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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

This shows a brain with a neutral network spreading from the PFC. A drink glass is behind the brain.

·August 16, 2025·5 min read

Boosting Prefrontal Dopamine Shows Promise in Cutting Alcohol Use

A new study reveals that tolcapone, a dopamine-enhancing drug, strengthens brain circuits involved in self-control while reducing alcohol intake in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The drug boosts activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, part of the prefrontal cortex, which supports inhibitory control.

This shows the outline of a person in a mix of haze and clouds.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 16, 2025·4 min read

Highly Sensitive People Face Greater Mental Health Risks

A large-scale meta-analysis of 33 studies has shown that highly sensitive individuals are more prone to common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and avoidant personality disorder. Sensitivity was defined as a heightened responsiveness to environmental and emotional cues, making people more vulnerable but also more receptive to positive experiences and therapy.

This shows the outline of a person with the brain and pancreas highlighted.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·August 16, 2025·5 min read

Bipolar Mood Shifts Linked to Insulin Signaling in the Pancreas

A new study uncovers a pancreas–hippocampus feedback loop that may help explain mood swings in bipolar disorder. Using patient-derived pancreatic islets, researchers found reduced insulin secretion linked to elevated RORβ, a bipolar risk gene.

This illustration shows a woman pulling at her hair with a brain and the NAc highlighted. The dopamine structure is in the background.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 16, 2025·5 min read

Dopamine Imbalance in the Brain May Drive Trichotillomania

A new study using SAPAP3 knockout mice sheds light on the brain mechanisms that may drive trichotillomania, or hair-pulling disorder. These mice displayed compulsive grooming, heightened aggression, and stress-sensitive behaviors, mirroring human TTM traits—particularly in females.

This shows a cup of coffee on a table with sunlight drifting in through the window.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 16, 2025·4 min read

Caffeine in the Morning Gives the Biggest Boost to Mood

A large real-world study of 236 young adults found that caffeine significantly boosts positive emotions, particularly in the morning. Participants who had coffee or another caffeinated drink reported feeling happier and more enthusiastic compared to mornings without caffeine.

Brain Cancer Featured Neuroscience

·August 15, 2025·6 min read

Bacteria and Viruses Join Forces in New Cancer-Killing Therapy

Researchers have developed CAPPSID, a novel cancer therapy that teams bacteria and viruses to infiltrate and destroy tumors. The system hides an oncolytic virus inside Salmonella typhimurium, which naturally migrates into tumors, shielding the virus from immune detection.

This shows the outline of a woman's head and a "foggy" brain, implying emotional intensity.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 15, 2025·3 min read

Brain Signature Reveals How We Consciously Experience Emotional Intensity

Researchers have identified a distinct brain signature linked to the conscious experience of emotional intensity. By combining AI modeling, advanced brain imaging, and realistic experimental scenarios, they measured arousal from a wide range of emotional contexts while separating it from involuntary bodily responses.

This shows a human head with an illustration of an eye and sound waves, implying the merger of visual and auditory stimuli.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·August 15, 2025·5 min read

The Brain Merges Sight And Sound For Faster, Smarter Decisions

New research reveals how the brain merges visual and auditory information to make quicker, more accurate decisions. Using EEG, scientists found that auditory and visual decision processes start independently but ultimately combine in the motor system, enabling faster reaction times.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 15, 2025·4 min read

Gut Neurons Direct Immune Healing After Inflammation

Researchers have discovered that neurons in the gut play a direct role in guiding immune healing after inflammation by producing a molecule called adrenomedullin 2 (ADM2). This molecule stimulates group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) to release amphiregulin, a tissue-repairing factor, offering protection in models of inflammatory bowel disease.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·August 15, 2025·3 min read

The Retina Synchronizes Vision Before Signals Reach the Brain

Summary: Researchers have discovered that the human retina synchronizes visual signals before they even reach the brain. By adjusting the...

Featured Neuroscience

·August 14, 2025·4 min read

First “Microwave Brain” Chip Merges Ultrafast Data and Wireless Signals

Researchers have built the first “microwave brain” chip capable of processing both ultrafast data and wireless communication signals at once. By harnessing analog, nonlinear microwave physics instead of conventional digital circuitry, the chip can decode radio signals, track radar targets, and classify high-speed data streams in real time.

This shows a brain with the striatum highlighted.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 14, 2025·5 min read

Brain Circuit Model Reveals How Striatum Shapes Everyday Decisions

Researchers have developed a computational framework that maps how the striosomal compartment of the striatum governs everyday decision-making. By integrating biology, decision theory, and mathematical modeling, the study reveals that different levels of striosomal activity can push individuals toward impulsive, balanced, or overly complex decisions.

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brain research

Boosting Prefrontal Dopamine Shows Promise in Cutting Alcohol Use

Highly Sensitive People Face Greater Mental Health Risks

Bipolar Mood Shifts Linked to Insulin Signaling in the Pancreas

Dopamine Imbalance in the Brain May Drive Trichotillomania

Caffeine in the Morning Gives the Biggest Boost to Mood

Bacteria and Viruses Join Forces in New Cancer-Killing Therapy

Brain Signature Reveals How We Consciously Experience Emotional Intensity

The Brain Merges Sight And Sound For Faster, Smarter Decisions

Gut Neurons Direct Immune Healing After Inflammation

The Retina Synchronizes Vision Before Signals Reach the Brain

First “Microwave Brain” Chip Merges Ultrafast Data and Wireless Signals

Brain Circuit Model Reveals How Striatum Shapes Everyday Decisions

Maternal High-Fructose Diets Epigenetically Scar Fetal Brain Cells

How 21st-Century Screens Hijack Brain Circuitry

Aphantasia Shatters Classical Theories of Imagistic Thought

Stress Accelerates Immune Aging by Altering the Microbiome

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