Latest

amygdala

·September 10, 2025·5 min read

Brain ‘Dial’ That Controls Urge to Eat Discovered

Researchers have uncovered a brain circuit in mice that acts as a “dial” for consumption, controlling the urge to eat sweets, fats, salt, and other foods. The circuit links the amygdala to the BNST, a region tied to feeding and reward.

This shows a brain surrounded by chains.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·August 22, 2025·5 min read

New Drug Aims to Block Pain Without Addiction Risks

Chronic pain affects millions, but opioid medications bring high risks of dependence and side effects. Researchers have now pinpointed specific neurons in the amygdala that make pain feel unpleasant, opening the door to drugs that ease suffering without shutting down normal sensation.

This shows a brain with the amygdala and hippocampus glowing red.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 26, 2025·6 min read

How the Brain Reactivates Emotional Experiences

A new study using direct recordings from human brains reveals how the amygdala and hippocampus coordinate to form and retrieve emotional memories. During aversive memory encoding, high-frequency gamma activity in the amygdala shapes hippocampal responses, which are later reactivated in the hippocampus—but not the amygdala—during memory recall.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·June 28, 2025·6 min read

One Gene Rewires Fear Circuits and Fuels Anxiety

Researchers have uncovered how losing the autism-linked gene PTEN in a specific set of inhibitory neurons reshapes brain circuits tied to fear and anxiety. Using advanced circuit-mapping techniques, they found that deleting PTEN in somatostatin-expressing neurons of the amygdala disrupted local inhibition by 50% while strengthening excitatory input from nearby brain regions.

This shows a brain surrounded by stinky objects.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 17, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain Decides a Smell Is Stinky

A new study reveals how the brain determines whether a smell is pleasant or revolting, highlighting why scent evokes such strong emotional responses. Researchers focused on the amygdala, the brain’s emotional hub, and found two genetically distinct cell types that can make any odor feel good or bad, depending on where they project in the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 27, 2025·3 min read

Amygdala Shapes Social Choices in Song-Learning Young Birds

Young zebra finches learn their birdsong by observing and imitating adult "tutor" birds, but they don’t follow just anyone. A new study shows that juvenile finches prefer tutors who sing longer but less often, suggesting social cues guide their choices.

This shows a person sitting under a tree.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 25, 2025·5 min read

Boredom Is Good for You: Why Embracing It Calms the Brain

Boredom, often seen as a negative state to avoid, may actually serve an important role in emotional regulation and brain health. When we're bored, the brain shifts away from external attention networks and activates introspective systems like the default mode network, encouraging creativity and self-reflection.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 15, 2025·5 min read

The Brain Learns to Fear Through Inference, Not Just Experience

A new study reveals how rats can learn to fear through inference, offering insights into the neural basis of higher-order emotions. By pairing a neutral sound and image, then associating the image with an unpleasant experience, researchers showed that rats later feared the sound alone—demonstrating inferred emotional learning.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 11, 2025·5 min read

Teen Obesity Linked to Brain Changes in Memory and Emotion Centers

A major new study shows that adolescents with abdominal obesity have significantly larger brain regions involved in memory and emotional regulation, raising concerns about how obesity affects brain development. MRI scans revealed that the hippocampus and amygdala were enlarged in teens with obesity, especially those with high waist-to-height ratios.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 4, 2025·12 min read

Why Alcohol Hits Women Harder

Alcohol use among women has surged to match men’s rates, but women face far greater health risks even at lower consumption levels. A growing body of research is uncovering key neurobiological sex differences that influence why and how women drink, with stress being a more prominent motivator for women.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 26, 2025·4 min read

How Oxytocin Tames “Mean Girl” Behavior

A new study finds that in some lemur species, evolving gender equality is linked to changes in the brain’s oxytocin system. Researchers compared seven closely related species, finding that more egalitarian species had higher numbers of oxytocin receptors, particularly in the amygdala.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 7, 2025·6 min read

How One Bad Meal Rewires the Brain to Avoid That Food Forever

A new study reveals how a single food poisoning experience creates long-lasting aversive memories in the brain. Researchers found that mice developed strong aversions to a flavored drink after getting sick, even with a 30-minute delay between consumption and illness.