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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

·August 7, 2023·5 min read

Embrace Wellness with AI: Chatbots Boosting Exercise, Diet, and Sleep Quality

Researchers found artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots can significantly enhance physical activity, diet, and sleep patterns. The study, the first systematic review and meta-analysis of its kind, shows that chatbots can motivate individuals to increase their daily step count, consume more fruits and vegetables, and improve sleep duration and quality.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·August 7, 2023·5 min read

COVID Variants Can Affect the Brain in Different Ways

New research found that variants of COVID-19 can affect the brain in different ways and that the blood-brain barrier can be impacted. Scientists exposed brain cells to multiple strains of SARS-CoV-2, including the original wild-type virus, alpha, beta, delta, eta and omicron.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 7, 2023·5 min read

Navigators of Nature: Butterflies Exhibit Spatial Learning

Until now, research on insect spatial learning primarily focused on social species like bees and ants. This new revelation underscores the possibility of more widespread complex learning skills, such as the use of spatial information, in insects than previously recognized.

Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·August 7, 2023·4 min read

Untangling the Ties Between Chronic Pain and Mental Health

A recent commentary underscores the complex relationship between chronic pain and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. The interaction is revealed to be driven by a bi-directional feedback loop, where physical pain impacts sleep and mood, making individuals more susceptible to mental health issues.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 7, 2023·4 min read

Negative Memory Replay Offers PTSD Insight

Scientists discovered that rats intensify their memories of negative experiences in familiar places by repetitively replaying them. This mental map, generated by specific neurons known as place cells, can be altered when the animal encounters a negative experience.

This shows a woman surrounded by swimming fish.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 7, 2023·6 min read

Selfish or Generous? Your Behavior Dictates Your Perception of Others

A recent study finds that an individual's own behavior, rather than societal norms, plays a pivotal role in how they perceive and respond to others in competitive situations. Generous people tend to reward generosity, while selfish individuals tend to punish it, even at personal cost.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·August 6, 2023·3 min read

Probing Pathways of Perception: This Week’s Top 5 Advances from Neuroscience News, August 6, 2023

This week's top neuroscience news includes breakthroughs such as a promising Alzheimer's vaccine, the unveiling of a key inflammation pathway impacting aging, and the identification of sensory neurons in the colon.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 5, 2023·5 min read

Linking Childhood Trauma to Mental Illness: Astrocytes Key to the Puzzle

The removal of excitatory synapses by astrocytes, triggered by stress hormones, can lead to mental illnesses induced by childhood neglect or abuse. The study reveals that synthetic glucocorticoids, or stress hormones, can boost astrocyte-mediated phagocytosis to abnormal levels.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 5, 2023·5 min read

How Insulin-Like Growth Factors Bolster Brain Plasticity

Researchers discovered a mechanism linking insulin-like growth factors (IGF) to brain plasticity. This groundbreaking study uncovers how IGF1 and IGF2 promote brain health and functionality, including learning and memory, through the activation of IGF1-Receptor during synaptic plasticity.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 5, 2023·5 min read

How Our Own Sleep Ratings Shape Our Next-Day Mood

According to a recent study people's feelings about their sleep have a stronger influence on their well-being than data from sleep-tracking technology. Over 100 participants kept daily sleep diaries and wore actigraphs on their wrists to monitor sleep patterns. The research compared these readings to participants' personal evaluations of their sleep and their moods the next day.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 4, 2023·6 min read

A Fresh Look at Free Will: Challenging the Libet Paradigm

A recent study challenges the long-standing Libet paradigm about free will. The team discovered that the EEG activity, dubbed readiness potential, registered before decision-making in Libet's original experiment has no direct correlation to the actual decision.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 4, 2023·4 min read

Social Perception’s Critical Brain Circuitry Discovered

Researchers identified a crucial brain circuit that affects how we value rewards in comparison to others. The team temporarily blocked connections between the medial prefrontal cortex and the lateral hypothalamus in monkeys, using a technique known as DREADD.