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dopamine

·April 28, 2025·8 min read

Dopamine Signals Teach the Brain to Unlearn Fear

A new study reveals that dopamine release along a specific brain circuit helps extinguish fear by activating reward-related neurons in the amygdala. Researchers showed that dopamine from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) drives the brain’s positive learning process during fear extinction, rather than simply suppressing fear.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 28, 2025·6 min read

Cannabis Use Disorder Linked to Psychosis Brain Changes

New research shows that individuals with cannabis use disorder have elevated dopamine levels in brain regions associated with psychosis. Using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI scans, scientists found increased dopamine activity, visible as darker brain spots, in cannabis users regardless of schizophrenia diagnosis.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 22, 2025·6 min read

Your Brain Learns From Fear, Thanks to Dopamine

New research reveals how dopamine helps the brain learn to avoid unpleasant outcomes by responding differently in distinct brain regions during negative experiences. In a study with mice, scientists tracked dopamine activity over time as animals learned to escape an adverse event, showing that one brain area adapted early in learning while another supported long-term avoidance behavior.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 18, 2025·5 min read

Potential Depression Risk Linked to Ozempic-Like Drugs

A new international study reveals a possible connection between GLP1 receptor agonists—used in drugs like Ozempic—and increased risk of depression and suicidal ideation, especially in people with low dopamine function. Researchers used advanced pharmacogenomic tools to identify genetic pathways that may be vulnerable to dopamine dysregulation when exposed to these medications.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 9, 2025·5 min read

Elevated Dopamine in Cannabis Users May Explain Psychosis Risk

New research reveals that people with cannabis use disorder (CUD) have elevated dopamine levels in a brain region associated with psychosis, such as schizophrenia. This may help explain why frequent cannabis use can increase the risk of hallucinations and delusions.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 29, 2025·3 min read

Dopamine Circuit in Brain Found to Drive Male Ejaculation

New research uncovers how dopamine in the ventral shell of the nucleus accumbens (vsNAc) governs the sexual behavior sequence in male mice, from sniffing to ejaculation. Using fiber photometry, scientists identified rhythmic dopamine activity during intromission that aligns with movement patterns and is regulated by acetylcholine inputs.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 28, 2025·4 min read

Dopamine Surge Boosts Brain’s Ability to Adapt

For the first time, researchers have directly observed dopamine release in the human brain during moments of cognitive flexibility. Using PET imaging, they found that dopamine levels spike in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex when people switch between tasks — and the more dopamine released, the more efficiently they adapted.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 27, 2025·8 min read

Pleasure Loss, Not Cravings, Drives Overeating in Obesity

A new study reveals that long-term high-fat diets reduce pleasure from eating by lowering neurotensin, a brain peptide that boosts dopamine response.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 27, 2025·4 min read

How the Brain Learns to Reclassify Danger and Reward

The brain constantly evaluates whether stimuli are positive or negative, prompting approach or avoidance behaviors that are essential for survival. A new study reveals that two neuron types in the nucleus accumbens—D1 and D2 neurons—respond together to both rewarding and aversive stimuli, but in distinct ways.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 15, 2025·4 min read

Dopamine Can Rewire Reward-Linked Memories

New research reveals dopamine has a previously unknown role: reshaping our memories of rewarding experiences. In a study using mice, scientists found dopamine helps reduce the perceived value of memories linked to rewards, altering future behavior toward those rewards.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 20, 2025·7 min read

Brain’s Hidden Circuitry for Risk and Reward Uncovered

Researchers have identified two distinct groups of neurons that help the brain evaluate risk and reward in decision-making. These neurons, located in the ventral striatum, separately process better-than-expected and worse-than-expected outcomes.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 27, 2025·3 min read

Dopamine Clock May Drive Bipolar Mood Swings

New research suggests that mood swings in bipolar disorder are regulated by two clocks: the body’s 24-hour circadian rhythm and a dopamine-based clock that influences alertness. When these clocks align at specific intervals, they may trigger shifts between mania and depression.