Activity in the medial preoptic area tilts the mouse brain toward love and affection, while activity in the ventromedial hypothalamus is associated with more aggressive or hateful acts. Read More
Glutamatergic neural connections between the prelimbic prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens appear to be responsible for co-morbid anxiety and OCD behaviors. Read More
Oxytocin injections in rodent models directly activated SEG/GRP neurons via oxytocin receptors and influenced male sexual functions in the lumbar spinal cord. Reducing the activity of oxytocin receptors resulted in a decrease in sexual activity and ejaculatory response in the animals. Read More
Diet-induced changes to the reward system and innate differences may predispose mice to over-eating. Read More
Mouse study links specific autism types to abnormal parvocellular oxytocin neurons in the hypothalamus. Read More
Overactivity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex underlies several key symptoms of depression, anxiety, and heart disease. Read More
Oxytocin produced in the BNST increased stress-induced social anxiety behaviors in mice. The findings shed light on why oxytocin can sometimes provoke anti-social effects. Read More
Hard wired neural circuits in mice that govern aggression are strengthened following victories in aggressive encounters. Synapses in the hypothalamus show signs of LTP following aggression training. Read More
p11, a protein implicated in serotonin function, affects the initial release of cortisol in mice by modulating the activity of specific neurons in the hypothalamus. Previous studies found people with depression lave lower levels of p11 in their brains. The findings could help in the development of new treatments for depression and stress. Read More
A specialized area of the mouse brain called the SuM specializes in detecting novel experiences. Within this brain area, responses to social novelty, or experiences related to unknown individuals, were segregated from those related to unfamiliar places, before being sent to areas of the brain associated with memory. Read More
Women who experience unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (uRPL) process olfactory signals related to male body odor differently to other women. Those who experience uRPL are better able to identify the smell of their spouse. Read More
Researchers have identified a novel neural circuit that detects male pheromone cues pertaining to inter-male aggression. Read More
