It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, February 06, 2026
Housing conditions and outdoor air pollution together affect children’s asthma risk, new ECHO study shows
Children growing up in homes with water damage or dampness and exposed to higher levels of outdoor air pollution during early childhood face a greater risk of developing asthma, according to new research supported by the NIH’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. The large multisite study found that early-life exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and indoor housing problems each independently raised asthma risk, while having a dog during infancy was linked to reduced risk.
Asthma affects millions of U.S. children, yet the environmental origins of the disease are complex. While previous research has tended to study exposures such as pollution or indoor allergens separately, this study shows that evaluating them together offers a more accurate picture of children’s risk. The ECHO Program, which brings together data from diverse U.S. populations, made this integrated analysis possible.
Drawing on data from 6,413 children across nine U.S. ECHO Study Sites, the research provides one of the clearest looks yet at how multiple early-life environmental factors interact to influence childhood asthma. The findings underscore the importance of assessing both indoor and outdoor environments together, rather than in isolation — an approach that prior studies often could not address due to limited sample sizes.
“Our research shows that to truly understand and prevent childhood asthma, we need to look at a child’s full environment—both the air they breathe outside and the conditions inside their home,” said Akihiro Shiroshita, a study author from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “Considering these factors together gives us a much clearer picture of what puts children at risk and how we can better protect them.”
Key Findings
Outdoor air pollution matters: Higher early life exposure to PM2.5 was associated with increased asthma risk.
Indoor environments matter too: Home dampness or water damage independently raised asthma risk, even after accounting for pollution exposure.
Pets may offer protection: Having a dog in the home during infancy was linked to a lower risk of developing asthma.
Large, diverse dataset: The study combines data from multiple U.S. ECHO Study Sites, offering a comprehensive view of environmental impacts on children’s respiratory health.
Researchers evaluated children’s exposure to PM2.5 during the first three years of life and combined that information with detailed data on early life housing conditions — including water damage, dampness, pet exposure, and dust mites. Childhood asthma was identified based on caregiver reports or physician diagnosis between birth and age five. The analysis also controlled for family and neighborhood factors to isolate the effects of environmental exposures.
The findings signal the need for additional research into how indoor and outdoor exposures interact and how early life interventions could help reduce asthma risk in children nationwide.
About ECHO The ECHO Cohort Consortium is a research program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the mission to enhance the health of children for generations to come. ECHO Cohort investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. For more information, visit echochildren.org.
Individual and combined effects of indoor home exposures and ambient PM2.5 during early life on childhood asthma in us birth cohort studies
Article Publication Date
4-Feb-2026
Emotional pain, not fear, weighs more heavily on individuals with PTSD
A study in Biological Psychiatry identifies two distinct biological post-traumatic stress disorder profiles, paving the way for more precise and compassionate treatment
A new study in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, challenges the long-held view of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a fear-based disorder. In the study, 68% of trauma-exposed individuals reported that emotional pain impaired their daily functioning more than fear. This network illustrates the relationships between fear (red), emotional pain (orange), and specific PTSD symptoms (light blue) based on the 20 items of the PCL-5 (checklist for DSM-5) questionnaire. Blue lines represent positive associations, while red lines indicate negative associations, with the thickness of the lines corresponding to the magnitude of the partial correlations.
February 4, 2026 – New research is challenging the long-held view of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a fear-based disorder. In a new study, 68% of trauma-exposed individuals reported that emotional pain (guilt, shame, sadness, loss of joy) impaired their daily functioning more than fear. The findings from this research in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, underscore the need to broaden PTSD models beyond fear and re-evaluate treatment pathways accordingly.
PTSD affects approximately 8% of individuals and often co-occurs with depression and anxiety. The DSM-5 defines PTSD based on 20 symptoms spanning intrusion, avoidance, negative mood and cognition, and hyper-arousal. In this study across two independent samples, researchers identified two distinct PTSD profiles—one centered on fear (flashbacks and hyper-arousal symptoms), and another on emotional pain (symptoms of guilt, shame, anhedonia).
“For some, trauma inflicts not just fear, but a moral or existential wound, shattering beliefs about oneself, others, or the world; For others, it deepens pre-existing negative schemas, reinforcing guilt, shame, or worthlessness. These internalized and meaning-laden responses often give rise to persistent emotional pain,” says first author Ziv Ben-Zion, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and University of Haifa.
Senior investigator Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, and VA Connecticut Healthcare System, adds, “Basic science, including the research done in our lab at Yale, has focused for years on fear learning and safety updating, with minimal attention to the toll of other negative emotions associated with PTSD. We started thinking that fear and emotional pain are potentially driven by two different biological systems that play a critical role in defining how to tailor pharmacological and psychological treatments for PTSD.”
The research was conducted in two phases. In Study 1, using a large online sample of 838 trauma-exposed individuals, researchers mapped how fear and emotional pain relate to specific PTSD symptoms through network analysis. Study 2, a unique longitudinal neuroimaging study of 162 recent trauma survivors, used whole-brain connectivity at one-month post-trauma to predict symptom severity 14 months later for the two profiles identified in Study 1 (Fear and Emotional Pain). Connectivity patterns robustly predicted chronic fear-based symptoms but not emotional pain, suggesting mechanistic differences between these profiles.
