Study reveals the mechanism of the nucleus accumbens for mediating reward and aversion.
Higher levels of glutathione in the nucleus accumbens correlated with better and more steady performance in motivation-based tasks. Findings suggest improvements in accumbal anti-oxidant function that can be acquired via diet or supplementation may be a feasible approach to help boost motivation.
Opioid withdrawal cuts off the supply of serotonin to the nucleus accumbens, dramatically reducing sociability in mice and increasing social aversion.
Study finds mice show sensitivity to two different types of regret, and the different thought processes stem from different parts of the brain. Researchers also identified a genetic marker that predisposes maladaptive stress response traits and vulnerability to depression was linked to sensitivity to one type of regret.
The direct phosphorylation of KCNQ2 by ERK occurs through the activation of the dopamine signaling pathway in the nucleus accumbens of mice.
Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens helps control symptoms of binge eating disorder and assists in weight loss.
Researchers discuss how psychedelics can affect the brain and provide therapeutic benefits for those suffering from a range of psychiatric disorders.
Study reveals how reduced function of the rgs2 protein in the nucleus accumbens contributes to symptoms associated with depression. The findings may assist with the development of new therapeutics to help treat depression in individuals.
Aggression toward members in an "outgroup" was associated with increased activity in areas of the brain associated with reward. Activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex impacted the level of aggression a person demonstrated against an outsider.
Neurons in the parafascicular thalamus project to three different parts of the basal ganglia. Targeting these circuits could be a new target for treating motor dysfunction and depression associated with Parkinson's disease.
Targeting synaptic calcium permeable receptors in the nucleus accumbens and blocking them could delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's associated neuropsychiatric symptoms, and ultimately cognitive decline.
A new study sheds light on the neurobiology of cravings for certain foods women experience while pregnant. According to researchers, during pregnancy, the brain undergoes alterations to functional connections in the reward systems, as well as taste and sensorimotor centers. Pregnant females become more sensitive to sweet foods and develop binge eating behaviors toward high-calorie foods. Pregnancy induces a full reorganization of the mesolimbic neural circuits via D2R dopaminergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens.
