How dopamine governs ongoing decisions
From the Salk Institute media release: Say you’re reaching for the fruit cup at a buffet, but at the last second you switch gears and grab a cupcake instead. Emotionally, your decision is a complex…
Study suggests brain 10 times more active than previously measured
From the UCLA media release: A new UCLA study could change scientists’ understanding of how the brain works — and could lead to new approaches for treating neurological disorders and for developing computers that “think”…
Brain networks at rest are ready for action
From the Wayne State University press release: Just as a sprinter’s body and muscles are ready for action as they wait for the starting gun to fire, brain networks at rest appear to be waiting…
MRIs predict which high-risk babies will develop autism as toddlers
From the University of North Carolina Health Care media release: Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in infants with older siblings with autism, researchers from around the country were able to correctly predict 80 percent of those infants…
Benzodiazepines, related drugs increase stroke risk among persons with Alzheimer’s disease
From the University of Eastern Finland media release: The use of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like drugs was associated with a 20 per cent increased risk of stroke among persons with Alzheimer’s disease, shows a recent study from…
Talking therapy changes brain wiring, study reveals for first time
From the King’s College London media release: A new study from King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has shown for the first time that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) strengthens specific…
Macaques, like humans, know how well they can recall memories
From the American Association for the Advancement of Science media release: Researchers have pinpointed a brain region monkeys use to evaluate their ability to recall memories. To date, this metamemory process, which requires a higher level of…
Maternal depression across the first years of life impacts neural basis of empathy in children
From the Elsevier media release: Exposure to early and chronic maternal depression markedly increases a child’s susceptibility to psychopathology and social-emotional problems, including social withdrawal, poor emotion regulation, and reduced empathy to others. Since 15-18%…
Animal study shows harmful effects of secondhand smoke even before pregnancy
From the Duke University Medical Center media release: Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke — even before conception — appears to have a lingering impact that can later impair the brain development of a fetus, researchers…
Development of face recognition entails brain tissue growth
From the Stanford University media release: People are born with brains riddled with excess neural connections. Those are slowly pruned back until early childhood when, scientists thought, the brain’s structure becomes relatively stable. Now a pair…