What your friends’ brains look like when they think of you
To accurately perceive another person, your neural representation of that person has to match the pattern in the persons' brain when they think about themselves.... Read More...
mPFC
Stressed to the max? Deep sleep can rewire the anxious brain
Deep sleep restores the medial prefrontal cortex mechanisms that restore emotion. This lowers emotional and physiological reactivity, preventing the escalation of stress and anxiety.... Read More...
How our brains remember things depends upon how we learn them
Neural pathways for learning differ depending on how each person has learned a new skill.... Read More...
How emotion affects action
Researchers have identified a comprehensive circuit mechanism that governs how emotional states can influence movement through connections in the basal ganglia. The mechanism represents a way in which emotional states relate to changes in action control in depression, anxiety, and OCD.... Read More...
Receptor protein in brain promotes resilience to stress
S1PR3, a receptor found on the surface of brain cells, may play a key role in stress resilience. Veterans with severe PTSD symptoms had lower levels of the S1PR3 protein in their blood than peers without the disorder. ... Read More...
Adolescents’ fun seeking predicts both risk taking and prosocial behavior
A positive correlation has been identified between prosocial and rebellious behaviors in teens. The more risk taking behaviors a teen exhibited, the more likely they were to act prosocially. The findings suggest the same developmental processes are at work for both types of behaviors. Also noted was faster brain development in the medial prefrontal cortex predicted a decrease in rebellious behavior. ... Read More...
Glial cells are critical players in brain’s response to social stress
The behavior of oligodendrocytes plays a critical role in determining whether we tolerate or succumb to stress. ... Read More...
Study examines cannabis’ effects on brain neurochemistry
Study evaluates the effects of regular cannabis use on cortical dopamine function in youth at high risk of psychosis. ... Read More...
Impaired brain activity in rats with family history of alcohol abuse
Neural patterns of activity in the medial prefrontal cortex associated with the intention to drink alcohol are influenced by the genetic risk for alcohol use disorder.... Read More...
Anxious people quicker to flee danger
Those with anxiety escape from non-imminent threats of danger sooner than those who are not anxious. ... Read More...
To boldly go or anxiously hang back? Mouse Study
Inhibiting VIP interneurons disrupts medial prefrontal cortex representations of anxiety-related information which drive avoidance behaviors. ... Read More...
Possible link between autism and antidepressants use during pregnancy: Mouse Study
A new study in mice reveals a possible link between the use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism-like symptoms in offspring. Offspring exposed to fluoxetine (Prozac) in utero were more likely to exhibit impaired neurotransmission caused by an overactive serotonin receptor in the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain implicated in modulating social behaviors. However, treating the mice with a compound that blocks the receptor alleviated the behavioral problems and improved working memory.... Read More...