The delicate balance between learning new behaviors and expressing old habits is controlled by two different populations of neurons in the dorsolateral striatum.
Study reveals how the brain utilizes forward-thinking when we try to influence others or gain social control.
A series of ketamine infusions reduced PTSD symptoms by up to 30% from baseline compared to treatment with midazolam, which reduced symptoms by 20% over the same period. Ketamine treatment significantly reduced three of four PTSD associated symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, avoidance, and negative alterations in cognition and mood.
Social isolation experienced during childhood has an impact on adult brain function and behavior. Following two weeks of social isolation immediately following weaning in male mice, researchers noticed a failure in activation of medial prefrontal cortex neurons projecting to the posterior paraventricular thalamus during social exposure in adulthood. Findings suggest medial prefrontal cortex neurons required for sociability are profoundly affected by social isolation at a young age.
Using data from RNA sequencing, researchers have identified three molecular subtypes of Alzheimer's disease.
Ezogabine, a drug that opens up the KCNQ2/3 type potassium channel, significantly improved symptoms of depression and anhedonia.
According to a new study, cocaine has the most potent effects on the female brain when estrogen levels are at their highest.
Short period of parental sexual contact prior to pregnancy increases offspring risk of schizophrenia
Study reports children born to couples who have been in relationships for three years or less may have an increased risk of schizophrenia.
Social isolation during key periods of adolescence leads to long-term disruptions in social behavior and activity in neural patterns.
Researchers report computer based analysis of speech transcripts from teens at risk of psychosis were able to predict, with 83% accuracy, who would develop symptoms within 2 years.
People with schizophrenia who experience auditory hallucinations have greater activation in specific areas of the auditory cortex in response to sound frequencies. The mapping of sound frequency in the auditory cortex is scrambled in those with schizophrenia, suggesting a disruption in the normal processes for organized sound representation in the brain. As the tonotopic map is established during infancy and remains stable throughout life, the findings suggest vulnerability for auditory hallucinations is linked to defects in the organization of the auditory system during infantile development. This precedes speech development and the onset of psychiatric symptoms.
Researchers report the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex play key roles in decision making.
