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HHMI

·June 23, 2025·5 min read

Zoning Out or Zoning In? How Aimless Wandering Trains the Brain

Summary: New research reveals that the brain may be learning even during unstructured, aimless exploration. By recording activity in tens...

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 11, 2025·4 min read

How Serotonin Circuits Learn from Motion to Regulate Behavior

Scientists have uncovered how serotonergic neurons in larval zebrafish process visual information tied to movement to determine when and how much serotonin to release. This neuromodulator fine-tunes the fish’s swimming effort, adjusting behavior based on the effectiveness of past actions.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 16, 2025·6 min read

Astrocytes Control Behavior Through Slow Brain Signaling

Astrocytes, once thought to be mere support cells, are now shown to play a leading role in regulating behavior by modulating neuronal activity through slow biochemical circuits. In zebrafish, researchers discovered that astrocytes respond to norepinephrine by releasing ATP, which is then broken down into adenosine—an important neuromodulator that signals neurons to stop swimming when progress is futile.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 1, 2025·5 min read

Brain Mapping Tool Reveals How Learning Rewires Synaptic Links

Researchers have developed DELTA, a powerful new imaging method that maps brain-wide synaptic changes during learning. By labeling synaptic proteins before and after behavioral training, scientists can now visualize where and how neural connections shift over time.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 27, 2025·5 min read

Research Rewrites Striatum’s Role in Action and Movement

A new study challenges the long-held belief that the striatum is responsible for selecting actions. Researchers found that instead of making decisions, the striatum and motor cortex work together to specify movement details, such as how to reach for an object.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 7, 2025·6 min read

Brain Cells Use Muscle-Like Signals to Strengthen Learning and Memory

New research reveals that brain cells use a muscle-like signaling mechanism to relay information over long distances. Scientists discovered that dendrites, the branch-like extensions of neurons, contain a structured network of contact sites that amplify calcium signals—similar to how muscles contract.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 17, 2024·6 min read

Ketamine Reduces “Giving Up” by Targeting Brain Support Cells

Researchers have found that ketamine’s antidepressant effects target astroglia, a type of brain support cell, rather than neurons, challenging conventional views. Using zebrafish, scientists observed that ketamine suppressed the “giving up” behavior caused by futility signals, an effect linked to astroglial activation.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 18, 2024·6 min read

How a Brain Lipid’s Production Could Impact Dementia

Researchers have discovered how a lipid molecule, BMP, crucial for brain function, is produced, potentially opening new doors for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia. Two enzymes, PLD3 and PLD4, were found to catalyze the formation of BMP by changing the molecule’s “handedness,” allowing it to remain stable in lysosomes where other lipids are broken down.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 3, 2024·5 min read

Fruit Flies’ Small Neuron Network Defies Navigation Theories

Neuroscientists have uncovered how a small network of neurons in fruit flies accurately maintains an internal compass, defying previous theories that required large networks for precision. This new understanding reveals that small networks, when carefully connected, can perform complex tasks like tracking spatial orientation.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 29, 2023·6 min read

Fruit Fly Study Sheds Light on Aggression’s Neural Roots

Researchers have discovered new insights into persistent aggression in female fruit flies, challenging existing theories. A new study shows that certain neural cells sustain aggressive behavior for up to 10 minutes, suggesting factors beyond recurrent neural connections are at play.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 2, 2023·6 min read

Animals Imagine Too

Researchers discovered that, akin to humans, animals have an imagination. Using a unique combination of virtual reality and a brain-machine interface, they probed a rat's innermost thoughts.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·September 22, 2023·6 min read

From Vinyl to Visions: Fruit Flies Showcase Decision-Making Prowess

Using a comparison to vinyl record collectors, researchers delve into the concept of matching—a behavior where decisions are based on reward expectations—observed from pigeons to humans. In a recent study, the team found that fruit flies also demonstrate this behavior, deciding based on their reward predictions.

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HHMI

Zoning Out or Zoning In? How Aimless Wandering Trains the Brain

How Serotonin Circuits Learn from Motion to Regulate Behavior

Astrocytes Control Behavior Through Slow Brain Signaling

Brain Mapping Tool Reveals How Learning Rewires Synaptic Links

Research Rewrites Striatum’s Role in Action and Movement

Brain Cells Use Muscle-Like Signals to Strengthen Learning and Memory

Ketamine Reduces “Giving Up” by Targeting Brain Support Cells

How a Brain Lipid’s Production Could Impact Dementia

Fruit Flies’ Small Neuron Network Defies Navigation Theories

Fruit Fly Study Sheds Light on Aggression’s Neural Roots

Animals Imagine Too

From Vinyl to Visions: Fruit Flies Showcase Decision-Making Prowess

Taming Tumor Chaos: Researchers Uncover Key to Improving Glioblastoma Treatment

Hippocampus Predicts Rewards by Reorganizing Memories

Memory Rewritten: Study Finds No Clear Line Between Episodic and Semantic Retrieval

Brain Stimulation Method Can Evaluate Consciousness in Alzheimer’s Disease

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