A study of hungry mice sheds new light on the neurobiology of olfaction and food attraction. Researchers identified a pathway that promotes attraction to food odors over other olfactory cues.
The effects of intoxication, such as slurred speech and poor coordination, are a result of the breakdown of alcohol products in the brain and not the liver.
The ratio of GABA and glutamate affect long and short-term strategic decision-making in a different manner.
The key to performance and motivation lies within the ratio of glutamine and glutamate in the nucleus accumbens. The ratio of glutamine to glutamate relates specifically to stamina.
Cryo-electron microscopy captures detailed snapshots of the GABAB receptor protein contorts as it interacts with GABA.
Researchers identified a distinct population of GABAergic neurons activated by general anesthetic in the central amygdala of mice. The findings point to central amygdala GABAergic neurons as a potential therapeutic target to alleviate chronic pain.
Neurons in the caudal pedunculopontine nucleus, an area of the brain that regulates motor coordination, switch neurotransmitters from acetylcholine to GABA as a result of exercise. The switch appears to provide feedback control that regulates motor coordination and skill learning.
Study shows how Toxoplasma parasitic infections promote the loss of inhibitory signaling in the brain by altering the behavior of microglia.
Each breath begins with hundreds of individual neurons haphazardly firing at low levels, then quickly synchronizing. The synchronization prompts activity that signals diaphragm and chest muscles to contract, causing expansion and inhalation. As the signal subsides, exhalation occurs.
Mice lacking the autism-associated SHANK3 gene were more sensitive to sensation, including touch. The mice also had overactive excitatory neurons in the somatosensory cortex, which may account for sensory hypersensitivity.
GABA can selectively regulate the excitability of neurons.
A drug commonly prescribed for edema improves the symptoms for young children on the autism spectrum with no significant side effects. The drug, bumetanide, decreases the ratio of GABA to glutamate in the brain.
