Latest

nucleus accumbens

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 17, 2020·3 min read

New insights into a Parkinson’s disease protein

Alpha synuclein's non-amyloidal component (NAC) aids the protein's movement through axons. When the NAC region is removed, alpha-synuclein did not move within axons.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 11, 2019·7 min read

Rave new world: Scientists pry apart party drug’s therapeutic, addictive qualities

Researchers have distinguished two different molecular pathways responsible for addiction and the prosocial feelings generated by MDMA. The findings could lead to novel treatments for psychiatric disorders marked by withdrawal and social awkwardness.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 18, 2019·3 min read

Ketamine reduces drinking in male rats, but not females

Ketamine reduced alcohol intake in male rat models of alcohol use disorder but increased the desire for alcohol in low-consumption females.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 9, 2019·3 min read

Scientists find gender-distinct circuit for depression

A circuit-specific gender difference in ventral hippocamps to nucleus accumbens (vHPC-NAc) neurons is dependent on testosterone and causes more susceptibility to stress in females.

This shows faces made up of network lines

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 13, 2019·4 min read

Opiates reduce the brain’s ability to form and maintain synapses

Opiate exposure causes synaptic rewiring in the nucleus accumbens in addition to decreasing dendritic spines. The findings shed light into the neurobiology of opiate relapse.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 6, 2019·3 min read

Is laziness a choice or genetic trait?

Study identifies a specific gene in rats that relates to physical inactivity. The gene could play a role in human sedentary behaviors.

This shows a skateboarder pulling some moves

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 1, 2019·4 min read

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.

This is a drawing of a mouse on a tiny island

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 28, 2019·4 min read

An island for negative emotions

In mice, the insular cortex processes negative emotions and bodily discomfort. The findings shed light on emotional processing in animals and humans.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·August 13, 2019·4 min read

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.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·August 8, 2019·4 min read

Genetic variation contributes to individual differences in pleasure

What we find pleasurable may be down to our genetics. Researchers found nucleus accumbens activation and physical anhedonia were influenced by shared genes. The experience of pleasure and physical anhedonia also appear to share some of the same genes.

This shows the location of the nucleus accumbens in the brain

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·July 8, 2019·3 min read

Why marijuana affects different people differently

By looking at THC’s effect on a rat brain, the researchers showed that THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, can produce highly rewarding effects in the front-most part of a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. The image is in the public domain.