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prefrontal cortex

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·April 29, 2023·5 min read

Cognitive Flexibility: How the Brain Learns New Rules to Navigate the Changing World

In everyday life, our brains adapt to new situations using the prefrontal cortex. A team of neuroscientists discovered a special class of neurons in the prefrontal cortex that enable flexible behavior, and when malfunctioning, may contribute to conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These long-range inhibitory connections synchronize gamma oscillations across the left and right prefrontal cortex, allowing the brain to change its behavior at the right moment. This research could lead to new treatments for psychiatric conditions by targeting these long-range inhibitory connections.

This shows DNA and the outline of a person

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·April 7, 2023·6 min read

New Genetic Finding Provides Clue for Personalizing Depression Treatment

The NPAS4 gene may play a critical role in linking long-term stress to depression and depressive behaviors. The findings may lead to new, targeted treatments for depression as a result of chronic stress.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 16, 2023·4 min read

Matcha Tea Powder Has Antidepressant-Like Effects

Researchers say Matcha, a traditional Japanese tea, can help boost mood and mental performance. Match tea powder activates dopaminergic neural networks and improves depressive symptoms in mice that previously experienced stress as a result of social isolation.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·March 16, 2023·3 min read

Progress in Unlocking the Brain’s Code for Depression

Changes in brain activity in the anterior cingulate cortex could be the best predictor of depression severity.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·March 15, 2023·3 min read

Memories Could Be Lost if Two Key Brain Regions Fail to Sync Together

If neural assemblies between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex fail to sync together at the correct time, memories are lost.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·March 6, 2023·5 min read

Brains With Compromised Trust Settings a Warning Sign of Lurking Depression

Shrunken gray matter volume in brain areas associated with social cognition and a compromised ability to trust others is linked to depression vulnerability and could be used as a biomarker for the onset of depressive symptoms, a new study reports.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 28, 2023·4 min read

Breast Milk Boosts Premature Babies’ Brain Development

In babies born preterm, the cerebral cortex, a brain area associated with learning and cognition is often underdeveloped. In preterm babies fed larger quantities of breastmilk, the cerebral cortex resembled those of babies born full term. Researchers say breastfeeding could help to reduce learning and behavioral deficits associated with preterm birth.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 16, 2023·4 min read

Is the Brain Wired Differently in People With Addiction?

Study reveals functional connectivity abnormalities in brain areas associated with reward processing, habit formation, and decision-making in those with substance use disorders and addiction.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 8, 2023·6 min read

Why PTSD Patients Relive Highly Charged Fear Memories in Sleep

In people with PTSD, during REM sleep norepinephrine and serotonin levels remain high, reducing the brain's ability to inhibit fear-expression neurons through neural rhythms sent between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Those with PTSD require higher frequency rhythms to extinguish fear memories. Researchers say unlocking the higher frequencies via therapies could help to restore quality sleep in those with PTSD.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·January 24, 2023·3 min read

Abnormal 12-Hour Cyclic Gene Activity Found in Schizophrenic Brains

Postmortem brains of those with schizophrenia have fewer genes associated with 12-hour activity cycles in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Mitochondrial-related genes in the dlPFC did maintain a 12-hour rhythm, but their activity did not peak at normal times.