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nucleus accumbens

This shows medium spiny neurons in the NCA

·January 31, 2022·4 min read

Gene-Environment Interactions That Drives Autism

Inducing massive inflammation resulted in an overexpression of Trpv4. The overexpression led to neural hyperexcitability that resulted in social avoidance behaviors associated with ASD in mouse models.

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.

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.

The image shows the trading floor in the New York Stock Exchange.

Featured Psychology

·July 7, 2014·3 min read

High Earners in a Stock Market Game Have Brain Patterns That Can Predict Market Bubbles

A neuroimaging study helps researchers discover brain patterns can predict market bubbles in stock trading game.

This image shows a fried egg with a pink brain over the top.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 14, 2015·4 min read

High Fat Diets Can Impair Critical Motivational Pathway

A new study reports high fat diets can impair the function of the mesolimbic dopamine system.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 26, 2021·4 min read

Highly Specific Synaptic Plasticity in Addiction

Enzyme activity outside of specific cell types contribute to synaptic plasticity associated with addiction behaviors.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·December 8, 2017·5 min read

Hope for Autism: Optogenetics Shines Light on Social Interactions

Optogenetics helps researchers discover how social behavior and spatial learning are linked in autism.

This image shows a brain slice taken from a rat's nucleus accumbens.

Featured Genetics Psychology

·November 30, 2015·4 min read

How Anxiety Kills Your Social Status

Researchers have identified an area of the brain that links anxious temperaments to low social status. They were also able to 'tweak' the social hierarchy in animals using vitamin B3.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·December 21, 2018·4 min read

How Calorie Content Makes You Rethink Food Choices

A neuroimaging study reveals seeing images of food with calorie information alters the way the brain responds to the food, making the item seem less appealing.

Image shows a diagram which includes images of the brain with the NAcc and auditory cortex highlighted.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 17, 2016·3 min read

How Do the Brains of People Who Don’t Like Music Work?

Researchers explain the neural mechanisms behind a person's lack of sensitivity to music.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·October 16, 2017·4 min read

How Dopamine Tells Us Something Isn’t Worth the Wait

A new study reports on the role dopamine plays in decision making.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 25, 2019·3 min read

How the brain helps us make good decisions, and bad ones

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) appears to play a significant role in our ability to make decisions. A network connecting the OFC and nucleus accumbens translates negative outcomes into values, while the OFC-amygdala circuit helps stabilize action values.

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nucleus accumbens

Gene-Environment Interactions That Drives Autism

Genetic variation contributes to individual differences in pleasure

High Earners in a Stock Market Game Have Brain Patterns That Can Predict Market Bubbles

High Fat Diets Can Impair Critical Motivational Pathway

Highly Specific Synaptic Plasticity in Addiction

How Calorie Content Makes You Rethink Food Choices

How Do the Brains of People Who Don’t Like Music Work?

How Dopamine Tells Us Something Isn’t Worth the Wait

How the brain helps us make good decisions, and bad ones

Jiving into Joy: Dance Sessions Elevate Health and Well-being in 85+ Age Group

New Insights Into Synaptic Pruning During Brain Development

Childhood IQ and Wealth: Uncovering Diverse Financial Paths in Adulthood

Stressed Brains Amplify Comfort Food Cravings

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