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striatum

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 2, 2016·3 min read

Inflammation Attacks Brain’s Reward Center, Increasing Depression Risk

According to a new study, the striatum may be directly affected by inflammation, increasing the risk for depression related symptoms.

MRI scan with the striatum highlighted in red.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 25, 2016·2 min read

Deciphering Sugar’s Siren Song

Signals for taste and nutrients are processed in two separate areas of the striatum, a new study reports.

Image shows a magnified view of a mouse striatum.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 21, 2016·5 min read

Why It’s So Hard to Break Habits

A new study reveals habits leave lasting marks on specific brain circuits, priming us to feed our cravings.

Image shows the location of the hippocampus in the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 14, 2016·4 min read

How Our Memories Guide Attention

A new study reports differences in memory types influence the nature of our future encounters.

Featured Psychology

·January 7, 2016·4 min read

Eat Less and Be Happy

Small, uncertain incentives stimulate the same reward center of the brain as food, researchers report.

Image shows a brain scans with the hippocampus highlighted.

Featured Psychology

·December 18, 2015·3 min read

Development of Psychosis Linked to Heightened Blood Flow in the Brain

Researchers identify a key mechanism in the brain that appears to be associated with the development and onset of psychosis.

This image shows drawings of different areas of the brain and a dna double helix.

Featured Genetics

·November 30, 2015·3 min read

Genetic Variants Associated with Schizophrenia Influence Gene Activity in Developing Brain

Researchers shed ligh on how DNA sequence variation influences gene activity in brain development.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 23, 2015·5 min read

Measuring Dopamine in Parkinsons Patient’s Gives Insight Into How We Learn

Researchers measure dopamine release during surgery in Parkinson's patients and identify how rapid dopamine release encodes information critical to learning and decision making.

Photo of a girl sleeping on a school desk. Next to her is a memory text book.

Featured Psychology

·October 16, 2015·3 min read

A Day Time Nap and Reward Boosts Learning

A new study reports receiving a reward as you learn can help consolidate the new facts in your memory, especially if combined with a short nap.

Image shows the location of the striatum in the brain.

Featured Psychology

·October 12, 2015·3 min read

Key Brain Activity Differences in People with Anorexia Discovered

A new study reports when people with anorexia decide what to eat, they engage the dorsal striatum, an area of the brain associated with habitual behavior.

Illustration shows location of the basal ganglia in the brain.

Featured Neurology

·October 7, 2015·3 min read

Lack of D1 Receptors Results in Slowed Movement in Parkinson’s Patients

A new study reveals a lack of dopamine transmission via D1 receptors disrupts information flow in the basal ganglia and can cause difficulty in initiating voluntary movements for Parkinson's patients.