Researchers mapped brain responses to faces and voices expressing different emotions, finding that emotional information is integrated across senses. The brain's response changes when processing faces and voices together, suggesting a combined emotional understanding.
A recent study published in JNeurosci found that people with early blindness and musicians exhibit similar improvements in pitch discrimination, which is attributed to reduced internal noise. This reduction in internal noise enables individuals to better distinguish between pitches, leading to enhanced hearing ability.
Researchers Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. Their discoveries have revolutionized brain research and opened new avenues for understanding neural circuits and developing new treatments.
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, enabling light-controlled nerve signals in the brain. This breakthrough has enabled neuroscientists to study brain function and neural circuits, paving the way for new research and therapeutic efforts.
A study by Millie Rincón-Cortés and colleagues found that rat mothers with limited nesting resources exhibit altered neural activity before and during harmful behavior towards their pups. The researchers suggest that this maladaptive brain signature may be a key factor in postpartum depression and caregiving hindrance.
Research finds accelerated brain aging in uninjured areas after stroke can predict language severity and treatment response. Brain aging patterns measured before treatment predicted improvements in language 6 months after therapy ended in patients who completed speech therapy and brain stimulation.
Children with developmental dyscalculia were less efficient at using math problem-solving strategies, taking longer to switch between them and not improving over time. The study also found altered brain activity that could predict math performance and suggest that persistent childhood struggles may lead to the onset of dyscalculia.
Researchers found that people with social anxiety have amplified brain activity that improves learning under low demands but hinders learning under higher demands. This sensitivity to the social context may be helpful when learning is easy, but becomes disadvantageous as demands increase.
Researchers found strong similarities in small-scale structural properties and gene expression patterns between humans and macaques, but more differences in large-scale connections. Chimpanzees occupy an intermediate position between macaques and humans, with brain systems showing reorganization in sensory, motor, and internal informat...
Research suggests that deep sleep strengthens resilience to stressful situations in mice by reorganizing brain activity in the prelimbic cortex. The study found that mice who experienced more deep sleep were better able to cope with stressful social situations.
Research reveals individual breaths at rest create unique brain wave patterns, affecting mental processes such as thinking, attention, and emotional regulation. The study suggests that brain-body interactions are crucial for assessing and treating neuropsychiatric patient populations.
Research reveals that increased tau protein levels during aging may contribute to the rise of depressive symptoms. The study, published in JNeurosci, suggests that monitoring depressive trajectories in aging populations could complement other measures to help assess risk for neurodegenerative disease.
Research suggests that childhood trauma weakens pleasure experience through changes in the hippocampus, leading to increased anhedonia. The study found individuals with disrupted hippocampal pathways experienced more anhedonia than those without disruptions.
Research reveals that selective breeding and training have altered brain pathways related to vocal processing and cue interpretation in dogs. Trained service dogs show stronger connections between communication-related brain areas, suggesting trainability can be predicted by brain connectivity.
Researchers recreated melodies from brain activity of people imagining song continuations using electrocorticography. Brain signals revealed pitches of notes in imagined musical melodies, enabling pitch prediction and structure analysis.
Research explores whether eyes being open or closed affects brain activity related to mind wandering and arousal. Brain activity associated with arousal has opposite effects on mind wandering depending on eye state, suggesting a context-dependent relationship.
The Society for Neuroscience will convene approximately 20,000 neuroscientists to share cutting-edge research across over 8,000 presentations. Registered media will have exclusive access to world-renowned experts and emerging science.
New research uses mice to explore mechanisms for combating slow breathing from fentanyl, a symptom that can lead to overdose and death. Altering the activity of specific neurons increased breathing rates, while targeting another signaling system alleviated slow breathing.
Patients with autoimmune limbic encephalitis experience altered hippocampus size and function, leading to memory loss and apathy. This study reveals a link between hippocampus damage and behavioral changes, shedding light on the condition's effects on cognition and motivation.
Researchers found that infants use spatial cues to track speakers, despite having immature brains, and exhibit more confined activity in the cortex compared to adults. This ability emerges early in life, suggesting a key finding for understanding infant cognition.
Researchers found minor cardiac dysfunction can predict microscopic tissue degradation in brain regions associated with Alzheimer's disease, leading to poor long-term memory performance.
A mouse study found that social isolation during adolescence impairs emotion recognition and social behavior in adulthood. Resocializing does not reverse these behavioral changes. The study also showed that socially isolated adult mice were unable to tell the difference between stressed and unstressed mice.
Amy Arnsten, a Yale University researcher, received the prestigious Peter Seeburg Integrative Neuroscience Prize for her groundbreaking work on executive brain functions. Her research has transformed our understanding of how prefrontal cortical circuits support working memory and goal-directed behavior.
Researchers discovered that the brain uses both sharpening and refining strategies to process expected and unexpected events. Expected events lead to rapid responses but poor memory recall, while unexpected events receive sensory priority and are better remembered.
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) has been shown to improve gait and restore communication between cortical brain networks in mice with ischemic stroke. This treatment targets neural mechanisms that may lead to improved motor function, according to the study.
