Self-disclosure is vital for communication. In the present century, various innovative forms of communication have emerged, including video-conferencing and embodied virtual reality (VR). In this context, researchers from Japan have recently demonstrated that embodied VR, especially with unrealistic avatars, facilitates the revelation of personal feelings. Moreover, female-to-female pairing had the highest self-disclosure score, underlining the role of gender.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that causes hallucinations, delusions, and social and cognitive impairment. Animal models are valuable for understanding the mechanisms underlying schizophrenia. However, conventional behavioral assessments are limited by the need for human intervention and external stimuli. Researchers from Fujita Health University, Japan, have established a semi-naturalistic platform using the automated ‘IntelliCage’ system for the comprehensive assessment of schizophrenia-like behaviors. The model can enhance translational research in psychiatric disorders and improve therapeutic development.

Sora Shin, a neuroscientist at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, received a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how early-life trauma alters brain circuits that control aggression and attention. Her research could lead to novel treatment strategies to ease the burden of trauma-related aggression on individuals, families, and communities.

Per analysis of heterosexual users of a Czech dating app, men tended to pursue women who were more desirable than themselves, but most instances of reciprocated interest occurred between men and women with more similar levels of desirability. Renata Topinkova of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, and Tomas Diviak of the University of Manchester, U.K., present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on July 23, 2025.