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behavioral neuroscience

·November 7, 2024·6 min read

Flexible Brain Cells Enable Task Planning and Goal Tracking

Neuroscientists have identified specialized brain cells that form flexible "coordinate systems" to help us track where we are within a sequence of actions. These cells map our position in complex behaviors, making connections similar to a music box playing different tunes.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·November 1, 2024·4 min read

Honeybee Behavior Genetically Programmed

The doublesex (dsx) gene in honeybees determines specific worker bee behaviors like foraging and brood care. By modifying this gene, they found dsx directly affects neural pathways, encoding behaviors essential to colony survival.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 28, 2024·5 min read

Prenatal Cannabis Use Linked to Child Aggression and Cognitive Deficits

Prenatal exposure to cannabis can negatively impact children’s thinking and behavioral skills, including impulse control, attention, and aggression, which are key for academic and social success. The study observed preschool-aged children with prenatal cannabis exposure and found they showed poorer control over impulses and emotions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 25, 2024·4 min read

Individual Reward-Seeking Predicts Nicotine Response

A new study finds that individualistic reward-seeking behaviors in mice can predict their responses to nicotine. Conducted in a semi-natural environment called Souris-City, the research observed how male mice developed distinct reward-seeking strategies when isolated from peers.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 21, 2024·5 min read

Parent-Child Play Shapes Social Skills for Interacting with Peers

How parents and toddlers play together can predict children's future social interactions. By observing over 120 mother-child pairs, researchers found that responsive and assertive behaviors during play were linked to better social competence with peers.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·October 17, 2024·8 min read

Genetic Influences on Youth Behavior and Mental Health

Researchers have used an innovative approach to explore genetic links to mental health issues in youth, identifying associations with behaviors such as screen time and caffeine consumption. By focusing on polygenic scores that reflect genetic predispositions, the study highlights a range of potentially modifiable factors that may contribute to psychiatric risk.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 7, 2024·7 min read

Salience Network Disruption Tied to Dementia Behavior Changes

Researchers have discovered that disruptions in the brain’s salience network, often tied to tau protein buildup, correlate strongly with behavioral changes in people with early-stage dementia. Using advanced brain imaging on 128 participants, they found that as tau impairs this critical network, behavioral symptoms worsen, adding another layer to understanding dementia beyond memory loss.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 2, 2024·4 min read

Dolphins’ “Smile” Reveals Playful Intentions

Bottlenose dolphins use an "open mouth" expression, similar to a smile, during playful interactions with other dolphins. This expression is a signal of fun and playfulness, preventing misunderstandings as aggression.

This shows a painting of a springbok with a tracking collar.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 1, 2024·4 min read

Wildlife Tagging Alters Behavior for Days

A new study reveals that the stress of capturing and tagging wildlife affects their behavior for several days, altering their activity levels and movement patterns. By tracking 1,585 individuals from 42 species fitted with GPS collars, researchers found that predators tended to reduce their activity while herbivores often increased movement post-release.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 25, 2024·4 min read

Shared Brain Activity Patterns Linked to Behavior Identified

Scientists have uncovered stable patterns of brain activity across more than 300 individuals by reducing the complexity of fMRI data. These shared activity patterns, consistent across participants, may reveal biomarkers for psychiatric disorders and provide insight into individual differences in behavior.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 23, 2024·6 min read

Blue Light Exposure Induces Behavioral and Epigenetic Changes in Fish

Artificial light at night (ALAN), particularly blue light, disrupts fish behavior and affects their offspring. After just a few nights of blue light exposure, zebrafish displayed anxiety-like behaviors, such as reduced swimming and wall-hugging, and their offspring exhibited decreased activity despite never being exposed themselves.

This shows a little girl playing with cars.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 28, 2024·2 min read

Gender Nonconformity in Play Linked to ASD and Behavioral Problems

A new study reveals that gender nonconforming play behavior in 7-year-olds is associated with increased behavioral difficulties, including autistic traits in girls and peer relationship issues in boys. Researchers analyzed data from 718 children in Sweden, finding that masculine play in girls and feminine play in boys were linked to these challenges. While the study highlights potential associations, it emphasizes that nonconforming play does not imply future behavioral issues.