Latest

dopamine

This shows an old record on a record player

·November 17, 2021·4 min read

Why Sad Songs Make Us Feel Good

Researchers explore the psychological and neurobiological basis of why listening to sad music often makes us feel good and lifts our spirits.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·November 8, 2021·4 min read

Expectations and Dopamine Can Affect Outcome of SSRI Antidepressant Treatment

The placebo effect combined with dopamine levels can determine whether symptoms of depression and social anxiety will improve in patients prescribed SSRI antidepressants. Researchers found the positive effect of the medications was four times higher in patients with high expectations the treatment would work compared to those with lower expectations.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 2, 2021·3 min read

The Mechanisms of Addiction

A new study aims to shed light on the roles sub-regions of the nucleus accumbens play in addiction.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 28, 2021·4 min read

Dopamine’s Many Roles, Explained

Study reveals dopamine neurons that play a role in learning and memory also drive motivation.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 26, 2021·4 min read

Release of Dopamine in Infant Brains May Help Control Early Social Development

Increased levels of dopamine release in the basolateral amygdala as a result of stressful situations during infancy could lead to lasting behavioral issues and social difficulties, a new study reports.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 25, 2021·4 min read

Deterioration of Brain Cells in Parkinson’s Disease Is Slowed by Blocking the Bach1 Protein

Bach1, a protein that blocks the expression of genes associated with neuroprotection, has been implicated in Parkison's disease. Researchers say blocking Bach1 slows the deterioration of brain cells in preclinical models of Parkinson's disease.

Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·October 18, 2021·5 min read

Brain Circuitry Identified That May Be Responsible for Negative Emotional Aspects of Pain

A new rodent study uncovers a neural circuit in the brain that appears to govern pain-induced anhedonia. Altering the activity of this circuit restored motivation in pre-clinical models of pain.

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·September 22, 2021·4 min read

Sniffing Out How Associative Memories Are Formed

Dopamine-controlled fan cells in the lateral entorhinal cortex are required for the formation of associative memories.

This shows a finger touching a picture of a brain

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 16, 2021·3 min read

Drug Targets for Memory Enhancement

Researchers identified specific receptors for acetylcholine that reroute information flow through memory circuits in the hippocampus. The findings could have implications for the development of drugs to help enhance or protect memory from diseases associated with cognitive decline.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 16, 2021·4 min read

True Behavior of Dopamine Will Reshape How We Treat Psychiatric Diseases and Addiction

A new study finds dopamine increases responses to stressful stimuli, not just pleasurable ones. The findings could have implications for the treatment of mental health disorders and addiction.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 4, 2021·3 min read

Researchers Trained Mice to Control Seemingly Random Bursts of Dopamine in Their Brains, Challenging Theories of Reward and Learning

By training mice to voluntarily increase the size and frequency of dopamine impulses in their brains, researchers demonstrated dopamine increases can be driven by internally mediated changes within the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 2, 2021·4 min read

Beyond Dopamine: New Reward Circuitry Discovered

Researchers have identified a new reward system in the brain. The study found long-range GABA neurons from the ventral tegmental area to the ventral nucleus accumbens shell are engaged in reward and reinforcement behaviors. This GABAergic projection inhibits cholinergic interneurons.