FeaturedNeuroscience·April 20, 2022·5 min readExplore or Exploit: How Our Brains Make ChoicesStudy explores brain activity in primates and humans when presented with a choice between one option that maximizes information and another which prioritizes reward during decision making.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·June 27, 2021·4 min readMarmoset Study Identifies Brain Region Linking Actions to Their OutcomesSwitching off activity in the anterior cingulate cortex prevented marmoset monkeys from making an association between behavior and a particular outcome.Read More
FeaturedPsychology·June 19, 2021·2 min readUse Rewards Effectively to Boost CreativityOffering a range of rewards for people to choose from helps to boost creativity, especially within the workforce, a new study reports.Read More
FeaturedPsychology·June 17, 2021·4 min readWriting Can Improve Mental HealthFrom reflective journaling to creative prose, writing can help boost self-esteem, deepen a sense of self-control, and improve self-awareness. Writing can also help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 20, 2021·3 min readShifting Rewards Are Encoded Using Special Neuronal PatternsDopamine neurons in the midbrain become active in a previously undetected way when an animal considers a reward that is changing in value.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·September 15, 2020·3 min readReward and Punishment Take Similar Paths in the Mouse BrainResearchers found specific neurons in the striosome that help mice learn to avoid negative experiences.Read More
FeaturedPsychology·August 12, 2020·5 min readYoung Children Would Rather Explore Than Get RewardsCompared to adults, children continue to explore other options than using knowledge to capitalize on reward, to see if the value has changed. Children approach exploration systematically to make sure they don't miss anything.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceNeuroscience VideosPsychology·March 11, 2020·4 min readOlder children’s brains respond differently to rewarding vs. negative experiences late in dayOlder children have stronger neural responses to rewards over punishments later in the afternoon. In younger children, this pattern is reversed.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·February 21, 2020·3 min readThe Impact of Paternal Marijuana Exposure on the Brains of OffspringCannabis use in males appears to alter sperm before mating, increasing the risk of their offspring developing brain abnormalities in areas associated with mood, memory, learning, and reward.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·February 20, 2020·4 min readThe secret to achieving goalsResearchers analyzed the relationship between reward and effort in achieving goals and identified two critical stages in the decision-making process.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·January 17, 2020·4 min readReward improves visual perceptual learning, but only after people sleepReward does not improve visual perception learning unless it is followed by a good night's sleep.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·January 15, 2020·5 min readWith these neurons, extinguishing fear is its own rewardFear extinction memories and feelings of reward are both stored in neurons that express the Ppp1r1b gene in the posterior of the basolateral amygdala.Read More
