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·August 21, 2018·3 min read

‘Compulsivity Circuit’ in Heavy Drinkers Identified

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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 9, 2018·5 min read

Getting to the Roots of Pessimism

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.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·July 26, 2018·5 min read

A New Model For How Brain Reward Response May Impact Anorexia

Researchers report the brain's response to taste stimuli is linked to higher anxiety and a drive for thinness in those with anorexia.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 11, 2018·5 min read

Stress Affects People with Schizophrenia Differently

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.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·July 2, 2018·4 min read

Reward and Unease Are Closely Linked in the Brain

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.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·June 28, 2018·5 min read

How the Office Org Chart in Your Brain Helps Organize Your Actions

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.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 25, 2018·3 min read

Nicotine Alters Neurotransmission in Habit Forming Brain Region

According to a new study, nicotine reduces dorsal striatal output, underlying the urge to smoke and making it difficult to quite the addiction.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 20, 2018·5 min read

Important New Piece in Huntington’s Disease Puzzle Identified

Researchers have identified a reduced exchange of glutamine between astrocytes and neurons in a new Huntington's disease study.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·June 18, 2018·4 min read

Rare Genetic Mutation May Give Insight into How the Brain is Wired

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.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·June 15, 2018·4 min read

Foods Combining Carbs and Fats More Rewarding That Just Carbs or Fats Alone

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.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 23, 2018·4 min read

People with Family History of Alcoholism Release More Dopamine in Expectation of Alcohol

A new study reports people who have a family history of alcohol use disorder release more dopamine in the ventral striatum as a response to the expectation of receiving an alcoholic drink than those without a family history of alcoholism.