This research investigates whether zinc plays a critical role in the ability of psychedelic drugs to reopen social reward critical periods in the brain. Using mouse models, the study examines how zinc influences social behavior following psychedelic treatment, potentially revealing mechanisms of brain plasticity relevant to autism, social anxiety, and social connection.

This research shows that children born without a hand can generate complex muscle signals by imagining movements, enabling control of advanced prosthetics. Their abilities develop similarly to typical motor patterns, challenging assumptions and expanding access to sophisticated prosthetic technology for paediatric patients.

This research investigates how sign language experience reshapes the brain’s visual system. MRI studies show expanded hand-processing regions and reorganised face areas in both deaf and hearing signers, even when learning occurs in adulthood. The findings highlight neural plasticity and reveal how visual language transforms perception and brain organisation.

This research shows that early-life oxytocin treatment can reverse key features of fragile X syndrome in mice. Brief intervention strengthens neural connections, normalizes learning and social behavior, and prevents seizures into adulthood. The findings suggest oxytocin may offer a safe, early intervention strategy for fragile X and other intellectual disabilities.

This research explores how chronic stress reshapes the brain through genetic mechanisms. By studying the stress-regulating gene MeCP2 in mice, the work shows how early-life stress can lock the brain into a heightened anxiety state, revealing biological pathways that may inform future treatments for stress-related mental health disorders.