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UCL

·August 3, 2019·4 min read

People who eat dark chocolate less likely to be depressed

Eating dark chocolate can help reduce anxiety and improve symptoms of clinical depression. People who ate dark chocolate in two 24-hour periods had 70% reduced odds of reporting depressive symptoms than those who did not eat chocolate. However, milk chocolate did not produce the same effect. Dark chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a neuromodulator implicated in mood regulation.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·August 3, 2019·7 min read

Socially active 60-year-olds face lower dementia risk

Being socially active in early old age can help to prevent against dementia later on. Researchers found those engaged in social activities almost daily at 60 were 12% less likely to develop dementia than those who were socially active only once or twice a month.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·July 22, 2019·3 min read

Canned laughter works and makes ‘dad jokes’ funny

Canned laughter tracks increase how funny we find a joke and how much we laugh, even when the jokes are groan-worthy. Testing the hypothesis on both neurotypical people and those on the autism spectrum, researchers found the effect was universal.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·June 23, 2019·2 min read

Squeezing of blood vessels may contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s

Capillary constriction caused by amyloid beta restricts cerebral blood flow in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Inhibiting the capillary constriction may potentially reduce some of the neurodegenerative features of Alzheimer's.

This shows a brain scan of a person with RRMS

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 12, 2019·3 min read

AI used to detect brain’s response to multiple sclerosis treatment

Combining artificial intelligence technology with MRI brain scans, researchers are able to detect the brain's response to Natalizumab treatment for those with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 5, 2019·3 min read

Sleeping for too little or too long linked to poorer memory

Sleep duration can have a negative impact on memory skills and reaction time. While the effects of sleep deprivation are well documented, researchers report sleeping for longer than the recommended 7 to 8 hours per night is associated with more errors in memory recall and slower reaction times, with each additional hour of sleep impacting performance more.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 4, 2019·4 min read

Gene mutation evolved to cope with modern high-sugar diets

A variant of the CHC22 gene evolved to help people adapt to the modern, higher sugar diet. However, many people still retain the older version of the genetic variant, which does not allow for correct metabolism of modern diets and may be linked to an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 14, 2019·4 min read

Prior eating disorders linked to long-term depression risk for mothers

Women who suffered from eating disorders are at increased risk of developing depression during pregnancy and up until 18 years after the birth of their child.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 10, 2019·6 min read

Statins’ potential to treat MS unrelated to lowering cholesterol

The common statin drug Simvastatin reduces brain atrophy and slows the progression of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The effects appear to be independent of the drug's cholesterol-lowering effects.

This shows two hands holding a DNA double helix

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·April 25, 2019·4 min read

Cannabis addiction influenced by genetic make-up

People with the specific genotype of the Cannabinoid receptor 1 gene may be more prone to cannabis use disorder. Researchers report those with FAAH rs324420 A continue to want more marijuana following use and are more drawn to cannabis-related imagery while under the influence of the drug.

This shows a blue head and an orange head

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 24, 2019·4 min read

CBD reduces impairment caused by cannabis

Cannabidiol may buffer the effects of THC on the brain for those who use marijuana. Marijuana with a higher CBD content restores disruptions to the salience network caused by THC exposure.

This shows the retrosplenial cortex's location in the brain and maps between UCL and Imperial College London.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 1, 2019·3 min read

Key brain region for navigating familiar places identified

The posterior hippocampus tracks distance to a newly learned location, as well as familiar environments. By contrast, when navigating a familiar location, the retrosplenial cortex takes over responsibility for tracking distance. The findings shed light on how the brain navigates and encodes spatial information.