Reward Neurotransmitter Dopamine Involved in Recognizing Emotions
The reward neurotransmitter also contributes to social cognition. The neurotransmitter dopamine, famous for its role in reward, is also involved in recognizing emotions, according to…
Society for Neuroscience News
The Brain’s Alarm System To Suppress Intrusive Thoughts and Inhibit Unwanted Memories
A brain region can proactively and reactively detect the need to inhibit unwanted memories. Forget what you saw: a brain region detects when you are…
Nostalgia Can Relieve Pain: Viewing Images From Childhood Reduces Pain Perception
Reflecting on fond memories goes a step beyond making you feel warm and fuzzy: nostalgia can reduce pain perception. Nostalgia decreases activity in pain-related brain…
Treatment in Early Life Prevents Autism Symptoms From Developing in Mice
Identifying the window of development could reveal ideal time to intervene in autism. Timing is key when treating developmental disorders. Blocking an overactive signaling pathway…
Loneliness and Social Anxiety Are Driven by Different Brain States
Behavioral interventions targeting social anxiety must be adapted to treat loneliness. Despite similar symptoms, loneliness and social anxiety are driven by different brain states, according…
Your Brain Pays Attention to Unfamiliar Voices During Sleep
The ability allows the brain to balance sleep with responding to environmental cues. A good night’s sleep is not as simple as it appears. While…
Cognitive Decline Is Not Always a Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease
Some cognitively frail adults have impaired cognition but intact brain structure and function. At the first sign of cognitive trouble, people often worry Alzheimer’s disease…
How the Female Brain Responds to Genital Touch – And How It Varies Among Women
The thickness of the cortical region varies among women, associated with its use. The exact location of the brain area representing genital touch varies among…
COVID-19 Can Infect Nerve Cells and Cause a Range of Neurological and Psychiatric Symptoms
The cluster of neurological symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19, suggests the virus can enter the brain and affect neural function….
Physical Activity May Improve Alzheimer’s Disease by Lowering Brain Inflammation
Physical activity has greatest benefits for people with worse disease pathology. No one will disagree that an active lifestyle is good for you, but it…
Practice Makes Perfect, but Sleep Helps, Too: Reactivating Memories During Sleep Improves Motor Skills
Extra brain processing during sleep enhances learning of new motor skills. Practice makes perfect, but sleep helps, too. Learning and executing a new motor skill…
Drug (Cocaine, Methamphetamine, or Nicotine) Withdrawal Morphs Brain Communication Networks in Mice
Withdrawal from three different drugs shuffles brain networks in similar fashion. Zeroing in on specific brain regions when studying drug and alcohol abuse simplifies research…
Contrary to Theory, Binge-Eating Is Not Caused by Stress-Induced Impulsivity
Stress alters brain activity in inhibition network but doesn’t prompt binge-eating, contrary to theory. Stress alters brain activity in self-inhibition areas yet doesn’t trigger binge-eating,…
A Mathematical Equation Can Uncover Your Preferences via Brain Activity and Mood
A mathematical equation can assess how you feel about experiences using your mood and brain activity. People can struggle to accurately assess how they feel…
To Cheat or Not To Cheat? Cognitive Control Can Drive Cheaters To Be Honest and Honest People To Cheat
The ability of cognitive control allows humans to override the brain’s impulses, like focusing on one person in the crowd and ignoring distractions. It also…
How (and Where) the Brain Analyzes Math and Language When Spoken
Math and language processed by separate networks even if heard together. Separate math and language networks segregate naturally when listeners pay attention to one type…
Our Brains Encode Musical Predictions Even When Music Doesn’t Play
Imagined Music and Silence Trigger Similar Brain Activity Imagining a song triggers similar brain activity as moments of silence in music, according to a pair of studies recently…
White Matter Reorganization: How Learning Braille Changes Brain Structure Over Time
White matter reorganizes at specific time points to meet the needs of the brain. Learning changes the brain, but when learning Braille different brain regions…