Hard wired neural circuits in mice that govern aggression are strengthened following victories in aggressive encounters. Synapses in the hypothalamus show signs of LTP following aggression training. Read More
When a mouse senses a threat, neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus become activated and remain active for ten seconds after the threat is removed. Fear responses could be induced by artificially stimulating these neurons. Artificially silencing the neurons reduced fear behavior. Read More
Study identifies a different set of individual neurons in the medial frontal cortex that is responsible for memory-based decision making. The findings have implications for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and other disorders associated with problems in cognitive flexibility. Read More
The brain chooses between two neural systems responsible for emulation learning and imitation learning. Study reveals how the brain chooses which strategy to employ when faced with an observational learning task. Read More
Using mouse models, researchers seeded alpha-synuclein aggregates in gut neurons and discovered the clumps can travel to neurons in the brain. Read More
Study identifies rare brain cell types that are unique to male mice, and others that are unique to females. The cells were discovered in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that governs both aggression and mating behaviors. Read More
Stable memories are encoded by teams of neurons firing in synchrony, providing redundancy that enables the memory to persist over time. Read More
Newly designed microbots can deliver vital drugs throughout the human body. The microbots can traverse the body and penetrate bodily mucus to efficiently deliver medications to target sites. Read More
Serotonin produced by the raphe is critical for sleep in both mice and zebrafish. The firing of neurons in the raphe and the release of serotonin may help the brain build up better sleep pressure. The results may explain why some sleep-related side effects of antidepressants increase serotonin in the brain. Read More
Using germ-free mouse models, researchers transplanted fecal bacteria from children on the autism spectrum and neurotypical children. Mice who received the transplants from the ASD cohort began to exhibit autism-like behaviors, whereas the mice who received transplants from typically developing children did not. Additionally, the mice showed altered gene expression in their brains and differences in types of metabolites present. In particular, the ASD mice had lower levels of 5AV and taurine. Findings suggest gut microbiota regulates autism-like behaviors via the production of neuroactive metabolites, providing further evidence for the gut-brain axis connection to the pathology of autism. Read More
Those with anxiety escape from non-imminent threats of danger sooner than those who are not anxious. Read More
Neurons in the anterior intraparietal cortex learn to modulate their activity to compensate for errors in brain-machine interface tasks. Findings suggest the extent to which a person can learn a new skill is constrained by preexisting neural networks. Read More
