Virtual Nature as an Intervention for Reducing Stress and Improving Mood in People with Substance Use Disorder.

Substance use disorder (SUD) afflicts a large percentage of the United States population, with negative implications that cost more than $420 billion annually. This population often experiences negative emotions throughout the recovery process, including anxiety, depression, stress, and negative affect. Currently, evidence-based treatment strategies for SUD include cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, 12-step programs, and mindfulness-based treatment.

Food restriction negatively affects multiple levels of the reproductive axis in male house finches, Haemorhous mexicanus.

Nutrition influences reproductive functions across vertebrates, but the effects of food availability on the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in wild birds and the mechanisms mediating these effects remain unclear. We investigated the influence of chronic food restriction on the HPG axis of photostimulated house finches, Haemorhous mexicanus. Food-restricted birds had underdeveloped testes with smaller seminiferous tubules than ad libitum-fed birds.