Research suggests that individual differences in brain organization can explain language learning variability in adulthood. Brain networks involved in attention and cognitive control predict language learning success.
Bilingual speakers use the same brain areas to adjust words to their grammatical context, indicating a shared neural mechanism for abstract grammatical computations across languages. This finding has implications for language learning, suggesting that existing knowledge may facilitate the acquisition of new languages.
Four SfN members, Christine Holt, Kelsey C. Martin, Erin Schuman, and Oswald Steward, have been awarded the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for their discoveries on local protein translation in neurons.
Research suggests that genetic factors influence the strength of rats' aversive responses to cocaine's negative effects. The study found that different rat strains had varying levels of avoidance behavior towards the drug. This suggests a potential genetic basis for individual differences in cocaine use and addiction.
Researchers found that DHED increased estrogen specifically in the brain of aged marmosets, leading to improved memory and sleep. The treatment also reversed neural changes caused by letrozole, a common breast cancer treatment. However, DHED had different effects on body temperature regulation in males and females.
Researchers found that HIV-associated protein gp120 increases nerve receptor activity, leading to increased pain sensitivity. Targeting this mechanism with drugs or genetic approaches may alleviate chronic pain associated with HIV, and could also treat other conditions.
Researchers found that using transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) while moving activates specific brain areas involved in motor systems. This suggests that taVNS may be a useful treatment intervention for mobility issues, potentially leading to improved motor performance.
Dr. John L. R. Rubenstein has been recognized for his groundbreaking work on mammalian forebrain development, a structure critical to functions like cognition and perception. His research revealed the discovery of transcription factors directing excitatory and inhibitory neuron development in the developing forebrain.
Researchers studied how hibernation affects the visual brain of squirrels, finding that certain neurons undergo quick structural changes during deep sleep and arousal stages. These changes reverse within hours after waking and have no lasting effects on neuron structure six months after hibernation.
Researchers found that individuals with stronger brain responses to negative information were more resilient in their thoughts and feelings. They accepted more offers with mixed consequences, indicating a lower value on negative outcomes. This study suggests that controlling negative thoughts may enable people to build mental resilience.
Researchers identified a key brain pathway in rats that helps them decide whether to approach stressed pups or avoid stressed adult peers. The insular cortex and prefrontal cortex work together to process social information, with the pathway playing a crucial role in making these decisions.
Research explores how differences in brain development, age, and sleep affect EEG signals recorded from awake individuals. The study reveals that brain signals during wakefulness depend on prior sleep, with effects differing between children and adults.
Astronauts experience difficulty transitioning between Earth and space due to brain predictions about gravity's pull. After prolonged periods in weightlessness, they overcompensate with their hand grip when returning to Earth, but gradually adjust over time.
Researchers found that introducing new objects in a nonsocial environment reduced fentanyl intake over time and helped rats stop seeking the drug faster. Enriched environments also showed lower levels of stress hormones, linked to relapse in standard conditions.
Researchers linked neural activity to blind individuals' ability to determine object location using echolocation. Accuracy improved with repeated mouth clicks, suggesting a summation of information in the brain.
Research in mice reveals direct gene regulation by alcohol metabolites, with varying effects on brain regions and exposure durations. Short-term exposure influences more genes and epigenetic programs compared to lengthy exposure.
A recent study using sea slugs identified a cellular mechanism that strengthens long-term memory when exposed to new information at the same time each day. This discovery could provide insights into the most effective learning strategies.
Older adults with and without Parkinson's disease have increased brain activity and muscle signals when recovering from balance disturbances. This makes it more difficult for them to recover their balance.
Researchers discovered that mild hypoxia shortly after birth hinders learning and memory into adulthood through altered neuron-to-neuron communication in the hippocampus. The study also found a second protein involved in hypoxia's effects on this channel's functioning, which was restored when targeted.
A new brain pathway has been identified that enables humans to quickly detect and respond to 'scary' sounds, leading to increased self-reported fearfulness. This pathway is associated with better hearing ability in noisy environments.
Researchers found that adults with ADHD exhibit more sleep-like brain activity, leading to more lapses in attention. This increased activity may be a key brain mechanism underlying attention problems in ADHD. Further study is needed to explore potential strategies to mitigate this activity.
Research reveals altered brain networks in newborns with congenital heart disease, which may be linked to sensory perception, movement, and social behavior. After corrective surgery, these brain networks are improved, suggesting that cardiac surgery can improve brain health.
Researchers assessed whether people can distinguish between AI-generated and human speech, discovering that short training minimally improves this ability. However, neural responses became more distinct for human versus AI speech, suggesting training can help in the future.
A new study using rats found that a specific brain region, the anterior insula, is more active during actions related to alcohol consumption. This bias in decision-making may be involved in prioritizing alcohol over other rewards, potentially shedding light on the neural underpinnings of alcohol use disorders.
Researchers found that people's expectations about sugar content alter their enjoyment of beverages containing artificial sweeteners. By manipulating participants' expectations, the study shows how the brain's reward system responds to sweet flavors, with increased activation in the dopaminergic midbrain.