This is one of the first studies to integrate subjective emotional experience, symptom network structure, and neurobiological prediction to differentiate PTSD profiles.
John Krystal, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, comments, “One of the most challenging aspects of mental health care is simply and accurately characterizing the actual emotional symptoms associated with psychiatric disorders. People may use different words to describe the same experience, and they may apply the same descriptor to different experiences. Neuroimaging may provide a strategy to help to untangle this state of affairs.”
Dr. Krystal continues, “This study identifies distinct emotional symptoms that are associated with PTSD: fear and emotional pain. These two experiences are represented by different circuits in the brain, and they are differentially associated with other PTSD symptoms. Fear was associated with increased arousal, nightmares, and intrusive trauma memories, while emotional pain was associated with depression-like symptoms and insomnia.”
“Rather than proposing a new diagnostic category, our goal is to sharpen the clinical understanding of PTSD by identifying the emotional lens of fear or emotional pain through which trauma is most acutely experienced,” notes Dr. Harpaz-Rotem.
Identifying whether a patient’s distress is primarily driven by fear or by emotional pain could guide more personalized and mechanism-based treatment planning. Fear-driven profiles may respond best to exposure-based therapies, whereas emotional pain may be better addressed through approaches targeting guilt, shame, and negative self-beliefs. This distinction may also help clarify which symptoms are likely to persist chronically.
Dr. Ben-Zion concludes, “PTSD is not a single emotional experience. Our goal was to bring the patient’s subjective emotional reality to the center of the scientific discussion. Recognizing which emotional system is driving a person’s distress can open the door to more precise and compassionate treatment.”
Research in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, has identified two distinct post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) profiles—one centered on emotional pain and another on fear. This figure shows the strength of the associations (edge weight) of both profiles, detailing specific PCL-5 (DSM-5 symptoms) items. Legend: PCL1=Memories, PCL2=Nightmares, PCL3=Flashbacks, PCL4=Emotional Reactivity, PCL5=Physical Reactivity, PCL6=Internal Avoidance, PCL7=External Avoidance, PCL8=Amnesia, PCL9=Negative Beliefs, PCL10=Blame, PCL11=Negative Emotions, PCL12=Anhedonia, PCL13=Disconnection, PCL14=Trouble Positive Emotions, PCL15=Irritability, PCL16=Risk Behavior, PCL17=Hypervigilance, PCL18=Startle, PCL19=Concentration, PCL20=Sleep.
Dissecting Fear and Emotional Pain in PTSD: From Symptom Networks to Neural Signatures
COI Statement
The authors’ affiliations and disclosures of financial relationships and conflicts of interests are available in the article. John H. Krystal, MD, is Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, Chief of Psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and a research psychiatrist at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. His disclosures of financial relationships and conflicts of interests are available at https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/content/bps-editorial-disclosures.
In the study, participants’ traumatic memories were first reactivated, and only then was brain stimulation applied — precisely at the stage when the memory is in a “flexible” state and amenable to change. The researchers’ goal was to influence the way memory is reconsolidated in the brain, thereby alleviating post-traumatic symptoms.
A new study conducted at Tel Aviv University introduces an innovative approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generating particular interest in light of the sharp rise in the number of individuals coping with the condition following the events of October 7 and the Iron Swords War. According to the study’s preliminary findings, treatment using noninvasive brain stimulation succeeded in significantly reducing intrusive memories, such as flashbacks and intrusive thoughts, which are considered among the most severe and treatment-resistant symptoms of PTSD.
The study was conducted in the laboratories of Prof. Nitzan Censor and Yair Bar-Haim from the School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University. It was led by doctoral students Or Dezachyo and Noga Yair, in collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Ido Tavor. The research team included Noga Mendelovitch, Dr. Niv Tik, Dr. Haggai Sharon of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), and Prof. Daniel Pine of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the United States. The study was published in the scientific journal Brain Stimulation.
PTSD affects millions of people worldwide, including soldiers and survivors of terrorist attacks, traffic accidents, and violence. Despite advances in psychological and pharmacological treatments, only about 50% of patients respond well to existing therapies, and intrusive memories continue to burden many of them years after the traumatic event. These memories are not just distressing thoughts; they are vivid, tangible experiences that reactivate the body and emotions as though the trauma were happening all over again.
The researchers focused on the hippocampus — a deep brain structure responsible for the processing, storage, and retrieval of memories. Because direct stimulation of deep brain regions requires invasive intervention, the team employed an indirect and sophisticated method: they identified superficial brain regions that are functionally connected to the hippocampus and stimulated them using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The precise stimulation site was determined individually for each participant based on fMRI scans, allowing for a personalized treatment approach.
