Interaction between auditory areas of the brain and the reward system drive pleasure when we listen to music.
Scientists have laid bare a novel molecular mechanism responsible for the major depression symptom, anhedonia, the loss of the ability to experience pleasure. The brain circuit involved in this newly elucidated pathway is largely identical between rodents and humans, upping the odds that the findings point toward new therapies for depression and other disorders. Additionally, opinion leaders hailed the study’s inventive methodology, saying it may offer a much sounder approach to testing new antidepressants.
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.
A new neuroimaging study reveals imagination may help people with fear or anxiety disorders overcome them. The study reports imagining a threat can alter the way it is represented in the brain.
