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UCLA

·May 15, 2024·3 min read

How Repetition Solidifies Memory

A new study reveals that repetitive practice not only improves skills but also induces significant changes in the brain's memory pathways. The research shows how training mice to recall odor sequences led to stable memory representations in the secondary motor cortex.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 9, 2024·7 min read

Breakthrough in Immunotherapy for Brain Cancer

Researchers unveiled a new combination immunotherapy that significantly boosts the immune response in patients with malignant gliomas. By integrating a personalized dendritic cell vaccine with poly-ICLC, an immune-boosting agent, the therapy has shown promise in enhancing the dendritic cells' capacity to combat this aggressive brain tumor.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 8, 2024·8 min read

Sleep Enhances Memory with Less Energy

Researchers discovered a new mechanism in the brain that enhances memory formation while reducing energy consumption during sleep. The study finds that this process occurs in the entorhinal cortex, a key area for learning and memory and the initial site of Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 4, 2024·6 min read

Loneliness, Food Cravings, and the Brain

A new study reveals the link between loneliness, cravings for high-calorie foods, and unhealthy eating behaviors in women, highlighting a significant brain activity pattern associated with social isolation. The research found that women feeling lonely show increased brain activation in areas related to cravings when exposed to images of sugary foods, alongside decreased self-control towards eating.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 19, 2024·5 min read

Brain’s Food-Seeking Circuit Overrides Hunger Signals

Researchers identified a brain circuit in mice that drives them to seek food even when not hungry, focusing on a specific group of cells in the brainstem's periaqueductal gray (PAG) area. This discovery highlights how stimulating these cells causes mice to prefer high-calorie foods and engage in food-seeking behaviors, regardless of hunger.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·March 4, 2024·4 min read

Astrocytes Play Critical Role in Regulating Behavior

Researchers made a groundbreaking discovery in identifying a unique group of astrocytes, located in the brain's central striatum, that play a crucial role in regulating behaviors linked to neuropsychiatric disorders. This distinct subset of astrocytes expresses the gene Crym, coding for μ-crystallin, a protein associated with various human diseases.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 13, 2024·4 min read

Childhood Bullying Increases Mental Health Risk in Teens

Childhood bullying can lead to significant distrust in others among young teenagers, greatly increasing their risk of serious mental health problems by adulthood. Analyzing data from 10,000 UK children over nearly two decades, the research found that those bullied at age 11 and developing interpersonal distrust by age 14 were 3.5 times more likely to face mental health issues at 17.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 21, 2023·6 min read

Music’s Emotional Rollercoaster Enhances Memory Formation

Researchers reveal how fluctuating emotions elicited by music help shape distinct and durable memories. Using music to manipulate volunteers' emotions during tasks, they found that emotional shifts create boundaries between memories, making them easier to recall.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 15, 2023·5 min read

Nanowire Network Mimics Brain, Learns Handwriting with 93.4% Accuracy

Researchers developed an experimental computing system, resembling a biological brain, that successfully identified handwritten numbers with a 93.4% accuracy rate. This breakthrough was achieved using a novel training algorithm providing continuous real-time feedback, outperforming traditional batch data processing methods which yielded 91.4% accuracy.

This shows the outline of a man surrounded by clocks and neurons.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 31, 2023·7 min read

Mapping Time and Space: Neurons Decode Human Existence Dimensions

Researchers unveil how neurons in the brain depict time and space, fundamental to human consciousness. Utilizing special depth electrodes, they studied patients undergoing treatment for epilepsy, revealing "place cells" for spatial awareness and "time cells" for temporal comprehension.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 26, 2023·4 min read

Young Viewers Desire More Platonic Bonds on Screen

A new report reveals that adolescents and young adults want fewer romantic and sexual storylines in media, with a focus on friendships and platonic ties. About 44.3% feel romance is overrepresented, while 47.5% believe sex scenes are often superfluous.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 15, 2023·5 min read

Neighborhood Woes: How Living Conditions Impact Brain Structure and Diet

Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods not only influences food choices and weight gain but can also alter the brain's microstructure. Researchers found that poor food quality, high-calorie intake, and inactive environments common in such areas disrupt brain regions crucial for emotion, cognition, and reward processing.