A new breed of prophets – intermediaries and pastoral bros of an AI industry with metaphysical aspirations – has surfaced on the global stage during troubled times. They make great promises, offer predictions and warnings, and stake out directions for humanity. This article argues that they do so by invoking the implicit collective memory of the apocalyptic imaginary known from ancient Jewish apocalyptic writings and, more specifically, by reenacting what we call prophetic memory. Through close readings in the tradition of biblical exegesis coupled with philosophical and critical hermeneutics, we trace strong AI narratives of doom and salvation to a range of media forms such as Twitter/X postings, books, interviews, journalistic feature articles, and reporting. Through these media, AI prophets speak of the end times while simultaneously offering a new beginning for humankind, not unlike the ancient prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Prophetic memory, we submit, is furthermore a mode of ‘collective future thought’ and an instantiation of the ‘remembering-imagining-system’. While its purpose is to create stability for a particular vision for the future, there is also a productive ambivalence of order and disorder at work within the apocalyptic AI imaginary. To question this ambiguous yet extremely powerful fixture on the human horizon, there is a need, we argue, for bothering the political-religious dimensions of the hegemonic AI imaginary and for scrutinizing how the AI industry founds its power base on the clout of prophetic memory – in a time of crisis in which many look for guidance and direction.

In a sample of early post-menarchal female adolescents, this study examined sleep regularity in relation to depression symptoms, circadian rhythms, and chronotype preference. Sixty-six female adolescents, aged 11–14 and within fifteen months post-menarche, completed a one-week sleep and circadian rhythm assessment involving self-reported sleep behaviors, 24-h sleep monitoring using wrist actigraphy, and serial cortisol and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin collections for four days. Sleep regularity was operationalized as the probability of being in the same wake/sleep state at any two timepoints 24 h apart (i.e., sleep regularity index (SRI)). Reduced SRI was associated with higher depressive symptoms (F [1,273] = 18.65, p = < .0001), as were eveningness chronotype (F [1,273] = 21.13, p = < .0001), sleep duration (F [1,273] = 6.25, p = .01), and self-reported life stress (F [1,273] = 22.82, p = < .0001). The interaction between SRI and chronotype was also a predictor of increased depression (F [1,273] = 18.65, p = < .0001), such that eveningness and low sleep regularity predicted higher scores. Sleep regularity was not significantly associated with cortisol awakening response, cortisol slope, or overnight melatonin levels. Sleep regularity appears linked to altered mood in early post-menarchal girls. Further research linking sleep regularity to physiological processes governing sleep is warranted. Interventions targeting sleep regularity stand to improve mental health outcomes, as well as promote healthy developmental trajectories for affect regulation.

This study investigates the relationship between bilingualism, language use, aging, and interference control using the Color–Word Stroop test task. We examined 158 highly proficient Basque–Spanish bilinguals and 84 Spanish monolinguals (aged 30–80 years) to test whether interference control declines with age and whether bilingual adaptations depend on language use frequency. Language experience was assessed using an adapted Language and Social Background Questionnaire and Color–Word Stroop test interference scores were analyzed by regression models. Results showed that interference control declines with age. Group-level differences between bilinguals and monolinguals were not significant once education was included as a covariate, although a small marginal advantage for bilinguals emerged when using education-adjusted T-scores. Within the bilingual group, higher use of the minority language (Basque) in social contexts was associated with significantly better interference control. Social language use showed a stronger relationship with interference control than home use. These findings highlight that bilingual advantages are not uniform but depend on language use frequency and context, contributing to understanding how bilingual experience shapes cognitive control across the lifespan.

Adolescence represents a pivotal neurodevelopmental period marked by escalating anxiety symptoms and heightened approach motivations. Although anxiety is typically linked to avoidance, concurrent shifts in motivational systems and neurocircuitry may alter its behavioral and neural expression, shaping developmental trajectories and treatment response. This study investigated how approach motivations (Behavioral Activation System; BAS) interact with anxiety to influence behavior and brain function in N = 121 adolescents (ages 9–13; 44% girls; 33.1% White, 22.3% Latino, 19.8% Asian, 14.9% Black, 9.9% Mixed Race). Participants completed a decision-making task and resting-state fMRI. Dimensional analyses examined joint effects of anxiety and BAS on risk-taking behaviors, task-evoked neural activity and connectivity, and intrinsic connectivity at rest. Higher anxiety was associated with risk aversion and inhibition when BAS was low, but with risk-taking and impulsivity when BAS was high (risk-taking: β = 0.25, p = .012; inhibitory control: β = 0.13, p < .001). During risk-taking, anxiety and BAS showed interactive effects on striatal (β = −0.10, p = .006) and amygdala (β = 0.10, p = .005) activity alongside distinct effects on prefrontal–subcortical connectivity (β = −0.30, p = .014; β = 0.17, p = .01). Higher BAS was associated with stronger intrinsic prefrontal–striatal connectivity (β = 0.23, p = .012), while anxiety showed no significant resting-state effects. Findings underscore the role of reward-related systems in adolescent anxiety and support developmentally informed, personalized intervention strategies.

