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behavioral neuroscience

This shows a teen alone in a dark room with a cell phone, surrounded by emojis.

·September 9, 2025·5 min read

Loneliness Drives Teens to Seek Rewards

A new study reveals that adolescents are highly sensitive to even brief periods of social isolation, showing a sharp increase in motivation to seek rewards after just a few hours alone. This heightened drive can encourage reconnection but may also lead to risky behaviors if social contact isn’t available.

This shows the outline of a head and brain. Behind are two people fighting.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 8, 2025·2 min read

Aggression Is Contagious: Observing Violence Primes the Brain for Aggression

A new study shows that observing violence can make individuals more likely to act aggressively later, but the effect depends on familiarity. Male mice who watched familiar peers attack others became more violent afterward, driven by amygdala neurons that “prime” aggression.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 5, 2025·4 min read

Environment Shapes Autism-Linked Social Behaviors

A new study shows that environment significantly affects social behavior in zebrafish carrying a mutation linked to autism. In stressful, white Styrofoam tanks, the fish displayed higher anxiety and less social contact, while in familiar Plexiglass tanks their sociability improved.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 4, 2025·5 min read

Autism Gene Found to Alter Brain’s Social Hormone Signals

A new study reveals how a mutation in the Shank3 gene, associated with autism, alters social behavior by disrupting vasopressin release in the brain. In mice, this mutation reduced sociability and defensive aggression by limiting vasopressin reaching the lateral septum.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 4, 2025·5 min read

Astrocyte Disruption Tied to Depression After Childhood Stress

Researchers have shown that astrocytes in the lateral hypothalamus play a pivotal role in how stress shapes behavior, particularly after early-life adversity. In mice, stress led to smaller, less branched astrocytes and abnormal orexin neuron activity, with sex-specific patterns in activity levels.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·August 14, 2025·4 min read

Single Gene Edit Transfers Behaviors Across Species

Scientists in Japan have used genetic engineering to make a species of fruit fly perform a courtship ritual it had never done before. By turning on the “fruitless” gene in insulin-producing neurons, they rewired the brains of Drosophila melanogaster to offer regurgitated food to potential mates—a behavior seen in a different species, D. subobscura.

This shows a couple at a crossroads. One way shows a bright future, the other, a darker future.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 10, 2025·6 min read

How Upbringing Shapes Risk Decisions

A new study suggests that the way you take risks as an adult may depend less on how risky you are by nature and more on the types of resources you had growing up. Researchers found that people who were “socially rich” (strong social support, less money) and “economically rich” (more money, less social support) took similar risks but used different brain regions to get there.

This shows a woman with two french bulldogs.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 5, 2025·6 min read

Do Dog Faces Shape Behavior?

Short-nosed dog breeds like Pugs and French Bulldogs are often perceived as calm, affectionate companions—but their behavior is influenced by more than just head shape. A new study of over 5,000 dogs reveals that small body size, lack of training, and pampering by inexperienced owners contribute to many of their less favorable behaviors.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 16, 2025·5 min read

How Dopamine Shapes Risky Reward Behaviors

Not all animals respond to reward cues the same way — some fixate on the cue itself, while others head straight for the reward. New research reveals that “sign trackers,” animals drawn to the cue, rely on dopamine in a specific brain region to form these associations, unlike “goal trackers,” who use a dopamine-independent mechanism.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 18, 2025·5 min read

Most People Overestimate Their Moral Courage Under Pressure

A new study reveals that most people believe they would defy immoral orders from authority figures more than others would. This cognitive bias, known as the “better-than-average effect,” causes individuals to underestimate their own susceptibility to social pressure.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·June 13, 2025·3 min read

Different Autism Genes, Same Brain Signature

New research shows that different genetic forms of autism may produce a shared brain activity pattern, revealing a potential common neural signature despite distinct genetic origins. Using brain-wide recordings in preclinical models, scientists observed that autism-linked mutations affected how expectations are updated during decision-making.

This shows a baby and a child at an incubator.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 13, 2025·4 min read

No Link Found Between Preterm Siblings and Child Behavior Issues

A large-scale European study found no evidence that having a sibling born preterm leads to more behavioral problems in children born at term. Researchers analyzed data from over 65,000 children and found no significant differences in behavior between children with preterm versus term-born siblings.