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brainstem

Featured Neuroscience

·November 27, 2022·3 min read

A Brain Circuit Underpinning Locomotor Speed Control

A neural circuit that decodes the start, duration and sudden change of speed of locomotion has been identified.

Featured Neuroscience Pain

·June 6, 2022·3 min read

Activating an Amygdala-Brainstem Pathway Relieves Pain and Improves Emotional State in Rats

Researchers report activating a pathway between the amygdala and brain stem helps to relieve pain and reduce defensive behaviors in rat models.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 22, 2026·10 min read

Ancient Brainstem Neurons Discovered to Control Attention

Selective spatial attention is controlled by an evolutionarily ancient circuit of inhibitory neurons in the brainstem.

Featured

·April 30, 2026·7 min read

Brain Prioritizes “Sound Offsets” During Hearing Repair

Researchers have discovered that within just 24 hours of noise-induced hearing damage, the brainstem reorganizes its inhibitory circuits to restore "sound offset" signals, the critical markers that tell us when a sound has ended.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 2, 2025·4 min read

Brain-Body Links in Emotion and Health

Researchers have developed D-PSCAN, a novel imaging technique that enables high-resolution, minimally invasive observation of the brainstem’s nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) in living animals. The NTS, a vital relay for signals from organs via the vagus nerve, plays a key role in emotion regulation and overall mental health.

This shows a connectome brain map of neurons in the LC, image caption "How the Brain’s Norepinephrine Hub Drives Learning."

Featured Neuroscience

·September 18, 2026·6 min read

Brain’s “Blue Place” Rewrites How Norepinephrine Drives Learning

A new study maps the locus coeruleus, showing it routes targeted norepinephrine signals for learning and contains the longest recorded mouse axon.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·November 4, 2025·6 min read

BrainSTEM Atlas Maps Every Cell of the Developing Human Brain

Scientists have built one of the most comprehensive single-cell maps of the developing human brain. The new BrainSTEM framework analyzed nearly 680,000 fetal brain cells to chart their growth and interactions, offering a detailed reference for studying neuron development.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 7, 2022·4 min read

Brainstem Atrophy Is Linked to Extrapyramidal Symptoms in Frontotemporal Dementia

Patients who suffer from frontotemporal dementia with extrapyramidal symptoms have brainstem atrophy and reduced metabolic activity in specific brain regions compared to those with FTD without extrapyramidal symptoms.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·October 29, 2020·3 min read

Brainstem Neurons Control Both Behavior and Misbehavior

Study reveals how gene control mechanisms determine the identity of neurons in the embryonic brainstem. A failure in differentiation in developing brainstem neurons can lead to behavioral abnormalities, including ADHD.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 2, 2024·6 min read

Brainstem Plays Vital Role in Visual Attention

Researchers highlights the locus coeruleus (LC), a small brainstem region, as critical in enhancing visual sensory processing through its production of norepinephrine. In the study scientists used optogenetics to activate these specific neurons in non-human primates, significantly improving their performance in a visual attention task.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 31, 2020·3 min read

Brainstem Protein Mediates Exercise-Based Stress Relief

Exercise increases levels of galanin in the brain stem, making mice more resilient to stress.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·June 20, 2025·4 min read

Chronic Pain Linked to Neuron Overactivity in the Brainstem

A new study reveals that neurons in the brainstem respond very differently to acute versus chronic pain, potentially explaining why some pain persists long after injury. In acute pain, neurons in the medullary dorsal horn reduce their activity through a natural “braking” system involving A-type potassium currents, helping limit pain signals.

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brainstem

A Brain Circuit Underpinning Locomotor Speed Control

Activating an Amygdala-Brainstem Pathway Relieves Pain and Improves Emotional State in Rats

Ancient Brainstem Neurons Discovered to Control Attention

Brain Prioritizes “Sound Offsets” During Hearing Repair

Brain-Body Links in Emotion and Health

Brain’s “Blue Place” Rewrites How Norepinephrine Drives Learning

BrainSTEM Atlas Maps Every Cell of the Developing Human Brain

Brainstem Atrophy Is Linked to Extrapyramidal Symptoms in Frontotemporal Dementia

Brainstem Neurons Control Both Behavior and Misbehavior

Brainstem Plays Vital Role in Visual Attention

Brainstem Protein Mediates Exercise-Based Stress Relief

Chronic Pain Linked to Neuron Overactivity in the Brainstem

PCOS/PMOS Increases Alzheimer’s Risk

Alcohol Tricks Brain Cells Into Destroying Themselves

Daytime Napping Linked to Higher Risk of Dementia

Prenatal Stress Alters the Placenta to Shape Fetal Brain Development

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