
It’s that time of year here in Maryland. The last of the yellow leaves have fallen, the air is frosty and the party season is in full swing. Evening rush hour starts a few hours earlier than normal, the malls are packed like sardines in a can, and the Metro is full of drunken people in Santa suits shouting at each other and snapping selfies.








A new study sheds light on mental illnesses including depression, addiction, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Researchers at MIT studied the almond-sized region known as the amygdala. Here, they discovered neurons that form parallel channels that carry information about pleasant or unpleasant events. 
