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reward system

·February 7, 2023·5 min read

Differences in Dopamine Signals in Patients With History of Alcohol Use Disorder

The connection between dopamine and counterfactual information, or notions of relief and regret, is altered in those with alcohol use disorder.

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·November 11, 2022·3 min read

What Happens to the Dopamine System When We Experience Aversive Events?

The dopamine system helps the brain anticipate the occurrence and duration of unpleasant events, but without taking errors into account.

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·September 30, 2022·5 min read

Why Do Some Kids Take Bigger Risks Than Others?

A parent's wealth and social status can influence a child's risk-taking behaviors.

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·September 29, 2022·4 min read

Unraveling the Reward Behavior: The Mechanisms Underlying the Dopamine Signaling Pathway

The direct phosphorylation of KCNQ2 by ERK occurs through the activation of the dopamine signaling pathway in the nucleus accumbens of mice.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 27, 2022·3 min read

Mechanisms of Psychostimulants on Attention and Learning Revealed

Psychostimulants increase dopamine levels, enhancing task-relevant cortical signals by acting on the striatum and the difference in dopamine synthesis capacity in the striatum explains the variability in the drugs' cognitive effects.

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·September 23, 2022·2 min read

How an Addicted Brain Works

Addiction occurs as a result of the reward system becoming overwhelmed in a way that leads to chronic and permanent alterations in the brain.

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·July 21, 2022·3 min read

No Pain, No Gain? How the Brain Chooses Between Pain and Profit

The ventral striatum plays a crucial role when it comes to choices about future pain versus future profit.

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·June 16, 2022·5 min read

Us Versus Them: Harming the ‘Outgroup’ Is Linked to Elevated Activity in the Brain’s Reward Circuitry

Aggression toward members in an "outgroup" was associated with increased activity in areas of the brain associated with reward. Activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex impacted the level of aggression a person demonstrated against an outsider.

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·June 16, 2022·3 min read

Researchers Described How the Cerebellum Modulates Our Ability to Socialize

Dopamine in the cerebellum helps regulate social behaviors via its action on D2 receptors. Changes in D2 levels in Purkinje cells alter sociability and preference for social novelty without affecting motor function.

This shows a drawing of a woman with cannabis leaves in her hair

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 13, 2022·6 min read

How Cannabis Affects Our Cognition and Psychology

Researchers investigate how cannabis can influence a number of cognitive and psychological processes.

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·April 4, 2022·4 min read

Neuronal Mechanisms That Control Food Cravings During Pregnancy Identified

A new study sheds light on the neurobiology of cravings for certain foods women experience while pregnant. According to researchers, during pregnancy, the brain undergoes alterations to functional connections in the reward systems, as well as taste and sensorimotor centers. Pregnant females become more sensitive to sweet foods and develop binge eating behaviors toward high-calorie foods. Pregnancy induces a full reorganization of the mesolimbic neural circuits via D2R dopaminergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens.

This shows medium spiny neurons in the NCA

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·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.