Ten adults with PTSD participated in the initial study, undergoing five weekly treatment sessions. During each session, the traumatic memory was first deliberately reactivated, after which brain stimulation was applied — precisely at the stage when the memory is in a “flexible” state and more open to change, within a process known as reconsolidation. The researchers’ aim was to influence the way the memory is re-stored in the brain, thereby alleviating post-traumatic symptoms.
The results showed a sharp reduction in the severity of post-traumatic symptoms, particularly in the frequency and intensity of intrusive memories, with participants demonstrating consistent improvement. At the same time, brain imaging revealed reduced connectivity between the hippocampus and the stimulation regions — evidence that the effects were not merely subjective but reflected a real change in brain activity.
Special significance in the aftermath of October 7
These findings carry particular importance for IDF soldiers, members of the security forces, civilians exposed to the terror attacks of October 7, survivors of the massacre, and victims of shootings and abductions — Israeli populations in which the prevalence of PTSD is expected to be especially high. Many of them report experiencing intense intrusive memories months after the events. The potential development of a short, noninvasive treatment that directly targets the mechanisms underlying traumatic memories could become a valuable component of the national rehabilitation effort.
According to the researchers, although this was a preliminary study conducted in a small group and did not include a control group, it provides clear proof of feasibility. Larger, controlled clinical trial is already underway at Tel Aviv University, and is required to assess the method’s effectiveness and long-term impact. If the findings are confirmed, this may represent a fundamental shift in the way traumatic memories are treated — addressing not only its emotional consequences, but the underlying neural root itself.
Prof. Nitzan Censor concludes: “These preliminary findings point to a conceptual shift in how we can approach the treatment of PTSD. We are attempting to intervene, in a targeted manner, in the brain mechanism of memory itself — at the moment when it ‘reopens’ and becomes amenable to change. The fact that we observed a consistent reduction in intrusive memories, alongside a measurable change in brain activity, is encouraging. It is important to emphasize that these are still very early results. Nevertheless, especially in light of the current reality in Israel, we hope that continued, comprehensive clinical research will eventually make it possible to develop a noninvasive and accessible treatment that will help many soldiers and civilians return to functional lives, free from the constant intrusion of traumatic memories.”
Throughout the month of January, thousands of people roamed wetlands around the world to take part in the 60th edition of the International Waterbird Census (IWC), an extraordinary citizen science project that has played a major, yet largely unknown, role in global conservation efforts over the past six decades.
Designed to estimate the size and trends of waterbird populations, identify and monitor priority wetlands for waterbirds, and support the protection and management of wetlands, this census, initiated and coordinated by Wetlands International, has contributed to remarkable conservation successes, including:
• 1.9 billion waterbirds counted since the first census in 1967 • the designation of 956 Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance – 1.5 million km² • the identification of 2,701 Important Bird Conservation Areas – 1.75 million km² • the identification of 2,721 Special Protection Areas in the EU (418,000 km²).
The Tour du Valat, a research institute dedicated to the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands and based in the Camargue, has been deeply involved in these waterbird counts since the early 1960s, both in the Camargue and across the entire Mediterranean region.
In the Camargue at this time of year, you may encounter scientists, site managers and volunteers, many from local nature conservation organizations, armed with telescopes and binoculars around local wetlands, counting thousands of waterbirds and contributing to the international census. An emblematic region of exceptional richness for many bird species, the Camargue hosts these winter surveys. The Tour du Valat will compile data collected both on the ground and by aerial surveys and transmit them to the LPO (Bird Protection League), the national coordinator. Founded in 1954 by Luc Hoffmann, a fervent ornithologist and pioneer in wetland conservation, this research institute has played a major role in monitoring since its beginning. It also hosted, from the 1960s onwards, the International Waterfowl Research Bureau (IWRB), which later became Wetlands International.
“Since the 1960s, wintering waterbird aerial surveys have been conducted across the vast Camargue territory. The Tour du Valat, the CNRS and the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) therefore maintain a unique database built over more than 60 years. It documents the international importance of the Camargue as well as trends in monitored species. This is a treasure, but it requires considerable effort to maintain this monitoring for many years to come!" Jocelyn Champagnon, Research Director at the Tour du Valat.
La Tour du Valat has also been involved for many years in activities it initiated and developed within the "Medwaterbirds" network. It coordinates actions to improve the quantity and quality of monitoring in the Mediterranean through the provision of optical equipment, organization of training courses (counting or data management), and data centralization. This network, supported by the French Ministry for the Environment, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and BirdLife International, has made a major contribution to Wetlands International’s annual censuses since 2013.
These scientific collaborations within the network enhance the value of the data, contribute to better knowledge of waterbirds, and support their conservation at the Mediterranean scale. The production of syntheses assessing the status and trends of waterbird populations in around fifteen countries and across the Mediterranean is proof of this.
Thus, in 2025, La Tour du Valat coordinated the production of 13 national technical reports, as well as an overall synthesis on the status of waterbird counts in 13 Mediterranean countries between 2019 and 2023, building on previous work conducted between 2009 and 2018.