Approximately 20% of Nigerians experience a mental health condition, yet fewer than 10% receive minimally adequate care. This scoping review synthesises the development, implementation and outcomes of mental health policies in Nigeria from 1916 to 2025. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, systematic searches were conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, AJOL and Google Scholar (inception–December 2024), supplemented by grey literature from governmental and non-governmental sources. The Walt and Gilson Policy Triangle guided the analysis of policy context, content, processes and actors. Nigeria’s policy trajectory demonstrates normative progress, transitioning from custodial approaches under the Lunacy Ordinance (1916) to a rights-based orientation in the Mental Health Act (2023). However, implementation outcomes remain constrained. Workforce expansion has been modest (psychiatrists increased from 250 in 2018 to approximately 350 in 2024), treatment coverage remains low (10–15%) and budget allocation is insufficient (3.3% of the health budget). Barriers include inadequate financing, weak coordination across federal and state levels, limited stakeholder engagement and insufficient integration of community, traditional and faith-based providers. Comparative analysis highlights that Ghana’s autonomous Mental Health Authority, South Africa’s provincial directorates and Kenya’s community health volunteer model provide governance and implementation structures absent in Nigeria. Findings indicate that Nigerian mental health policies, while necessary, are insufficient alone for system strengthening. Effective policy translation requires increased and protected financing (target: 5% of health budget by 2027), task-shifting strategies, establishment of a National Mental Health Information System, federal incentives for state-level adoption, integration into primary healthcare (5,000 PHCs by 2028) and inclusive governance that incorporates service users and traditional healers.

Adolescent girls affected by displacement face substantial mental-health risks. The Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies (SSAGE) is a 12-week, gender-transformative, family-based program designed to improve adolescent girls’ mental health in humanitarian settings. This mixed-methods pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessed SSAGE’s feasibility, acceptability and potential effects among 186 Venezuelan migrant and Colombian returnee families in Colombia. Adolescent girls aged 13–19 years, their male siblings and caregivers participated in parallel sessions on gender dynamics, communication and relationships. Implementation outcomes drew on the Mental Health Implementation Science Tools (acceptability and feasibility subscales), attendance records and qualitative interviews. Analyses followed an intent-to-treat approach using adjusted linear and logistic regression models. Quantitative analyses did not identify measurable changes in adolescent girls’ mental health outcomes at endline; however, attendance was modest, with only ~10% of families meeting the predefined protocol threshold. Implementation findings revealed strong participant satisfaction and high acceptability of SSAGE content and mentor relationships. Engagement was constrained by economic hardship, transportation and venue barriers, and some caregivers’ acute emotional distress, which likely limited feasibility and potential impact. SSAGE shows promise as a gender-transformative, family-based approach, but successful delivery in urban migrant settings will require tailored and refined implementation strategies.

People with severe mental illness (SMI) die 10–20 years earlier than the general population, largely due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes and risk factors such as hypercholesterolaemia. This cross-sectional study gathered data from people with SMI from three national mental health institutions in South Asia. Data was collected based on the WHO Stepwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance and the prevalence of screening, diagnosis and treatment for diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolaemia was assessed. Logistic regression models assessed the associations of sociodemographic characteristics with NCD screening. Three thousand nine hundred and eighty nine participants were recruited. Screening prevalence varied by country and disease, with hypertension being the most commonly screened NCD (Bangladesh = 52.5% [50.0–55.1], India = 43.1% [40.3–45.9], Pakistan = 60.9% [58.2–63.5]), and cholesterol was the least common (Bangladesh = 4.1% [3.2–5.2], India = 14.8% [12.9–17.0], Pakistan = 9.6% [8.1–11.3]). Characteristics such as BMI, age and education level were positively associated with screening, and females were more likely to be screened than males. There are low levels of screening for NCDs among individuals with SMI accessing tertiary institutions in South Asia, with significant sociodemographic disparities. Standardised screening protocols tailored to South Asian populations could mitigate the increased risk of NCDs in this population.

