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Virginia Tech

·February 25, 2025·8 min read

Adverse Childhood Experiences Impact Brain Development and Mental Health

A decade-long study reveals how childhood adversity alters brain development, increasing risks for mental health disorders and substance use. Researchers found that teens who experienced early adversity showed delayed cognitive control, with unusual brain activity in regions linked to self-regulation.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 8, 2025·7 min read

Mitochondria’s Role in Social Memory May Offer Clues to Brain Disorder

Researchers have identified a unique mitochondrial process in CA2 neurons that supports learning, memory, and social recognition. Mitochondria in different parts of these neurons vary in structure and function, with those at the outermost synapses relying on the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) for plasticity. Deleting the MCU gene disrupted this plasticity, highlighting its crucial role in maintaining neural connectivity.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 22, 2025·7 min read

Targeting Reward Pathways to Treat Depression

New research highlights how the brain's reward-learning system can guide personalized treatments for depression. By studying two brain signals, expected value and prediction error, researchers identified markers that predict recovery potential and tailored responses to rewards and setbacks.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 8, 2025·6 min read

Dopamine and Serotonin Drive Emotional Word Processing

Researchers have uncovered how neurotransmitters in the brain respond to the emotional content of language, shedding light on the intersection of emotion, cognition, and communication. Using advanced techniques, the team simultaneously measured dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine release in patients during exposure to emotionally charged words.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·July 17, 2024·5 min read

New Technique Shows Promise in Fighting Brain Cancer

Researchers developed a new method, burst sine wave electroporation (B-SWE), to treat glioblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumor. B-SWE disrupts the blood-brain barrier more effectively than traditional methods, allowing cancer drugs better access to the brain.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 20, 2024·4 min read

Glioblastoma Drug Resistance Pathway Identified

Researchers identified a key signaling pathway, PI3K-beta, responsible for chemotherapy resistance in glioblastoma. Blocking this pathway makes tumor cells more sensitive to temozolomide, a standard chemotherapy drug. This discovery offers a potential new approach to treating glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer, by overcoming drug resistance and improving patient outcomes.

This shows a woman surrounded by neurons.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Psychology

·February 26, 2024·8 min read

Serotonin and Dopamine Play Key Role in Social Decisions

A new study unveiled the intricate role of dopamine and serotonin in social decision-making, using Parkinson's disease patients as subjects. Through the "ultimatum game," the team discovered that people's choices vary significantly when interacting with humans versus computers, influenced by the dynamic interplay between these neuromodulators.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 25, 2024·5 min read

Protein Discovery New Key to Memory Formation

Researchers discovered a surprising new function of the protein RPT6 in the brain, which could revolutionize the understanding and treatment of memory disorders. Previously known for its role in the proteasome complex in the hippocampus, RPT6 has now been found to bind to DNA and regulate gene expression during memory formation.

This is an AI representation of a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·November 29, 2023·5 min read

Innovative Fiber to Tackle Alzheimer’s Developed

A collaborative team is developing a neural fiber to combat Alzheimer’s disease. This high-priority NIH-funded project aims to create a minimally invasive fiber, capable of electrical stimulation and drug delivery, to study and potentially reverse memory loss.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 28, 2023·4 min read

Linking Stress to Comfort Food Cravings: A Brain Chemical’s Role

Researchers uncovered a brain molecule's role in triggering comfort food cravings after experiencing stress. Their research reveals that the molecule Proenkephalin, located in the hypothalamus, is crucial in inducing overeating following a stressful event.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 22, 2023·5 min read

Partisan Media Bias Shapes AI Sentiment

Researchers uncovered how partisan media sentiment influences public perception of artificial intelligence (AI). They analyzed over 7,500 articles from both liberal and conservative media, finding that liberal-leaning media exhibit more negative sentiment towards AI than conservative media.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 23, 2023·6 min read

A Revolutionary Peek at the Noradrenaline System

Researchers have delved deeper into the brain's noradrenaline system, revealing insights that can aid in understanding disorders like ADHD, anxiety, and depression. The study is notable for its innovative methodology: recording real-time chemical activity using routine clinical electrodes for epilepsy.