Researchers discovered that the cerebellum is essential for learning new tasks through rewards. When a specific area of the cerebellum was deactivated in monkeys, their ability to learn new visual and motor associations was significantly impaired.
Individuals with severe depressive symptoms and those experiencing stressful life events show significant alterations in the nucleus accumbens volume and other brain regions, highlighting a bidirectional relationship.
A recent study reveals how drugs like cocaine and morphine hijack brain pathways, disrupting natural reward processing and potentially offering new targets for addiction treatments.
A new study highlights that adolescent exposure to Xanax may lead to enhanced sensitivity to opiates like morphine in adulthood, suggesting long-term neurobiological changes from early drug use. This raises concerns about prescribing such medications during critical developmental stages.
A recent study revealed that drugs blocking opioid and dopamine receptors diminished brain activity related to rewards in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and other areas. However, these changes did not translate into any observable behavioral differences among participants.
A study found that children show greater brain activity linked to focused attention when reading from paper compared to screens, suggesting that traditional reading may enhance comprehension and cognitive engagement more effectively than digital formats.
Infants whose mothers display higher sensitivity during interactions show enhanced brain activity in response to happy faces, highlighting the importance of nurturing caregiving in the early development of emotional and social competencies.
Individuals with borderline personality disorder show no differences in brain activity when processing facial expressions compared to healthy controls, though they do exhibit lower heart rate variability.
A recent study identified altered brain pH and lactate levels as common metabolic dysfunctions across various neuropsychiatric disorders, linking these changes to cognitive impairment and suggesting a unified pathway in the pathophysiology of these conditions.
Researchers found that brains have grown larger over recent decades, with those born in the 1970s having significantly bigger brain volumes and surface areas compared to those born in the 1930s.
Neuroimaging research has found individuals with social anxiety disorder have increased cortical thickness in specific brain regions, indicating altered brain structures linked to attention and socio-emotional processing, compared to healthy individuals.
Toddlers who experienced severe abuse had reduced brain volumes, which was associated with lower cognitive abilities, according to research published in Neurobiology of Stress.
New research has found that retired professional fighters with better win-loss ratios exhibit greater impulsiveness, slower cognitive speeds, and reduced brain volumes in several areas, suggesting even successful fighters face adverse effects on brain health.
Brain stimulation was found to enhance inhibitory control in healthy adults but failed to improve inhibitory control in those with alcohol use disorder, suggesting chronic alcohol use alters the brain's responsiveness to neuromodulation.
Researchers discovered that rhythms of moderate complexity most effectively ignite our desire to dance. This groove sensation is mirrored in the brain's activity, especially within the left sensorimotor cortex, showcasing a deep link between our sensory experiences of music and...