FeaturedNeuroscience·July 23, 2019Study Advances Understanding of How Brains Remember DecisionsThe medial prefrontal cortex persistently encodes value based decision variables. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·July 20, 2019Pioneering new study on dopamine and stressA neuroimaging study on house sparrows reveals changes in the dopaminergic system could be a physiological mechanism underlying the negative behavioral effects of chronic stress. The findings shed light on stress and resilience in wildlife and humans. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 25, 2019How the brain helps us make good decisions, and bad onesThe orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) appears to play a significant role in our ability to make decisions. A network connecting the OFC and nucleus accumbens translates negative outcomes into values, while the OFC-amygdala circuit helps stabilize action values. Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·June 20, 2019Early-and-regular cannabis use by youth is associated with alteration in brain circuits that support cognitive controlCompared to peers who do not use cannabis, teens and young adults with significant marijuana use history have reduced activation in brain areas that support cognitive control and conflict resolution. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·June 19, 2019Information addiction: How information is like snacks, money, and drugs to your brainObtaining new information may be addictive. Study finds information acquisition shares the same dopamine producing reward system pathway as food, financial rewards and drugs. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience·June 6, 2019Ultrasound method restores dopaminergic pathway in brain at Parkinson’s early stagesUsing transcranial focused ultrasound in combination with injectable microbubbles, researchers open a pathway through the blood-brain barrier. The technique allows drugs to penetrate the brain and trigger therapeutic effects for those with neurodegenerative diseases. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·May 3, 2019Hotspot in the genome may drive psychosis in schizophrenia and bipolar disorderA cluster of epigenetic marks in an enhancer at IGF2 could enhance dopamine synthesis associated with psychosis in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The findings may help in devising more effective treatments and screening strategies for both disorders. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 26, 2019Trigger region found for absence epileptic seizuresAbsence epilepsy may be triggered by an impairment in communication between the striatum and somatosensory cortex. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeurosciencePsychology·April 26, 2019Brain’s support network may play key role in attention deficit, hyperactivity behaviors: Rodent studyAstrocytes can alter neurons to drive behaviors associated with ADHD. Researchers believe astrocytes may be used to develop targeted treatments for behavioral deficits associated with a range of mental illnesses. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 11, 2019New role for sensory signals in the brainOptogenetic stimulation causes signals in the sensory cortex to halt actions during a behavioral task, while altering signals in the motor cortex to cause mice to act more impulsively. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceneurotechOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 10, 2019New quantum material could warn of neurological diseaseA new quantum sensor is able to automatically receive hydrogen when placed beneath a brain slice. Researchers say this could be the first step in creating a pathway that builds a computer device to store and transfer real memories, in essence, allowing for the 'upload' of memory. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·February 27, 2019Smoking and Alcohol: Double Trouble for the BrainA new study reports those with alcohol addiction who also smoke may be at an increased risk of neural damage. The study revealed higher levels of oxidative stress in the hippocampus, and a a decrease in neurotrophic factor in the striatum and frontal cortex in rats exposed to both alcohol and tobacco. Read More
