Research Highlights

Our research highlights focus on behavioral and social sciences funded by the National Institutes of Health. These articles are for informational purposes only. They do not signify endorsement of specific studies or offer medical or treatment advice.

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Archived Content

The Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR) archives materials older than three years that are no longer updated. This content is available for historical purposes, and the information and links may have changed over time.

Research Spotlights

Homicide is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S.

The biological impacts of social isolation among older adults

The COVID-19 pandemic altered food-related parenting practices of parents with young children

Research Spotlights

Development of brain’s emotion circuitry is altered by early-life abuse

Promoting physical exercise by applying engineering tools to personalize fitness tracker messages

Certain personality traits linked to Alzheimer’s disease risk

Research Spotlights

Reported domestic violence crimes decreased in Chicago during the 2020 COVID-19 stay-at-home order but may not reflect true levels of violence

Multiple studies suggest that social alcohol use decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic but non-social alcohol use in young adults and adolescences increased

Chronic social isolation signals starvation and reduces sleep in Drosophila

Research Spotlights

Trends in Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods Among US Youths Aged 2-19 Years, 1999-2018

Social connections and maternal care in young wild hyenas modifies gene expression and stress resilience later in life

Examining unique substance-related risk profiles for neglectful behaviors among parents with and without clinical depression

Research Spotlights

High daily screen time linked to cognitive and behavioral problems in preterm children

Variable mental health of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Gut bacteria are associated with how infants experience fear

Research Spotlights

Response to chronic stress passed down from fathers’ sperm in mice

Barriers to opioid treatment for reproductive-age women decrease access to life-saving medications

Computational modeling – a potential tool to guide individually tailored language rehabilitation plans for bilingual stroke patients with aphasia

Research Spotlights

Imagining and evaluating future events activates two distinct brain networks

Disparities in COVID-19 testing and positivity rates found in rural Black communities and areas with food insecurity

Computational Methods to Measure Patterns of Gaze in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Research Spotlights

Long-term exposure to traffic-related noise or air pollution further increases risk for cognitive decline in people with metabolic dysfunction

In-person school visits has a marginal impact on COVID-19 transmission

Brain proteome-wide association study implicates novel proteins in depression pathogenesis

Research Spotlights

Epigenetic mechanisms in the brain following early life stress increases vulnerability to lifelong stress

Adverse birth outcomes are associated with evictions during pregnancy

Life expectancy is falling for those without a college education

Research Spotlights

Certain state policies unintentionally increase overdose mortality for those with opioid use disorders

Out-of-pocket costs may increase for patients when insurers end grace period for COVID-19 hospital costs

Mental illness may not be a factor in most mass shootings