Neuroscientists Uncover Why the Brain Enjoys Music
Interaction between auditory and reward brain circuits underpins musical pleasure. Communication between the brain’s auditory and reward circuits is the reason why humans find music…
Society for Neuroscience
Neuroscientists Track How Bad Moods Develop and Persist in the Brain
Similar brain activity patterns to negative and subsequent neutral stimuli connected to increase in negative mood. How the amygdala responds to viewing negative and subsequent…
Fingerprints Enhance Our Sense of Touch – Neurons Sensitive to Scale of a Single Fingerprint Ridge
Sensory neurons in the finger can detect touch on the scale of a single fingerprint ridge. Fingerprints may be more useful to us than helping…
Activity in Brain’s Risk Circuits Can Forecast Changes in Stock Prices
Forecasting changes in stock prices may be possible with the help of brain activity in regions associated with how people feel before making investment choices….
Lower Testosterone During Puberty Increases the Brain’s Sensitivity to the Sex Hormone in Adulthood
For men with lower levels during puberty, higher testosterone increases brain response to faces. Young men with lower testosterone levels throughout puberty become more sensitive…
Musicians Have Brains With Stronger Connections Than Non-musicians
The brains of musicians have stronger structural and functional connections compared to those of non-musicians, regardless of innate pitch ability, according to new research from JNeurosci….
Imaging the Twilight Zone: The Brain Network Driving Changes in Consciousness
Activity of brain network linked to changes in connectedness for both sleep and anesthesia. The loss and return of consciousness is linked to the same…
Managing Your Emotions: Targeted Brain Stimulation Dulls Social Pain
The treatment may improve emotional regulation for people with psychiatric disorders. Pairing brain stimulation with an emotion management technique blunts negative emotions, according to research…
Infant Brain Circuitry Shaped by Language Exposure
Taking turns in “conversation” with caregivers relates to synchronized activation in language areas. The type and quantity of an infant’s language exposure relates to their…
Too-Little Sleep Can Increase the Rewarding Properties of Cocaine, Paving Way to Addiction
Sleep deprivation increases rewarding properties of cocaine through motivation peptide. Sleep deprivation may pave the way to cocaine addiction. Too-little sleep can increase the rewarding…
“Area 32” – How the Brain Balances Emotion and Reason
“Area 32” balances activity from cognitive and emotional brain areas in primates. Navigating through life requires balancing emotion and reason, a feat accomplished by the…
Contradicting Previous Theories, Neuroscientists Find Overlap Between Fear and Anxiety Brain Circuits
Contrary to previous theories, fear and anxiety reflect shared neural building blocks. Fear and anxiety reflect overlapping brain circuits, according to research published today (September…
Why Time Sometimes Flies or Drags: How the Brain Creates the Experience of Time
Time-sensitive neurons fatigue and skew our perception of time. On some days, time flies by, while on others it seems to drag on. A new…
Deep Inside the Brain: Neuroscientists Discover the Missing Piece of the Brain’s Multitasking Network
Deep inside the brain the putamen, not just the cortex, contributes to multitasking ability. Multitasking performance stems from the speed of information exchange between inner…
Prenatal Depression Weakens Child’s Brain Connectivity – Associated With Increased Aggression and Hyperactivity
Weakened brain connections may mediate prenatal depression’s influence on child behavior. Altered brain connectivity may be one way prenatal depression influences child behavior, according to…
Scientists Uncover Brain Mechanism That May Explain Why Sleep Helps You Learn
Changes in Brain Cartilage May Explain Why Sleep Helps You Learn Scientists uncover a potential mechanism behind sleep-induced memory changes. The morphing structure of the…
Motherhood Overrides the Brain’s Decision-Making – Prioritizes Offspring Over Cocaine
Infralimbic cortex prioritizes offspring over drugs, promotes maternal behavior in rats. Motherhood takes over the brain’s decision-making regions to prioritize caring for offspring, according to…
The First Few Weeks of Weightlifting Strengthens the Nervous System, Not Muscles
Lifting Weights Makes Your Nervous System Stronger, Too The first few weeks of weightlifting strengthen the reticulospinal tract, not muscles. Gym-goers may get frustrated when…