Attachment disorganization has enduring consequences for children’s socioemotional health. Although disrupted caregiving (e.g., frightening or intrusive behaviors) is a strong antecedent of attachment disorganization, much of its variance remains unexplained, highlighting the need to identify additional precursors. This longitudinal study examined the combined effects of mothers’ observed disrupted caregiving at six months of age, and their self-reported psychopathology, childhood maltreatment history, and sociodemographic risk, on infant attachment disorganization in the strange situation procedure at 22 months of age. Participants included 285 mother–infant dyads (52% boys; 80% white) from a Canadian pregnancy cohort. Sociodemographic risk (β = .15), disrupted caregiving (β = .27), and their interaction (β = .24) were associated with attachment disorganization. Sociodemographic risk was associated with greater attachment disorganization only at high levels of disrupted caregiving. Intervention strategies that address both caregiving behaviors and broader sociodemographic risks are needed to reduce attachment disorganization.

This study examines the mediating roles of dehumanization and humiliation in the relationship between political violence and mental health outcomes characterized by depression, anxiety and stress among Palestinians. This cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in October 2024 with 633 Palestinian adults from the West Bank. The sample was recruited online through convenience sampling. Participants completed Arabic versions of the Exposure to Political Violence Scale, the Experience of Dehumanization Scale, the Humiliation Inventory and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. All measures were culturally adapted and validated. Ethical approval was obtained from the An-Najah National University, and informed consent was obtained. The findings revealed that political violence is positively associated with stress (r = 0.38), anxiety (r = 0.35) and depression (r = 0.34; all p < 0.01). Additionally, structural equation modeling revealed that political violence predicted higher stress (β = 0.66), anxiety (β = 0.83) and depression (β = 0.77), with significant indirect effects through dehumanization and humiliation (β range = 0.21–0.28; p < 0.01). Findings highlight the strong associations between exposure to political violence and poorer mental health, particularly when accompanied by experiences of humiliation and dehumanization. This research highlights the importance of developing culturally tailored, community-based mental health programs in Palestine that address the psychological effects of these experiences and promote resilience and recovery.

Over the last decades, there has been an increasing interest in the cognitive interaction between language and music. Previous research has focused on investigating potential underlying processes shared by the two domains. While some studies do not support such a connection when examining linguistic and music pitch, there seems to be a consensus concerning the existence of structural rule parallels, essential to the linguistic and musical adequacy. The present study focuses on the role of a non-linguistic acoustic cue, such as a high/neutral or low music pitch note, to investigate whether it affects the phrase word boundaries on garden-path sentences in Greek, leading to the elevation of garden-path effects, similarly to what has been suggested for rising intonation. Through a self-paced reading-listening experiment where word segments are accompanied by music pitch notes, our results showed significant ambiguity resolution effects for both high and low music pitch. We interpret the obtained data as an indication of an interaction between language and music, where general (random) sound signals may facilitate linguistic processing.

The Israeli war against Gaza has severely disrupted daily life, including sleep, a fundamental human need. Chronic war-related trauma has caused hyperarousal, nightmares, and insomnia, perpetuating psychological distress. Overcrowded shelters and limited mental health services exacerbate these challenges. This study examines how the Israeli war against the Gazans affected Gazans’ sleep quality and patterns, focusing on sleep-related challenges faced by children and adults through firsthand accounts of war-induced trauma and stress. Forty semi-structured interviews with 20 children (ages 6–12) and 20 adults (14 mothers, 6 fathers) were analyzed using thematic analysis with a bottom-up, data-driven approach, refined through team discussions and cross-validation by independent judges. The five key themes identified are (1) chronic hypervigilance and sleep disruption, (2) trauma-driven sleep dysregulation in Gaza’s children, (3) sleeplessness in shelters, (4) maternal vigilance and the ramifications of sleeplessness, and (5) the health toll of chronic sleep deprivation. The findings highlight the urgent need for culturally sensitive mental health interventions, improved living conditions, and family-centered support services to alleviate war-related insomnia in Gaza.

The impacts of poverty and material scarcity on human decision making appear paradoxical. One set of findings associates poverty with risk aversion, whilst another set associates it with risk taking. We present an idealised rational-choice model, the Desperation Threshold Model (DTM), that explains how both these accounts can be correct. The DTM assumes that there are basic needs whose satisfaction is not fully divisible. This generates an S-shaped utility function for material resources. The value of gaining a dollar is at first small (because even with the extra dollar, basic needs still cannot be met); then large (because the extra dollar enables basic needs to be met); and then small again. Just above the basic needs threshold, people’s main concern is not falling below, and they are predicted to avoid risk especially strongly. Below the threshold, their most important concern is jumping above, and they are predicted to take risks that would otherwise be avoided. Versions of the DTM have been proposed under various names across biology, anthropology, economics and psychology. We review a broad range of relevant empirical evidence from a variety of societal contexts. Though the model primarily concerns individual decision making, it connects to a range of population-scale and societal issues such as: the consequences of economic inequality; the deterrence of crime; and the optimal design and behavioural consequences of the welfare state. We discuss interpretative issues, and suggest areas for future DTM research that bridges disciplines.