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prefrontal cortex

·May 12, 2026·6 min read

Timing of Trauma: Life Stages Shape the Resilient and Vulnerable Brain

Researchers mapped how trauma at different life stages reshapes specific brain regions, from the hippocampus in childhood to the prefrontal cortex in adolescence. These findings suggest that the timing of trauma creates a biological "blueprint" for adult behavior, opening the door for personalized psychiatric treatments based on developmental windows.

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Featured Neuroscience

·May 11, 2026·6 min read

How the Brain Dampens Losses to Support Mental Toughness

Psychologically resilient people place less value on minor losses. This bias is driven by heightened prefrontal brain activity that helps regulate negative emotions, providing a potential neural target for training mental toughness.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 19, 2026·8 min read

How Brains Sync for Group Survival

Scientists have mapped the brain regions that allow social groups to act as a unified system, compensating for struggling members to ensure everyone survives.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 11, 2026·8 min read

Unlocking the Relapse Switch: The Circuit That Drives Addiction

Scientists identify a specific neural switch that controls addiction relapse, proving it’s a circuit problem, not a lack of willpower.

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Featured Neuroscience

·March 10, 2026·10 min read

How Your Brain Charts Your Emotions

Scientists discover that the brain's "GPS" system isn't just for finding your car—it’s also how you navigate the complex world of your emotions.

This shows a person on a treadmill and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 9, 2026·7 min read

Fitter Brains Get a Bigger Boost from Every Workout

New research suggests that improving your aerobic fitness (VO2 Max) actually trains your brain to produce higher levels of the neuroprotective protein BDNF after exercise.

This shows the outline of a head and a brain with the auditory cortex lit up.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain

·March 3, 2026·8 min read

Chronic Back Pain Makes the World Sound Harsher

New research shows that chronic back pain rewires the brain to amplify sound, but specialized therapy can reset the brain's "volume knob."

This illustration shows a mom and her child playing. Swirling around them are post-it notes with words in different languages.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 18, 2026·8 min read

Mother-Child Brainwave Syncing Defeats the Language Barrier

Language doesn't limit love. New brain imaging research reveals that bilingual mothers and their children stay perfectly "in sync" even when speaking a second language.

This shows a brian made up of cannabis leaves, implying the link between cannabis use and it's impact on working memory.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 16, 2026·9 min read

Brain Imaging Study Reveals Cannabis Impact on Working Memory

Your brain’s "mental workspace" might be taking a hit. The largest cannabis brain-imaging study ever conducted shows a significant decline in working memory for heavy users.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 25, 2025·7 min read

How the Prefrontal Cortex Tunes What We See

New research shows that the prefrontal cortex doesn’t simply broadcast generic commands to sensory regions—it sends finely tailored signals that shape how the brain processes vision depending on arousal and movement. In mice, two prefrontal areas transmitted distinct information to both visual and motor cortices, sharpening or dampening visual responses depending on internal state.

This shows a brain with a neutral network spreading from the PFC. A drink glass is behind the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 16, 2025·5 min read

Boosting Prefrontal Dopamine Shows Promise in Cutting Alcohol Use

A new study reveals that tolcapone, a dopamine-enhancing drug, strengthens brain circuits involved in self-control while reducing alcohol intake in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The drug boosts activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, part of the prefrontal cortex, which supports inhibitory control.

This shows a brain surrounded by fruits.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 5, 2025·6 min read

Promise of Reward Changes How We Pay Attention

A new study reveals that our brains treat sensitivity and decision bias as separate processes when rewards are at stake. Using eye-tracking and EEG during a visual task, researchers found that attention-related brain regions ramp up when we focus on potential rewards, but only when it boosts sensitivity—not bias.