes.

In contrast, apathetic individuals see outcomes as random and unchangeable, reducing their willingness to explore alternatives.

Using behavioral experiments and computational modeling, researchers analyzed how over 1,000 participants made decisions in uncertain environments.

The findings suggest that emotional states shape perceptions of uncertainty, which in turn affect how people approach new experiences and challenges.

These insights could lead to more personalized therapeutic approaches for mental health conditions.

https://neurosciencenews.com/anxiety-appathy-decisions-28460/

03/04/2025

Study Links Spite to Conspiracy Theory Beliefs

A new study reveals that spite—a psychological response to feelings of uncertainty, threat, or social disadvantage—plays a key role in conspiracy theory belief.

Researchers analyzed data from 1,000 participants and found that spiteful tendencies reinforced the need for security, understanding, and social significance, making individuals more receptive to conspiratorial thinking.

Spite emerges as a way to “level the playing field” by rejecting expert opinions and established facts when people feel powerless.

03/04/2025

Future Thinking Training Reduces Impulsivity

A new study shows that episodic future thinking—the practice of vividly imagining specific future events—can reduce impulsivity and improve decision-making.

Researchers used fMRI scans to analyze brain connectivity in participants trained to think about future events before making choices between immediate and delayed rewards.

They found that this training increased functional connectivity in the brain’s salience network, which correlated with better decision-making and reduced impulsivity.

Participants who engaged in future thinking completed difficult decision-making tasks more efficiently, suggesting improved cognitive control.

The findings indicate that this technique may be a promising behavioral intervention for alcohol use disorder and other impulse-control issues.

Further research will explore the long-term effects of future thinking training and its potential role in addiction treatment.

https://neurosciencenews.com/future-thinking-impulsivity-28458/

02/18/2025

Depression Speeds Up Physical Illness

A new study shows that adults with a history of depression develop physical illnesses about 30% faster than those without.

Researchers analyzed data from over 172,000 participants and found that individuals with depression accumulated an average of 0.2 additional conditions per year, compared to 0.16 for those without depression.

The most common new conditions included osteoarthritis, hypertension, and acid reflux.

The findings suggest depression impacts overall physical health, not just mental well-being.

Current healthcare systems often treat conditions separately rather than addressing the whole person.

Integrated care models that consider both mental and physical health could lead to better long-term health outcomes.

https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-physical-health-psychology-28426/

02/11/2025

Stress Alters How the Brain Processes Sound

Chronic stress alters how the brain processes sound, making lower-volume sounds less perceptible over time.

Researchers examined how stress affects auditory processing and found that stressed mice required louder sounds to trigger normal brain responses.

The study revealed that chronic stress increases the activity of a specific type of inhibitory brain cell, suppressing the neural response to softer sounds.

02/10/2025

Cerebellar Serotonin Acts as a Brake to Reduce Anxiety

Scientists have discovered that serotonin in the cerebellum plays a crucial role in anxiety regulation.

Contrary to previous beliefs, mice with lower serotonin levels in the cerebellum exhibited more anxiety-like behaviors, while those with higher levels were less anxious.

By artificially stimulating serotonin-releasing neurons in the cerebellum, researchers were able to reduce anxiety, whereas inhibiting them increased anxious behaviors.

02/06/2025

How the Brain Overcomes Instinctive Fear and Adapts to New Threats

Researchers have uncovered how the brain learns to suppress instinctive fear responses after repeated exposure to harmless threats.

In a study using mice, scientists found that the ventrolateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), rather than the visual cortex, stores memories of learned fear suppression.

The vLGN regulates these responses by using endocannabinoids, which enhance neural activity and reduce fear reactions.