FeaturedNeuroscience·January 24, 2023·4 min readCommon Panic Response Can Desensitize Body to Temperature ChangesPanic-induced hyperventilation can reduce our ability to respond to environmental threats as it desensitizes body temperature to change.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·January 24, 2023·6 min readWhen Chronic Stress Activates These Neurons, Behavioral Problems Like Loss of Pleasure and Depression ResultAnhedonia and depression arise when POMC neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus become hyperactive as a result of chronic stress. Reducing the activity also reduces feelings of depression and loss of pleasure.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·January 20, 2023·5 min readGut Microbes Control the Body’s ThermostatIn both healthy people and those with life-threatening infections, the gut microbiome appears to help regulate body temperature.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·January 6, 2023·5 min readPioneering Machine Learning Technique on the Hypothalamus Gives Insight Into Nature of AggressionUsing machine learning technology, researchers provide new insight into the neural mechanisms that govern anger and aggression.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·December 19, 2022·4 min readSerotonin 2C Receptor Associated With Obesity and Maladaptive BehaviorMutations in the gene for the serotonin 2C receptor play a key role in obesity and dysfunctional behaviors in both human and animal models.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·November 16, 2022·3 min readHow Is Puberty Onset Developmentally Programmed?The developmental onset of puberty is dependent upon the TBX3 gene, a new study reports. Researchers also found puberty onset is linked to neural differentiation during the development of the hypothalamus.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·October 29, 2022·4 min readHow Physical Exercise Burns Muscle FatResearchers identify a neuromuscular circuit that links the burning of muscle fat during physical exercise to the action of a protein in the brain.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·October 11, 2022·3 min readBrain Cells Identified for Regulation of Sleep-Wake RhythmResearchers identified a molecularly-defined cell population in the hypothalamus that causes a shift in the sleep-wake cycle as a result of exposure to psychostimulants.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·September 28, 2022·4 min readObesity May Be a Neurodevelopmental DisorderObesity is, in part, determined by epigenetic development in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Findings suggest developmental epigenetics plays a significant role in both environmental and genetic influences on obesity risk.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·September 23, 2022·7 min readFriend or Foe? How Mice Decide to Make Love or WarThe neural circuitry that connects olfactory information about another mouse's sex to decision-making in the brain determines the behavioral outcome as to whether aggression or affection is expressed.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·September 19, 2022·6 min readSocial Touch and Its Newly Discovered Neural PathwayA neural pathway that leads directly from the thalamus to the hypothalamus plays a critical role in processing touch information, a new study reveals.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·September 15, 2022·3 min readLength of REM Sleep Linked to Body TemperatureStudy reports warm-blooded animals with higher body temperatures have lower amounts of REM sleep, while those with lower body temperatures have more REM sleep. Researchers say REM sleep acts like a "thermostatically controlled brain heater."Read More
