A team of neuroscientists has identified neural circuitry in a deep region of the mouse brain that modulates judgments of elapsed time. The discovery may help explain why time seems to fly or stretch depending on our emotions and attention.
Neuroscientists propose a collaborative approach to understanding the brain, combining experimentalists and theorists to tackle the great mysteries of consciousness. By sharing data and resources, researchers aim to make progress in neuroscience research using principles similar to those used in particle physics.
Researchers discovered a neural circuit in fruit flies that creates an internal representation of direction and velocity, allowing them to navigate accurately. This finding has implications for our understanding of self-movement perception in humans and other animals.
A team of neuroscientists studied fruit flies' behavior when deprived of specific nutrients, discovering that their brain mechanisms influence food choices and exploration patterns. The findings suggest individual variability in metabolism and feeding behavior may be linked to physiological and neural characteristics.
Researchers found that the direct and indirect pathways in the basal ganglia play a crucial role in controlling actions, with the direct pathway sustaining action and the indirect pathway allowing switching between actions. This new model could have therapeutic implications for treating diseases like OCD and ADHD.
A team of scientists has discovered that the intestinal nervous system protects the bowel's lining against inflammation and microbial aggressions. The researchers found that this mechanism is under control of the Ret protein, which regulates the production of interleukin-22, a molecule important for gut repair.
A team of neuroscientists has mapped single neural connections over long distances in the brain, discovering that the wiring is more complex than previously thought. The results reveal connections 'skipping' layers, allowing for more efficient processing and potentially enabling specialized detection of visual features.
Researchers discovered that endocannabinoids reduce activity in the OFC, promoting habit formation. This study suggests that targeting the brain's endocannabinoid system may alleviate suffering in disorders involving habitual control.
Neuroscientists at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon report novel findings that challenge the way the scientific community has been thinking about how actions are selected and habits are formed. The study reveals that two competing pathways in the Basal Ganglia work concurrently to promote distinct, positive outcomes.
Neural clocks have been found to exist and can be used to predict timing behavior in rats. Researchers identified a mechanism in the Striatum brain region where populations of neurons create sequences of activity that encode time.
Researchers found that fruit flies exhibit a similar craving for salt during pregnancy as humans, and this preference increases offspring production. The study suggests the existence of unifying biological principles underlying this behavior across species.
Researchers found that rats made prosocial choices 70% of the time, indicating a preference for helping others. The study suggests that biological mechanisms such as positive feelings and social sensitivity may drive prosocial behavior in both humans and rats.
Researchers found that rats' behavior changed according to waiting times, mimicking human actions. The neural basis was linked to the striatum, where neurons encoded time as a position within an interval, not absolute units.
A study in female mice reveals the brain region where hormonal state and social interaction are integrated, providing insights into human attraction and rejection behaviors. The researchers found that neurons dedicated to socio-sexual behavior were active only when females were receptive to males.
A study published in Current Biology found a causal link between serotonin neuron activation and patient behavior in mice, contradicting the notion that increased serotonin leads to reward. Researchers used optogenetics to activate serotonin neurons, observing longer waiting durations in mice with stronger activation.
Scientists discovered a new type of brain activity that forecasts when a spontaneous decision occurs more than a second in advance. The premotor cortex neurons can predict the rat's actions with remarkable accuracy.
Researchers used neural recordings to predict when a rat would give up waiting for a delayed tone. The findings suggest that individual brain cells cast votes for actions, but the outcome is not predetermined.
The Champalimaud Award recognizes the development of Anti-Angiogenic Therapy for Retinal Disease, which has improved vision in patients with devastating blindness diseases. The treatment targets age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, conditions affecting millions worldwide.
Researchers at Champalimaud Foundation establish the effect of serotonin on sensitivity to pain, revealing a significant decrease in pain perception when serotonin is released. This breakthrough provides new insights into chronic pain treatment.
Researchers developed flyPAD technology to monitor fruit flies' feeding behavior, finding that they eat by rhythmically extending their proboscis in a stereotyped fashion. The study also shows that the way flies adapt to starvation is similar to how mammals do it.
Researchers have created the first maps of neural activity in behaving zebrafish, recording activity from single cells to entire brains. The study reveals stereotyped patterns of activity between individuals, enabling a functional atlas of the brain to be built.
Researchers have found that neurons in the basal ganglia can signal the concatenation of individual elements into a behavioural sequence. The study's findings suggest that the brain uses a mechanism called chunking to organize memories and actions.
A recent study has identified a third brain region, the orbital frontal cortex (OFC), critical for shifting between habitual and goal-directed actions. This discovery has important implications for understanding neuropsychiatric disorders where habit balance is disrupted.
A study published in Neuron found that rats achieved optimal performance in less than 300 milliseconds, indicating that taking more time doesn't necessarily lead to better decisions. The researchers suggest that, for certain types of decisions, relying on intuition may be the most effective approach.