A New Model For How Brain Reward Response May Impact Anorexia
Researchers report the brain's response to taste stimuli is linked to higher anxiety and a drive for thinness in those with anorexia.... Read More...
hypothalamus
A Peek Into the Interplay Between Sleep and Wakefulness
Researchers have identified novel neural pathways that help regulate sleep and wakefulness.... Read More...
Researchers Trigger Hot Flashes in Male and Female Mice
By inducing hot flashes, most commonly associated with menopause, in both male and female mice, researchers discover Kiss1 neurons initiate a fast boost in skin temperature followed by a drop in core body temperature.... Read More...
Vaginal Microbiome May Influence Stress Levels of Offspring
A new mouse study reveals pups of mothers who faced prenatal stress and who were exposed, by birth, to maternal vaginal microbiota had decreased body weight and exhibited increased stress hormones as adults. ... Read More...
Hungry? A Newly Discovered Neural Circuit May Be to Blame
Researchers have identified a subset of neurons in a region of the hypothalamus that play a critical role in regulating feeding and appetite in mice.... Read More...
Waking Up is Hard to Do: Prefrontal Cortex Implicated in Consciousness
A new study reveals the prefrontal cortex may play a role in coordinating the level of consciousness through the cholinergic system.... Read More...
How the Brain Responds to Cold Touch
A new study could help advance research into pain and hypersensitivity to cold stimuli. Researchers have mapped feelings of cold touch sensation in the insula of mice.... Read More...
Gut Microbes May Contribute to Depression and Anxiety in Obesity
Researchers report a link between gut bacteria and psychological distress associated with obesity. Switching mice to high fat diets, researchers reported the animals experienced more depressive and anxiety symptoms. These were improved when antibiotics that alter the gut bacteria were administered.... Read More...
Got an Appetite That Won’t Subside? You’ve Got Hungry Peptides
The brain regulates hunger and appetite by releasing a neuropeptide through cerebrospinal fluid, researchers report.... Read More...
Aggression Neurons Identified
Researchers implicated a group of neurons in the premammillary nucleus of the hypothalamus with aggressive behaviors. Using optogenetics to stimulate and inhibit these neurons, researchers were able to control aggression in mice.... Read More...
Study Links Breast Cancer to Body’s Internal Clock
Researchers have found an association between the Per2 gene and breast cancer. The Per2 gene plays an important role in both the body's circadian clock and mammary gland development. ... Read More...
Link Between Exercise and Appetite Loss Explained
Researchers report on the role the arcuate nucleus plays in metabolic regulation and appetite suppression following exercise.... Read More...