Latest

dopamine

·December 17, 2025·5 min read

Dopamine Acts as a Movement Support System, Not a Speed Controller

Dopamine may not control the force or speed of movements as long believed. Instead, it appears to function as a foundational chemical that enables movement in the first place.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 16, 2025·6 min read

Two Dopamine Neuron Subtypes Process Smell in Different Ways

Closely related dopamine-releasing neurons in the olfactory bulb behave in fundamentally different ways depending on their physical structure. One subtype releases neurotransmitters from dendrites instead of axons—an unusual mechanism that allows the cells to act locally and even self-inhibit.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·December 9, 2025·7 min read

Key Brain Protein Controls How We Learn Reward Cues

Changing levels of the brain protein KCC2 can alter how reward associations form, reshaping the learning process that links cues to outcomes. Reduced KCC2 activity increased dopamine neuron firing and strengthened new cue–reward connections, offering insight into how addictions and maladaptive habits develop.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 20, 2025·5 min read

Thrill Fatigue: How Dopamine Devalues Repeated Rewards

New research shows that the same dopamine receptor mechanism responsible for drug addiction also governs the natural decline in motivation when we repeat rewarding behaviors. By studying male fruit flies, researchers found that dopamine acting through the D2 receptor promotes persistence during mating, but repeated experiences cause these receptors to desensitize.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 12, 2025·5 min read

Estrogen Shapes Dopamine Reward Learning

A new study shows that estrogen naturally modulates dopamine signaling in the brain, altering how female rats learn reward cues across the reproductive cycle. When estrogen levels were high, dopamine responses in the reward center intensified, improving learning.

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 Neuroscience Psychology

·October 28, 2025·7 min read

Dopamine Boost Makes People More Patient

In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers found that increasing dopamine levels with L-DOPA made people slightly more willing to wait for larger, delayed rewards—reducing impulsive decisions by about 20%. The study challenges earlier research suggesting that dopamine increases impulsivity, showing instead that it promotes patience and long-term thinking.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 25, 2025·4 min read

Dopamine Links Social Isolation to Brain Myelin Damage

A new five-year study explores how dopamine may drive changes in brain myelin during social isolation. Researchers will track how dopamine interacts with oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for producing myelin and supporting neuron function.

This shows a robotic had with MOF neurons and glowing neurotrasmission flow.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 4, 2025·4 min read

Metal–Organic Framework Neurons Mimic Brain Signals with Dopamine

Researchers have developed the first metal–organic framework (MOF) neuron that mimics brain-like behavior in aqueous environments by responding to dopamine. Unlike traditional solid-state devices, this MOF neuron reproduces key neural functions such as synaptic plasticity, integrate-and-fire signaling, and dopamine-tuned spike modulation.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 28, 2025·5 min read

Immune Cells Found to Shape Teen Brain Circuits

Adolescence is a critical period for the brain’s frontal cortex, where executive functions mature and vulnerabilities to psychiatric disorders emerge. A new study shows that microglia, the brain’s immune cells, directly shape dopamine circuits during this time by strengthening axonal connections.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·August 27, 2025·6 min read

Overactive Neurons May Drive Parkinson’s Cell Death

A new study shows that overactivation of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain can trigger their degeneration, mirroring what happens in Parkinson’s disease. Using a mouse model, researchers found that chronic activation disrupted daily activity patterns, damaged neuronal axons, and eventually killed cells in the substantia nigra.

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

Featured Neuroscience

·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.