Study links anhedonia, or the loss of pleasure, to the early onset of frontotemporal dementia. Neuroimaging revealed symptoms of anhedonia were marked by atrophy in the frontal and striatal brain areas of those with FTD. Read More
Ezogabine, a drug that opens up the KCNQ2/3 type potassium channel, significantly improved symptoms of depression and anhedonia. Read More
From helping to reduce depression to boosting dopamine in the reward system, researchers review how taking up a hobby can have positive effects on mental health. Read More
Study reveals how the brain's opioid system is linked to mood changes associated with depression and anxiety. Neuroimaging revealed, in those with depression, there is a decreased number of opioid receptors in specific areas of the brain. Read More
Musical anhedonia, a neurological condition where people don't enjoy music, affects 5% of the population. Researchers are exploring if this same condition could also be what impairs social bonding for some people on the autism spectrum. Read More
Exposing subjects to music composed in an unfamiliar scale, researchers test whether reward can be derived solely from newly formed predictions. Read More
The latest Silicon Valley crazy of dopamine fasting promises to "reset" the brain to be more effective and appreciate the smaller things in life more easily, but does it work? Researchers look at the effect of dopamine fasting on brain health. Read More
Rats susceptible to anhedonia have more serotonin neurons in the ventral dorsal raphe nucleus. However, activating neurons in the central amygdala reduced the serotonin signaling and lowered the effects of social stress. Read More
Mu-opioid receptor (MOR) levels are significantly reduced in the striatum in those with schizophrenia. A lack of MOR system stimulation contributes to negative feelings, such as a lack of motivation and anhedonia, associated with the condition. Increasing MOR levels could help to reduce some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Read More
Inhibitory inputs to the neural circuit between the dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dlBNST) to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) increase when a person is in chronic pain. This alteration is mediated by enhanced corticotropin-releasing factor signaling within the dlBNST, leading to suppression of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. The result is depressive mood and anhedonia associated with chronic pain. Read More
A new study identifies a novel neural network regulating feeding and mood in response to chronic stress. Inhibiting the POMC to ventral tegmental area circuit increases body weight and food intake while reducing depressive symptoms in mouse models. Read More
What we find pleasurable may be down to our genetics. Researchers found nucleus accumbens activation and physical anhedonia were influenced by shared genes. The experience of pleasure and physical anhedonia also appear to share some of the same genes. Read More
