Neuroscience News - AI, Neuroscience, Psychology Research

·July 27, 2023·4 min read

Amotivation and Anhedonia Key to Social Functioning in Schizophrenia

Amotivation and anhedonia, rather than expressive dysfunction, are crucial to determining the social functioning of individuals with schizophrenia. The transdiagnostic network analysis examined the relationship between negative symptoms, other psychopathologies, and social functioning in patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder.

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·July 27, 2023·8 min read

Tiny Thermoelectric Device Restores Thermal Perception in Phantom Limb

Researchers created a revolutionary tiny and efficient thermoelectric device, which can help amputees feel temperature with their phantom limbs. Known as the wearable thin-film thermoelectric cooler (TFTEC), this device is lightweight, incredibly fast, and energy-efficient, potentially revolutionizing applications such as prosthetics, augmented reality haptics, and thermally-modulated therapeutics.

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·July 27, 2023·5 min read

Nerve Cells Found That Halt All Movement

Scientists have identified a group of nerve cells in the midbrain, which, when stimulated, can suspend all movement, akin to setting a film on pause. These nerve cells, located in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) and differentiated by a marker called Chx10, even affect breathing and heart rate in mice.

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·July 27, 2023·4 min read

Gut Microbiome Triggers Key Cells Linked to Multiple Sclerosis

Researchers made a groundbreaking discovery about the role of the gut microbiome in activating T cells, which contribute to the development of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Using advanced imaging techniques in a mouse model, the team tracked how the gut microbiome activated these cells live for the first time.

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·July 27, 2023·5 min read

Low-Fiber Diets in Pregnancy Risk Child Brain Development

Researchers have provided evidence linking maternal undernutrition, specifically low fiber intake during pregnancy, to neurodevelopmental delays in children. They compared the developmental progress of children born to mothers with varying fiber intake levels during pregnancy.

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·July 26, 2023·6 min read

Stealing a Brain Hack: Exploration vs Urgency Shapes Memory and Learning

Researchers showed that when participants imagined themselves as art thieves scouting a virtual museum for a future heist, they had a better memory of the paintings they observed than those imagining executing an immediate heist. This difference between exploratory and urgent mindsets could have implications for framing challenges such as vaccine promotion or climate action.

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·July 26, 2023·5 min read

Investigating Stress Response in PTSD and Depression Through Gene Analysis

Researchers conducted an analysis of genes in nearly 575,000 brain cells from individuals with and without post-traumatic stress and major depressive disorders (PTSD and MDD), yielding new insights into the brain's stress response. The study identifies varying gene expression levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) region among PTSD, MDD, and unaffected individuals.

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·July 26, 2023·5 min read

Pioneering Stem Cell Therapy Offers New Hope for Epilepsy Treatment

Researchers embarked on a groundbreaking clinical trial involving the injection of regenerative cells into the brain to treat epileptic seizures. This experimental therapy, called NRTX-1001, has the potential to offer drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy patients a non-destructive cure for their seizures.

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·July 26, 2023·3 min read

Early Odor Detection Loss Linked to Alzheimer’s Gene Variant

Individuals carrying a gene variant associated with Alzheimer's disease, APOE e4, may experience early loss in their ability to detect odors, hinting at future cognitive challenges. The study employed an at-home survey to test over 865 people's sense of smell and cognitive skills at five-year intervals.

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·July 26, 2023·5 min read

Balanced Parenting Is Key to Nurturing Harmonious Sibling Bonds

A new study suggests that equal treatment of siblings by parents fosters better sibling relationships. Analyzing retrospective reports of 325 college-age adults, the researchers found that parental differential treatment and family cohesion work in tandem to shape sibling relations.

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·July 26, 2023·7 min read

Glutamate Receptor Activation: A Potential Cure for Opioid Addiction?

Scientists discovered a potential new weapon in the battle against opioid use disorder (OUD), a condition that affects over two million people in the U.S. alone. The drug, ADX106772, acts on metabotropic glutamate 2 receptors in the brain, leading to a reduction in oxycodone intake and drug-seeking behavior in an animal model.

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·July 26, 2023·4 min read

Child’s Age and Pet Ownership Improve Recognition of Dog Emotions

The ability to correctly identify dog emotions from their facial expressions appears to be influenced by a person's age and prior experience with dogs. This research found that adults and 6-year-olds were more accurate in recognizing aggressive expressions in dogs than 4-year-olds, regardless of whether they had pet dogs.