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science

·November 20, 2025·5 min read

Thrill Fatigue: How Dopamine Devalues Repeated Rewards

New research shows that the same dopamine receptor mechanism responsible for drug addiction also governs the natural decline in motivation when we repeat rewarding behaviors. By studying male fruit flies, researchers found that dopamine acting through the D2 receptor promotes persistence during mating, but repeated experiences cause these receptors to desensitize.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 20, 2025·6 min read

AI Interviews Outperform Standard Mental Health Rating Scales

A new study demonstrates that an AI assistant can conduct psychiatric assessment interviews with greater diagnostic accuracy than widely used mental health rating scales. In a sample of 303 participants with confirmed psychiatric conditions, the AI assistant Alba provided DSM-based diagnostic suggestions after a brief conversational interview, outperforming rating scales in eight of nine disorders.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 20, 2025·5 min read

Unexpected Superhero Cameos Make People Kinder

A new behavioral study demonstrates that sudden, unexpected events can significantly increase altruistic behavior in everyday environments. When a person dressed as Batman appeared on a Milan subway, passengers were nearly twice as likely to give up their seats to a pregnant woman compared to the normal routine condition.

This shows two heads and speech bubbles.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 20, 2025·8 min read

Language Emerged From Many Roots, Not Just One

A new framework argues that human language did not arise from a single evolutionary leap but from the convergence of many biological abilities and cultural processes. The authors highlight how speech learning, grammar formation, and social cooperation evolved along different paths before merging into the complex communication we use today.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 20, 2025·7 min read

The Brain Has a Dance Mode, And AI Just Mapped It

A team of researchers used a massive dance video dataset and advanced AI models to map how the human brain interprets dance, revealing striking differences between experts and nonexperts. By pairing fMRI recordings with AI-derived cross-modal features, they found that higher-order brain regions outperform simple motion or sound cues when processing choreography.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 20, 2025·10 min read

Brain Releases Hidden Kinase to Supercharge Pain and Learning

New research reveals that neurons release a little-understood extracellular kinase called VLK to strengthen synaptic connections, providing a missing piece in how the nervous system adapts during learning and pain. The kinase phosphorylates EphB receptors outside the cell, which recruits NMDA receptors and amplifies synaptic signaling.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 19, 2025·6 min read

Shocking Disparities: Women Face Higher Risk of ECT

A large international survey of 858 electroconvulsive therapy recipients found that women are twice as likely as men to receive ECT and experience more adverse effects. Women reported higher rates of memory loss, greater feelings of coercion, and more harmful emotional outcomes, often describing the treatment as retraumatizing.

This shows a finger with the sensor on it.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 19, 2025·9 min read

Ultra-Thin Finger Patch Recreates Touch With Human-Level Precision

Engineers have created VoxeLite, the first wearable haptic device capable of matching the sensitivity of the human fingertip. Built as a paper-thin, flexible bandage for the finger, it uses high-density electroadhesive “pixels of touch” to recreate fine textures and directional cues with lifelike accuracy.

This shows a person holding a joint and a glass of scotch.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 19, 2025·7 min read

Cannabis Blunts Alcohol Cravings

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial shows that cannabis with active THC reduces immediate alcohol cravings and lowers drinking levels in heavy-drinking young adults. After smoking THC, participants not only drank less, they waited longer before taking the first sip and reported lower urges to drink.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 19, 2025·8 min read

Restoring Vision: Temporary Retinal Silencing Reverses Amblyopia

A new study in mice shows that briefly anesthetizing the retina of the weaker eye can restore its neural influence in the adult visual cortex. The treatment activates a specific burst-firing mode in thalamic neurons, a developmental mechanism that reopens plasticity even after the usual critical period has closed.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·November 19, 2025·7 min read

Lithium Fails to Slow Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s

A new meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials shows that lithium supplementation does not significantly slow cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. While preclinical evidence suggests lithium supports resilience against amyloid and tau pathology, these benefits failed to translate to clinical outcomes using traditional lithium salts.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 19, 2025·6 min read

Brain’s “Hourglass Timer” Controls the Precise Timing of Movement

Researchers have discovered how the brain keeps time for precise movements, revealing a neural “hourglass” mechanism between the motor cortex and striatum. The motor cortex sends timing signals that accumulate in the striatum until they reach a threshold that triggers action.

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