Neuroimaging

A small study in mice reveals that administering a psychedelic compound before an immune challenge can prevent severe brain inflammation. The findings suggest these drugs might prime the nervous system to resist biological stress and disease.

Why can some people easily ignore distractions while others struggle to stay on task? New research shows that the ability to maintain focus is a stable trait reflected in the rhythmic synchronization of large-scale brain networks.

A new study reveals that while zero-calorie sweeteners generally affect the body like water, they trigger distinct activity in the brain’s reward centers compared to real sugar. Interestingly, some even delay stomach emptying without spiking blood sugar.

Fathers who experience severe trauma before conception can pass biological and behavioral changes to their offspring. A new animal study reveals that combat-like stress in males alters the pain perception, social behavior, and brain chemistry of their descendants.

Today's cognitive neuroscientists are integrating decades of behavioral research to show that our conscious minds are heavily directed by underlying, unconscious neural activity designed to predict and navigate the world.

A recent PNAS study highlights a massive math problem in neuroscience: most studies claiming to find differences between male and female responses fail to use the correct statistical tests to actually compare the sexes.

Recent research in Mindfulness suggests that when mothers mindfully observe their distressed infants without getting overwhelmed, they engage brain regions tied to emotional regulation. This "decentering" alters their neural responses and is linked to lower parenting stress.

A familiar smell can instantly transport you back to childhood. Neuroscientists have now mapped how this happens, discovering that early scent memories physically relocate from the brain’s olfactory center to deeper emotional networks as we grow older.

A recent study found that a mitochondrial protein in the brain regulates how mice consume dietary fat. Lacking this protein in appetite-controlling neurons led to overeating and severe obesity, with the effects being particularly pronounced in females.

A recent brain imaging study found that people with even slightly different political views process information using different neural patterns. Listening to political statements about immigration prompted synchronized brain activity among individuals who shared similar attitudes.

Teens with depression show unique brain patterns when facing social rejection. A recent brain imaging study reveals that their amygdala fails to adapt to repeated social threats, keeping them on high alert during difficult peer interactions.

A recent study indicates how early-life trauma leaves a lasting mark on the brain. By altering how DNA is packaged in dopamine neurons, early adversity primes the brain for future anxiety. Blocking this process in mice prevented stress hypersensitivity.

A recent brain imaging study reveals that people who rapidly remove the reward chemical dopamine after a sugar spike may have a harder time controlling their cravings for sweet foods.

A recent study suggests that collective emotional stress during the COVID-19 lockdown was associated with changes in the brain. Researchers found that negative public mood on social media correlated with reduced metabolism in emotional regulation centers.

Using data from a massive long-term study, researchers found that 9-year-olds with ADHD have altered white matter microarchitecture. These early differences in nerve organization and cellular density offer new clues into the neurodevelopmental roots of the disorder.