FeaturedNeuroscience·November 15, 2022·4 min readHow Hormonal Birth Control May Affect the Adolescent BrainHormonal contraception disrupts signal transmission between cells in the prefrontal cortex of adolescents. Hormonal birth control also elevates levels of stress hormones in the brain.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 30, 2022·5 min readTeenage Brains: What Is Happening and Why It Leads to More Risky BehaviorsDecision-making requires two different brain areas that mature at different times during the teenage years. This may help parents understand why their teens are more prone to making risky decisions.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 26, 2022·5 min readWhat’s in a Name? Actors Suppress Their Sense of Self When Playing New CharacterWhen actors hear their own names during a performance, their response is suppressed by activity in the left anterior prefrontal cortex, a brain area associated with self-awareness.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 8, 2022·4 min readHuman Cocaine and Heroin Addiction Is Found Tied to Impairments in Specific Brain Circuit Initially Implicated in AnimalsGreater impairment of the prefrontal cortex-habenula pathway was correlated with earlier age of first drug use.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 5, 2022·2 min readPetting Dogs Engages the Social Brain, According to NeuroimagingInteracting with dogs leads to greater activation in the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with emotional and social processing.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·September 28, 2022·4 min readOmega-3 Fatty Acids, and in Particular DHA, Are Associated With Increased Attention Scores in AdolescentsDHA consumption was associated with improved capacity for selective and sustained attention in adolescents, while ALA lowered impulsive behaviors.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeurosciencePsychology·September 22, 2022·4 min readA New Understanding of the Neurobiology of ImpulsivityA new genetically based scoring model can accurately detect children most at risk of developing impulsive behaviors.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·September 21, 2022·4 min readHow Fear Memories Get Stuck in Some BrainsDown-regulation of the PRDM2 protein increases the consolidation of fear-related memories in the brain.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·September 6, 2022·6 min readHow the Brain Focuses on What’s in MindRhythmic bursts of activity in the prefrontal cortex reduce variability as an animal focuses on a task.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·August 25, 2022·3 min readWhat Makes the Human Brain Different?Researchers have identified human-specific cell types in the prefrontal cortex. These unique cells may explain why humans are more susceptible to neuropsychiatric diseases than other primate species.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·August 11, 2022·4 min readWhy Thinking Hard Makes You TiredExtended intense cognitive work causes potentially toxic byproducts to build up in the prefrontal cortex. This alters control over decision-making, causing a shift toward low-cost actions that require less effort as cognitive fatigue sets in.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·July 31, 2022·5 min readCells That Control Hunger Affect Brain Structure and FunctionAgRP neurons in the hypothalamus play a critical role in shaping the structure and function of the prefrontal cortex in mice. The findings shed light on how the prefrontal cortex is altered in disorders such as schizophrenia.Read More
