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motivation

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·August 24, 2016·4 min read

THC Makes Rats Lazy and Less Willing to Try Cognitively Demanding Tasks

Researchers report that there may be some truth in the belief that marijuana causes laziness, in rats at least.

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Featured Psychology

·April 8, 2016·3 min read

Willingness to Help Others May Be Measured

A new study pinpoints which tests may be most accurate for providing information about prosocial behavior.

Diagram shows the experimental set up. The caption best describes the image.

Featured Psychology

·March 3, 2016·5 min read

Looking at Brain Activity May Aid Self Motivation

Researchers are using a new brain imaging strategy to understand how to manipulate specific neural circuits in order to help motivate people.

This image shows a brain slice taken from a rat's nucleus accumbens.

Featured Genetics Psychology

·November 30, 2015·4 min read

How Anxiety Kills Your Social Status

Researchers have identified an area of the brain that links anxious temperaments to low social status. They were also able to 'tweak' the social hierarchy in animals using vitamin B3.

Illustration shows the molecular structure of dopamine on a chalk board.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 24, 2015·3 min read

The Role of Dopamine in Motivation and Learning

A new study suggests dopamine levels signal hoe valuable a current situation is regarding receiving a reward.

Featured Neuroscience Videos Psychology

·November 13, 2015·4 min read

Brain Structure May Be the Root of Apathy

A new study reports on a neurobiological basis for apathy.

Diagram of the brain with NA highlighted and a picture of a hand grasping a lid.

Featured Neurology

·October 1, 2015·2 min read

Motivation Promotes Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury

Researchers report that motivation could aid the recovery of motor function following spinal cord injury.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 8, 2015·3 min read

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia Linked to Poor Clinical Outcomes

A new study reports on a link between adverse clinical outcomes and negative symptoms experienced by people with schizophrenia.

This image shows a fried egg with a pink brain over the top.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 14, 2015·4 min read

High Fat Diets Can Impair Critical Motivational Pathway

A new study reports high fat diets can impair the function of the mesolimbic dopamine system.

This image shows a person's face, the chemical structure of testosterone and the amygdala.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·June 15, 2015·3 min read

Amygdala Activity Increased by Testosterone When People Face Socially Threatening Situations

A new study reports the amygdala is influenced by motivation rather than emotion.

This image shows the habenula region from a D2-eGFP (green) transgenic mouse stained for calbindin (red) and DAPI (blue) to show nuclei.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 21, 2014·3 min read

Scientists Discover Area of Brain Responsible for Exercise Motivation

Researchers report the dorsal medial habenula could control a person's motivation to exercise.

This image ahows a woman sitting in a white room with her head in her hands.

Featured Psychology

·August 21, 2014·3 min read

Difficulty Assessing Effort Drives Motivation Deficits in Schizophrenia, Study Finds

Difficulty in assessing the amount of effort required to complete a task could be the reason people with schizophrenia often have trouble setting themselves goals, a new study reports.