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.
Researchers have identified a new biomarker for psychosis in the striatal dopamine neurons. Those at risk for psychosis showed increased activation in the striatum for positive feedback and decreased activation when faced with negative feedback.
Only 45% of patients with major depressive disorder find benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). A neuroimaging study reveals those who respond to CBT have greater neural activity in the right striatum and right amygdala pretreatment than those who find little benefit from the treatment. The findings could serve as a biomarker to discover who will respond to CBT.
Researchers implanted a genetic mutation that encodes the DAT protein from a child with ASD into mice. The mice began to exhibit autism-like behavioral deficits. Mice with the DAT T356M mutation had reduced social interaction and a loss in social dominance. The mice also demonstrated an increase in hyperactivity. At the physiological level, the researchers found impaired striatal dopamine transmission and clearance.
The medial prefrontal cortex persistently encodes value based decision variables.
A 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.
The 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.
Compared 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.
Obtaining new information may be addictive. Study finds information acquisition shares the same dopamine producing reward system pathway as food, financial rewards and drugs.
Using 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.
A 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.
Absence epilepsy may be triggered by an impairment in communication between the striatum and somatosensory cortex.