FeaturedNeuroscience·January 23, 2023·8 min readOrigins of Pleasurable Touch Traced From Skin to BrainStudy 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
FeaturedNeuroscience·December 2, 2022·5 min readKey Brain Cells in Mice Underlying Stress-Related Behaviors IdentifiedGlutamate 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
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·November 15, 2022·3 min readHow the Nucleus Accumbens Mediates Positive and Negative Motivational ValenceStudy reveals the mechanism of the nucleus accumbens for mediating reward and aversion.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 8, 2022·4 min readHuman Cocaine and Heroin Addiction Is Found Tied to Impairments in Specific Brain Circuit Initially Implicated in AnimalsGreater impairment of the prefrontal cortex-habenula pathway was correlated with earlier age of first drug use.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·July 22, 2022·3 min readMaking Sense of Socially Enhanced Aggression in the BrainStudy reveals the lateral habenula plays a critical role in the priming of aggression in male mice.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·April 16, 2022·5 min readA Key Brain Region for Substance Use Disorders Now Has a Searchable Atlas of Distinct Cell PopulationsResearchers identified 16 distinct cell populations in the ventral tegmental area, a brain area involved in dopamine neurotransmission involved in reward-directed behaviors.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·April 3, 2022·4 min readMidbrain Projection to the Basolateral Amygdala Encodes Anxiety-Like BehaviorsA ventral tegmental area dopamine neuron circuit that projects to the basolateral amygdala selectively controls anxiety-like behaviors, but not depression-like behaviors.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·March 23, 2022·5 min readMotivation to Achieve Goals May Depend on Anxiety LevelThe 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
FeaturedNeuroscience·December 2, 2021·4 min readTracking the Neurons That Make Us SocialThe motivation to invest in social interactions is closely linked to the reward system via the activation of dopaminergic neurons.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·September 2, 2021·4 min readBeyond Dopamine: New Reward Circuitry DiscoveredResearchers have identified a new reward system in the brain. The study found long-range GABA neurons from the ventral tegmental area to the ventral nucleus accumbens shell are engaged in reward and reinforcement behaviors. This GABAergic projection inhibits cholinergic interneurons.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·August 8, 2021·4 min readHow Dopamine Plays a Key Role in ConsciousnessStudy reveals how dopamine may have a central role in maintaining our consciousness.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 10, 2021·4 min readBrainfood: Researchers Find Brain Area Associated with Craving ProteinStudy reveals the role the ventral tegmental area of the brain plays in craving protein-rich foods.Read More