Researchers blocked dopamine receptors in rats to reduce cocaine-seeking behavior, with varying longevity. The study reveals the unique roles of the basolateral and central amygdala in cocaine reward behaviors.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that stimulating the cingulate cortex worsened memory recall in epilepsy patients. However, deep brain stimulation also modified hippocampal brain waves and demonstrated a direct role for the cingulate cortex in memory encoding.
Researchers have discovered that the prefrontal cortex directly encodes the intention to consume alcohol, but this ability is blunted in rats with a family history of excessive drinking. This finding suggests that restoring prefrontal cortex activity could be a new strategy for treating alcohol use disorders.
New research using fMRI data from 1,445 individuals reveals diverse brain regions involved in emotion identification, challenging previous studies that focused only on the amygdala.
A new study found that social isolation in mice and rats causes higher stress and anxiety levels, leading to more severe seizures in epileptic rodents. This highlights the importance of housing conditions in experimental design and data analysis.
Scientists have identified a previously unknown pathway connecting the hypothalamus and midbrain that drives defensive behaviors in mice. Further research on this pathway could increase understanding of anxiety disorders.
Research in mice suggests that defective potassium channels involved in pain detection can cause headaches and may be a target for future migraine treatments. The study found that the channels, specifically TRESK, regulate pain in facial sensory neurons, making them a promising area of focus for headache research.
Researchers found that removing new neurons born after a brain injury reduced seizures in mice, with a 65% decrease observed. This approach may potentially prevent post-injury epilepsy if implemented within a specific time frame.
Researchers found that the retina can rebuild itself after treatment, recovering normal light responses and connections to other neurons. Gene therapy successfully restored rod photoreceptors' function in a mouse model with genetically defective rods.
A new study reveals that age-related and noise-induced hearing losses affect the brain's sound processing differently. Researchers found that mild noise-induced hearing loss causes similar processing impairment as moderate to severe age-related hearing loss.
A study using functional magnetic resonance imaging identified a brain network that determines if a robot is a worthy social partner. Participants preferred more lifelike robots, but disliked those with human-like features.
Researchers discovered that sleep deprivation strengthens hippocampus synapses in mice, allowing new learning to occur after waking. Synapse strength increased after six hours of wakefulness compared to sleep, suggesting a recalibration process during rest.
Researchers used stem cells and optochemogenetics to treat mice after a stroke, showing improved recovery. The combination of stem cell injection and stimulation increased successful recovery rates.
A newly identified hunger pathway in the brain can quickly modify food intake in response to food cues. The discovery improves understanding of how the brain controls energy balance and may lead to new treatments for eating disorders.
Researchers found a link between sleep patterns and Alzheimer's disease pathology, suggesting new diagnostic tools and prevention strategies.
Research in hypertensive rat models found impaired glymphatic transport and increased ventricles, suggesting hypertension's impact on brain clearance of waste molecules. Treatments targeting hypertension could reduce Alzheimer's disease buildup and delay onset.
A new study using electrical stimulation to treat epilepsy found that brain activity can be predicted by monitoring changes in neural connectivity. Repeated sets of stimulation led to progressive changes in the brain's response to simulation, suggesting rapid reorganization of brain structure.
Researchers found that metformin reduces anxiety-like behaviors in male mice by increasing serotonin availability in the brain. This increase was accompanied by improved neurotransmission in the hippocampus and lower levels of amino acids that impair serotonin production.
A combination of visual training and brain stimulation enhances learning in healthy adults, with twice as much improvement seen on a visual motion task. The study also found that this technique can lead to faster visual recovery and improved quality of life for patients who suffered a stroke or traumatic brain injury.
A study published in JNeurosci reports that dysfunctional neurons in the hippocampus of adult mice modeling dementia can be repaired and reconnected to distant parts of the brain. The findings suggest potential new treatments for cognitive decline in the elderly.
Researchers discovered a novel noninvasive electrophysiological biomarker for Parkinson's disease using scalp electrodes and electroencephalography (EEG). The approach showed promise for developing wearable technology to monitor disease-related brain activity at home.
A study found that mice infected with Zika virus during late gestation exhibited behaviors similar to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Children exposed to the virus during the 2015-16 epidemic may be at increased risk for developmental disorders, including ADHD and brain abnormalities.
A new study published in JNeurosci finds that mice lacking the gene Shank3 display structural and functional deficits in the prefrontal cortex. These findings establish a role of Shank3 in maintaining prefrontal cortex connectivity, which may increase autism risk when disrupted.
Researchers have found that melanin-concentrating hormone neurons are active during rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep and when exploring novel objects in mice. This suggests these cells may facilitate memory formation through single-cell activity patterns.
A study found that a wider network of brain regions than previously thought is engaged in remembering a familiar face, linking the 'face network' with social, visual, and auditory circuits. This integration predicts facial memory performance.
Research on Caenorhabditis elegans reveals dopamine's role in sex-specific behaviors, such as food finding and mating strategies. The study demonstrates how dopamine acts through different molecular pathways to give rise to these differences.
