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Salk Institute

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 16, 2022·4 min read

How the Brain Gathers Threat Cues and Turns Them Into Fear

CGRP neurons found in subregions of the thalamus and brainstem relay multisensory threat information to the amygdala. These neural circuits are essential for the formation of aversive memories, a new study reports.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 20, 2022·5 min read

Making a Memory Positive or Negative

Researchers discovered a specific neurotransmitter that helps assign either positive or negative emotions to memories.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 23, 2022·5 min read

A Surprising Link Between Immune System and Hair Growth

Regulatory T cells interact with skin cells using glucocorticoid hormones to generate new hair follicles and promote hair growth. The findings could have positive implications for the development of new therapies to treat alopecia and other hair loss disorders.

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Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 22, 2022·5 min read

Interacting Brain Waves Key to How We Process Information

Study reveals the different ways the brain parses information through interactions of waves of neural activity.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 25, 2022·4 min read

Active Ingredient in Cannabis Protects Aging Brain Cells

Cannabinol, an active ingredient in cannabis, can help protect brain cells from oxidative damage and preserve mitochondrial function.

Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·December 17, 2021·5 min read

Pain and Anxiety Impact Breathing on a Cellular Level

Core neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus project to the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with fear and emotional processing of pain. Neurons in the shell project to the pre-Bötzinger complex, a region that generates breathing rhythm. Both core and shell neurons influence each other according to inputs from each area, increasing breathing rate when we are in pain or anxious.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 13, 2021·5 min read

Flavor Your Food With “Flavanols (Flavan 3-Ols)” to Burn Excess Fat

Researchers have found a direct connection between flavan 3-ols consumption and fat browning by activation in the sympathetic nervous system. The findings could help in the development of new treatments for obesity-related disorders.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·November 29, 2021·4 min read

Which Side Is Which? How the Brain Perceives Borders

Neurons in deep layers of the brain's cortex are the first to decipher which side of a visual border is an object and which side is the background.

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·October 25, 2021·4 min read

Call and Response Circuit Tells Neurons When to Grow Synapses

A new study reveals the mechanisms by which neurons and astrocytes work together to form synapses.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 14, 2021·4 min read

How the Brain Ignores Distracting Information to Coordinate Movements

Researchers have identified how specific neurons in the cuneate nucleus help filter distracting information to coordinate dexterous movements. The findings have implications for the development of new prosthetics and robotic equipment that can fine-tune movement based on the sense of touch.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 6, 2021·9 min read

Advancing Efforts to Treat, Prevent and Cure Brain Disorders

Collaborative work on the brain atlas describes how different cells are organized and connected throughout the mouse brain. Understanding what differentiates brain cells can lead to new research and potential therapies for brain disorders.