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          ventral tegmental area

          This shows a brain.
          FeaturedNeuroscience
          ·June 6, 2025·5 min read

          Brain’s Reward Center Tracks Not Just What, But When Rewards Arrive

          The brain’s ventral tegmental area (VTA) encodes not only the value of anticipated rewards but also the precise timing of when those rewards are expected. Long known for its role in producing dopamine and guiding reward prediction, the VTA is now shown to process reward expectations on multiple time scales.
          Read More
          This shows a head and a brain.
          FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology
          ·May 22, 2025·7 min read

          Potassium Channel Drug Offers New Hope for Treating Depression

          Two new studies reveal that ezogabine, a drug originally approved for epilepsy, may alleviate depression symptoms by targeting potassium channels in the brain. Researchers found that the drug improves function in reward-related brain regions like the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is key to motivation and pleasure.
          Read More
          This shows a matcha tea
          FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology
          ·March 16, 2023·4 min read

          Matcha Tea Powder Has Antidepressant-Like Effects

          Researchers say Matcha, a traditional Japanese tea, can help boost mood and mental performance. Match tea powder activates dopaminergic neural networks and improves depressive symptoms in mice that previously experienced stress as a result of social isolation.
          Read More
          This shows a woman listening to music on headphones
          FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology
          ·March 9, 2023·3 min read

          Unlocking the Power of Goosebumps: The Surprising Emotional Effects of Aesthetic Chills

          A new study suggests that experiencing aesthetic chills, or goosebumps, during stimuli like music, films, and speeches can lead to increased emotional intensity and positive valence. The study's findings may have implications for understanding the role of embodied experiences in perception and decision-making and for the treatment of dopamine-related disorders such as Parkinson's, schizophrenia, and depression.
          Read More
          This shows neurons in the vta
          FeaturedNeuroscience
          ·January 23, 2023·8 min read

          Origins of Pleasurable Touch Traced From Skin to Brain

          Study reveals a skin-to-brain neural circuit that responds to rewarding forms of social touch. Researchers say the findings could provide an avenue for harnessing the power of touch to assist in treating social and emotional disorders.
          Read More
          This shows a diagram from the study
          FeaturedNeuroscience
          ·December 2, 2022·5 min read

          Key Brain Cells in Mice Underlying Stress-Related Behaviors Identified

          Glutamate neurons in the ventral tegmental area play a key role in the underlying impact of stressors. Silencing the neurons made the brain more resilient to stress.
          Read More
          This shows a brain
          FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles
          ·November 15, 2022·3 min read

          How the Nucleus Accumbens Mediates Positive and Negative Motivational Valence

          Study reveals the mechanism of the nucleus accumbens for mediating reward and aversion.
          Read More
          This shows brain scans from the study
          FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology
          ·October 8, 2022·4 min read

          Human Cocaine and Heroin Addiction Is Found Tied to Impairments in Specific Brain Circuit Initially Implicated in Animals

          Greater impairment of the prefrontal cortex-habenula pathway was correlated with earlier age of first drug use.
          Read More
          This shows a man shouting
          FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology
          ·July 22, 2022·3 min read

          Making Sense of Socially Enhanced Aggression in the Brain

          Study reveals the lateral habenula plays a critical role in the priming of aggression in male mice.
          Read More
          This shows dopamine neurons
          FeaturedNeuroscience
          ·April 16, 2022·5 min read

          A Key Brain Region for Substance Use Disorders Now Has a Searchable Atlas of Distinct Cell Populations

          Researchers identified 16 distinct cell populations in the ventral tegmental area, a brain area involved in dopamine neurotransmission involved in reward-directed behaviors.
          Read More
          This shows a diagram from the study
          FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology
          ·April 3, 2022·4 min read

          Midbrain Projection to the Basolateral Amygdala Encodes Anxiety-Like Behaviors

          A ventral tegmental area dopamine neuron circuit that projects to the basolateral amygdala selectively controls anxiety-like behaviors, but not depression-like behaviors.
          Read More
          This shows dopamine neurons
          FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology
          ·March 23, 2022·5 min read

          Motivation to Achieve Goals May Depend on Anxiety Level

          The motivation to exert sustained effort to achieve a goal following stress exposure depends on an individual's level of trait anxiety. The expression of CRHR1 in dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area connects anxiety to either boosted or diminished motivation levels.
          Read More
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          This shows two people and a brain.

          Smarter Minds Predict Better: IQ Linked to Sharper Life Forecasting

          This shows the outline of a head and a brain.

          Brain Structure Differences Linked to Antisocial Traits in Psychopathy

          This shows a person sleeping and a brain.

          Short Naps Linked to “Aha” Moments and Creative Insight

          This shows a robosurgeon and a heart.

          Robotic Heart Transplant Marks Surgical Breakthrough

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