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hypothalamus

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·October 2, 2020·4 min read

New Clues About the Link Between Stress and Depression

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.

This shows the location of the sum in the brain

Featured Neuroscience

·September 30, 2020·4 min read

Social Novelty Has a Special Place in the Brain

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.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 29, 2020·5 min read

Repeated Pregnancy Loss May Be Tied to the Olfactory System

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.

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·September 22, 2020·3 min read

A Neural Circuit for Detecting Male Pheromone Cues Relevant to Inter-Male Aggression

Researchers have identified a novel neural circuit that detects male pheromone cues pertaining to inter-male aggression.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 19, 2020·6 min read

How Fear Persists in the Mouse Brain

When a mouse senses a threat, neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus become activated and remain active for ten seconds after the threat is removed. Fear responses could be induced by artificially stimulating these neurons. Artificially silencing the neurons reduced fear behavior.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 9, 2020·3 min read

The Neurons That Connect Stress, Insomnia, and the Immune System

Researchers have identified a neural circuit responsible for inducing insomnia associated with stress. The same neural circuit also induces changes in the immune system.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 6, 2020·4 min read

REM Sleep Tunes Eating Behavior

Suppressing the activity of hypothalamic neurons in mice during REM sleep resulted in a decrease in the amount of food later consumed. The study suggests REM sleep is essential to stabilize food intake.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 27, 2020·4 min read

Brain Cell Types Identified That May Push Males to Fight and Have Sex

Mouse study reveals "on-off switch" nerve cells for male mating and aggression in the amygdala. MPN signaling cells in the amygdala that communicate with the hypothalamus are associated with reproductive behavior, and VMHvL signaling cells play a critical role in aggression.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 22, 2020·5 min read

How Neurons Reshape Inside Body Fat to Boost Its Calorie-Burning Capacity

Normally bushy networks of neural fibers within fat tissue shrink in the absence of leptin, but grow back when the hormone is administered in drug form. The alterations influence the ability to burn energy stored in fat in mouse models.

This shows a cartoon of people on a cross roads

Featured Neuroscience

·July 10, 2020·3 min read

Brain Cells that Trigger Sugar Cravings and Consumption Identified

FGF21, a hormone created in the liver in response to increased levels of sugar, acts in the brain to suppress sugar intake and controls the preference for sweet-tasting foods.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 16, 2020·4 min read

How does our brain trigger different sighs?

Researchers have identified a brain circuit that regulates all types of sighing but activates sighs for different reasons using input signals from different parts of the brain.