Salk Institute

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 28, 2020

How genes control courtship and aggression

Study shows how sex-determining genes can mediate courtship and aggressive behaviors in fruit flies. The findings demonstrate the complexity of the relationship between behavior and sex. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·February 27, 2020

Eat less, live longer

Calorie restricted diets reduce inflammation, delay the onset of age-related diseases, and extend lifespan, a new study reports. Read More

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 19, 2020

Altered potassium levels in neurons may cause mood swings in bipolar disorder

Increased potassium currents were responsible for hyperactivity of CA3 neurons. When exposed to potassium channel blockers, the hyperactivity disappeared. However, when exposed to lithium, the drug not only reversed hyperactivity but reduced potassium currents at the same time. The findings strengthen the case that potassium currents play a role in bipolar disorder. Read More

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 30, 2020

Study links rapid brain growth in autism to DNA damage

Neural progenitor cells generated from skin cell samples of people on the autism spectrum had heightened levels of DNA damage. The damage clustered in 36 of the same genes which had also been damaged in healthy cells exposed to replication stress. Twenty of the genes have previously been linked to the development of autism. Read More

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·December 10, 2019

Alzheimer’s drug candidates reverse broader aging

CMS121 and J147, two drug candidates that improve memory and slow neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease, also slow aging in healthy, older mice. The compounds block damage to neurons caused by general aging and restore levels of specific molecules to those seen in younger animals. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 13, 2019

How emotion affects action

Researchers have identified a comprehensive circuit mechanism that governs how emotional states can influence movement through connections in the basal ganglia. The mechanism represents a way in which emotional states relate to changes in action control in depression, anxiety, and OCD. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 22, 2019

Scratching the surface of how your brain senses an itch

Researchers identified a set of neurons in the spinal cord that transmits a light-touch signal from the skin to the brain. NPY-Y1 signaling regulates the transmission of innocuous tactile information by establishing thresholds for touch discrimination and mechanical itch reflexes. The findings shed new light on the neurobiological basis of chronic itching. Read More

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·July 21, 2019

How mammals’ brains evolved to distinguish odors is nothing to sniff at

Study reveals at least six types of mammals distinguish odors in similar ways, using neural networks that are evolutionarily preserved across species. Read More

This shows a brain and different colored puzzle pieces

Featured Neuroscience visual neuroscience

·June 27, 2019

Deciphering how the brain encodes color and shape

Visual neurons selectively respond to color and shape along a continuum. While some neurons are only activated by either a specific color or shape, others are responsive to color and shape simultaneously. The findings contradict previous beliefs about how visual processing works. Read More

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·March 22, 2019

When neurons are out of shape, antidepressants may not work

Differences in serotonergic neuron morphology, along with altered gene expression have been identified in patients with MDD. The findings shed light on why some patients do not respond to SSRI antidepressants. Read More