A new study found that female rats exposed to maternal immune activation during pregnancy exhibit autism- and schizophrenia-like behaviors, similar to their male siblings. The researchers argue that this limitation may contribute to conflicting results in the field of psychiatric disorders.
A new study has identified a brain activity pattern, called frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), that predicts anger experienced during dreaming. Individuals with greater alpha-band brain activity in the right frontal cortex during REM sleep and pre-sleep wakefulness tend to have more angry dreams.
A recent study published in JNeurosci has identified genes and molecular pathways associated with higher educational attainment in older adults. The research found that individuals with higher education levels had thicker prefrontal brain regions, which are linked to improved working memory and decision-making.
A new study found that low doses of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) trigger headaches only in female rodents, potentially explaining the higher prevalence of migraines in women. The researchers used rat and mouse models with both male and female animals to investigate CGRP's role in migraine.
Heavy drinking during adolescence reduces brain growth in male and female rhesus monkeys, affecting white matter and thalamus development. Research supports potential link to problematic drinking later in life.
Damage to parts of the orbitofrontal cortex increases defensive responses to threats in monkeys. The study suggests that specific symptoms of anxiety disorders may arise from dysfunction in distinct subregions of OFC.
A comparative animal study published in JNeurosci found that alligators encode sound location like birds but differently than mammals. The reptile's brain constructs neural maps to chart sound location, a feature observed in close relatives of the alligator, but not in mammals.
A new preclinical study published in JNeurosci found that switching mice from saturated fat-based diets to monounsaturated fat-rich diets restored and protected nerve function in obese mice. The results suggest that interventions targeting dietary fats may provide a new therapeutic avenue for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.
A recent study suggests humans possess an ancient magnetic sense, as their brains respond to changes in the Earth's magnetic field. The research used electroencephalography to record brain activity during magnetic field manipulations, revealing a decrease in alpha-band brain activity in some participants.
New research reveals that individual amygdala neurons in monkeys respond to both touch, imagery, and sounds, suggesting these cells facilitate the processing of multisensory social and emotional information. The findings challenge assumptions about the amygdala's primary response to visual stimuli.
A human neuroimaging study suggests that intentionally redirecting attention away from an unwanted experience during memory formation and suppressing its retrieval once formed can facilitate forgetting. The research provides evidence for a new link between voluntary control of visual attention and long-term memory fate.
A recent study published in JNeurosci analyzed brain scans from over 600 children and adolescents, revealing genetically-mediated associations between brain region size and intelligence. The research suggests that evolutionary expansion of the human brain is largely under genetic control.
A neuroimaging study found that real-time eye contact between individuals simultaneously activates the same areas of each person's brain. This suggests that eye contact prepares the social brain for sharing mental states with others, enhancing connectivity within the limbic mirror system.
A new study published in eNeuro found that Ritalin had no impact on neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex of monkeys. The researchers observed improved performance in attention tasks at higher doses, but not in brain activity.
Researchers have developed a neuron-optimized CRISPR activation system that efficiently regulates genes involved in learning and memory, plasticity, and neuronal development. This breakthrough paves the way for studying genetic influences on brain health and disease using model organisms more closely resembling humans.
Researchers confirm that the human brain and monkeys perceive the Pinna-Brelstaff figure's rotating rings similarly, with a delay of around 15 milliseconds. This finding supports Jan Purkinje's theory that illusions contain visual truth and sheds light on how our brains handle perception vs reality.
A study in male rats found that a subset of hippocampal neurons respond to both place and taste stimuli. The results suggest the hippocampus overlays existing mental maps with information about reward and hazard derived from food locations.
A new study has shown that adults can learn a fictional writing system called HouseFont, which assigns images of houses to English phonemes. The research found increased brain activity in the visual word form area that predicted participants' reading speed, suggesting that learning a new writing system shapes the reading brain.
A study published in JNeurosci found that children's brains have trouble focusing on speech in noisy environments, a phenomenon known as the 'cocktail party effect'. This ability develops from childhood to adulthood and may not fully mature until the teenage years.
Researchers found that increasing glutamate levels in the hippocampus normalized anxious monkeys' threat responses, with effects dependent on area 25. This study suggests targeting the brain region and its connection to reduce anxiety.
A large-scale genetic analysis reveals associations between impulsive personality traits and psychiatric disorders, including substance use. The study identifies specific genes, such as CADM2 and CACNA1I, linked to impulsiveness and drug experimentation history.
A protein-secreting device implanted into the hippocampus of epileptic rats reduced seizures by 93% in three months, improving anxiety-like symptoms and cognitive performance. The effects persisted even after device removal, indicating a possible modification of disease progression.
A study found that mice raised in an enriched environment with social interaction and mental stimulation can transmit the brain benefits to their offspring through changes in gene expression. Despite being raised in the same impoverished environment, the offspring maintained lifelong visual cortex plasticity.
Researchers have identified a cellular response to repeated concussions that may contribute to seizures in mice. A unique population of astrocytes responded to these injuries, leading to spontaneous recurrent seizures in some mice within one month. This study establishes a new animal model for post-traumatic epilepsy research.