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uncertainty

·October 9, 2025·8 min read

Brain Cells That Thrive on Uncertainty Help Us Adapt and Learn

Scientists have discovered a group of brain cells in the orbitofrontal cortex that become more active when outcomes are uncertain, revealing how the brain adapts and learns from unpredictable situations. These neurons—found in both rats and humans—help balance flexibility and precision in decision-making, particularly when rewards are inconsistent.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 6, 2025·5 min read

Brain’s Social Hub Responds to Confusion, Not Just People

New research reveals that the brain region often linked to understanding others, the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), is activated more by uncertainty than by social reasoning alone. Using fMRI, researchers found DMPFC responded to uncertain inferences about people, bodies, and even objects.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 15, 2021·5 min read

How the Brain Deals With Uncertainty

How do we make decisions during times when we are uncertain? A new study may have clues. Researchers identified a specific set of neurons that prevent the brain from using unreliable information when faced with decision-making.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 30, 2021·7 min read

Why Uncertainty Makes Us Change Our Behavior – Even When We Shouldn’t

Unexpected uncertainty is a motivator for change that prompts us to change our decisions and behaviors, even when changing the decision does not provide a better outcome.

This shows people sitting around a question mark

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 15, 2020·4 min read

The Future’s Uncertain, but Noradrenaline Can Help Us Adapt

In times of uncertainty, noradrenaline helps us learn and adapt our behaviors, researchers report.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 1, 2020·4 min read

Study Sheds Light on Brain Mechanism Activated by Uncertainty

Neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex respond more to loss than to gain. Avoidance of risk-taking is affected by an area of the hippocampus that is associated with memory and anxiety. The findings suggest a close relationship between memory processing and decision making when risk is present, especially in stressful situations. The fresh insights might help guide new psychiatric therapies for disorders marked by excessive avoidance, such as anxiety, and depression, and also mania and addiction, where excessive risk-taking is a common feature.