How misleading headlines distort scientific studies

Last week I gave a talk in Brazil called Why Is It So Hard To Think About The Brain?, Well, no sooner have I returned than a story appeared that illustrates my point all too well.

A neuroscience paper made headlines around the world on Friday. Here’sTime‘s take:

“One Dose of Antidepressant Changes the Brain, Study Finds

One dose of antidepressant is all it takes to change the brain, finds a small new study published in the journal Current Biology.

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The study authors took brain scans of 22 healthy people. Some were randomized to take a dose of the most common kind of antidepressant, an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). After another brain scan three hours later, researchers saw a dramatic change: a widespread drop in connectivity throughout the brain, except where it was enhanced in two brain regions, the cerebellum and thalamus…”

My concern here is over the headlines, in particular that phrase “changes the brain.” This statement sounds like a meaningful (and perhaps alarming) report of a scientific finding. But, in fact, it’s vague and ambiguous.

Read full original article: Warning: This Post Will Change Your Brain