Researchers report exercise can promote adult hippocampal neurogenesis and improve cognition in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. The study identifies ways to mimic the beneficial effects of experience through pharmacological and gene therapy. Read More
According to a new study those with higher criminal tendencies choose to take risks and gamble more than law abiding citizens. Read More
Researchers identify a driving network for compulsivity in those with alcohol use disorders. The study reports heavy drinkers have more activity in the prefronal cortex, insular and striatum, areas of the brain critical for reward and decision making. Read More
Researchers shed light on the role the caudate nucleus plays in pessimism. The study reports stimulating this area of the brain generates a negative outlook that clouds decision making. Read More
Researchers report the brain's response to taste stimuli is linked to higher anxiety and a drive for thinness in those with anorexia. Read More
A new study reveals people with schizophrenia have a disrupted stress response. Researchers report those with schizophrenia have an increase in dopamine release in the striatum, but not in the prefrontal cortex, in response to stress. Read More
Researchers say melanocortin 4 receptors may play a role in unease and reward. The study reports dopamine levels fell in the reward system of mice when the animal experienced something unpleasant. However, in mice lacking the melanocortin 4 receptor, dopamine levels increased slightly following a negative experience. Read More
Researchers shed light on how behavior is organized in the brain. The study reports learned behaviors are organized in a hierarchy of multiple levels of control. Read More
According to a new study, nicotine reduces dorsal striatal output, underlying the urge to smoke and making it difficult to quite the addiction. Read More
Researchers have identified a reduced exchange of glutamine between astrocytes and neurons in a new Huntington's disease study. Read More
A family with a rare genetic mutation are helping researchers answer important questions about how the human brain is wired. The family, who share an altered copy of the DCC gene, have less connectivity between areas where dopamine neurons originate and their target sites. Read More
A new study reports foods that contain both carbs and fats evoke greater response in the brain's reward center than foods that contain either just carbs or fats. Read More