AutismFeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·January 18, 2020·4 min readWhat people who don’t like music might tell us about social interactionMusical 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
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·January 18, 2020·2 min readMusic helps researchers find link between prediction and pleasureExposing subjects to music composed in an unfamiliar scale, researchers test whether reward can be derived solely from newly formed predictions.Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeurosciencePsychology·December 27, 2019·4 min readDopamine fasting: an expert reviews the latest craze in Silicon ValleyThe 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
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·December 2, 2019·3 min readWhy stress doesn’t always cause depressionRats 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
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 4, 2019·3 min readPromising steps towards hope for a treatment for schizophreniaMu-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
ElectrophysiologyFeaturedNeurologyNeurosciencePainPsychology·September 26, 2019·4 min readMolecular link between chronic pain and depression revealedInhibitory 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
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·September 5, 2019·4 min readBrain circuit connects feeding and mood in response to stressA 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
FeaturedGeneticsNeurosciencePsychology·August 8, 2019·4 min readGenetic variation contributes to individual differences in pleasureWhat 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
FeaturedGeneticsNeurosciencePsychology·May 22, 2019·3 min readNew therapeutic target for depression identifiedA fragment of the neuropeptide Galanin appears to play a role in anhedonia in mouse models of depression. Galanin could be a potential target for the treatment of depression.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·May 15, 2019·3 min readInflammation induces anhedonia in women but not menInflammation appears to reduce reward response in females. Reduced activity in the brain's reward system is a key component of anhedonia, the loss of enjoyment in activities, a core feature of depression. The findings may explain why depression is more prevalent in women than in men.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·March 13, 2019·5 min readDifferences in brain activity in children with anhedoniaUsing fMRI to examine the brains of children while resting, researchers discover anhedonia is associated with hyperconnectivity between the cingulo-opercular network and ventral striatum.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·December 4, 2018·6 min readNew Insights Into Loss of Pleasure in DepressionA new study reveals a brain region that contributes to anhedonia, the loss of pleasure, in those with depression. The study also shows how ketamine acts on this brain region, explaining why the drug appears to be so effective at treating anhedonia.Read More
