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dopamine

·August 11, 2023·6 min read

Dopamine’s Role in Unrewarded Learning

Researchers uncovered that dopamine, the “feel-good” hormone typically associated with rewards, plays a vital role in learning even without immediate incentives. The study discovered that dopamine and acetylcholine, both crucial for memory and learning, maintain a dynamic balance in the brain irrespective of external rewards.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 3, 2023·5 min read

Adolescence’s Impact on Adult Dopamine Function and Impulsivity

In a novel study, researchers reveal a sensitive developmental phase during adolescence that significantly influences adult impulsivity, aggression, and dopamine function in mice. This study highlights the implications of stimulant drug exposure during this period.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 3, 2023·6 min read

Beyond Reward, Dopamine Drives Movement

Researchers discovered a genetic subtype of dopamine neurons that fires during movement, contrary to the long-standing belief that dopamine neurons primarily respond to rewards. This groundbreaking discovery has implications for Parkinson's disease, a disorder characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons affecting the motor system.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 18, 2023·4 min read

Study Challenges Longstanding Beliefs About Action of Antipsychotic Medications

Researchers uncovered a pivotal detail that could revolutionize schizophrenia treatment. Contrary to longstanding belief, antipsychotic drugs that mitigate overactive dopamine, a hallmark of schizophrenia, interact primarily with a different type of neuron than originally assumed.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·July 18, 2023·4 min read

Parkinson’s Stealth: The Decade-long Silent Progress Before Symptoms Arise

New findings suggests that Parkinson's disease may silently progress for over a decade before symptoms appear. The study found that movement circuits in the brain can maintain function even with a drastic reduction of active dopamine secretion, a phenomenon contrary to popular belief.

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·June 20, 2023·3 min read

Disappointment Fuels Drive: Dopamine’s Role in Overcoming Failure

A new study reveals a novel role of dopamine: helping to cope with disappointment. Traditionally associated with reward reinforcement, this research shows dopamine levels in rats increase following disappointing outcomes, enhancing motivation.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 12, 2023·4 min read

Obesity and the Brain: Stubborn Dopamine Responses Hamper Weight Loss

The brain responses to specific nutrients are significantly diminished in individuals with obesity, even after weight loss. The study found that those with obesity released less dopamine in areas of the brain crucial for food intake motivation, compared to their healthy-weight counterparts.

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·June 6, 2023·7 min read

Dopamine Plays Double Duty in Learning and Motivation

A novel study suggests that dopamine, a neurotransmitter, plays dual roles in learning and motivation. In the study, male rats underwent Pavlovian or operant conditioning while their dopamine release was measured.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 27, 2023·4 min read

Vitamin D’s Crucial Role in Dopamine Function and Schizophrenia

Neuroscientists discovered how vitamin D deficiency impacts the development of neurons, contributing to disorders such as schizophrenia. Using innovative technology, they were able to observe that a lack of vitamin D not only changes neuron growth but also affects the brain's dopamine release mechanism. They found dopamine release was enhanced in cells grown in the presence of vitamin D, compared to a control.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 13, 2023·4 min read

Stop Signals Reduce Dopamine Levels and Dancing in Honeybees

Receiving a stop signal associated with negative food conditions can decrease brain dopamine levels in dancing honeybees. The study also discovered that artificially increasing dopamine levels in bees reduces the aversive effects of hornet attacks.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 12, 2023·6 min read

Whether Physical Exertion Feels Easy or Hard May Be Due to Dopamine Levels

Dopamine plays a vital role in why exercise and physical activity feels easy to some, but exhausting to others, a new study reports. The findings could lead to more effective ways to help people begin and stick to exercise regimes, and sheds new light on fatigue associated with depression and Parkinson's disease.

This is a cross section of a mouse brain

Featured Neuroscience

·April 5, 2023·4 min read

Danger or Pleasure? How We Learn to Tell the Difference

Scientists have discovered that somatostatin-expressing neurons in the amygdala help distinguish between good and bad stimuli, responding differently to rewards versus punishments and even different types of rewards. Inhibiting these neurons in mice resulted in an inability to learn to associate sounds with rewards or punishments, providing potential insight into addiction and opportunities for new treatments.