Summary: Changes in the electrical rhythm of the stomach can prompt people to avert their gaze from images they find disgusting. Source: University of Cambridge Do wriggling maggots in spoiled food make you look away? Researchers at the University of Cambridge report that shifts in stomach rhythm help drive that instinctive response. The familiar expression … Read more

Summary: A collaborative neuroimaging study shows that the length of a depressive episode fundamentally changes how major functional brain networks communicate. Researchers analyzed MRI scans from unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder to isolate the direct structural and functional signatures of the illness. The findings indicate that short-term depressive episodes reduce the coupling between the … Read more

Summary: A new study finds that people with specific musical anhedonia—those who do not derive pleasure from music—show reduced connectivity between auditory cortical areas and subcortical reward regions of the brain. Source: McGill University. Have you ever known someone who simply isn’t moved by music? That experience can reflect a condition called specific musical anhedonia, … Read more

Summary: New research shows that maternal microbes are a key factor in early brain development. Using a mouse model, scientists found that offspring gestated by mothers without microbes had fewer neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus—a brain region that governs stress responses, social behavior, blood pressure, and fluid balance. This reduction occurred … Read more

Summary: Lisdexamfetamine, a stimulant medication that increases brain activity, was associated with significant reductions in symptoms of sluggish cognitive tempo in adults diagnosed with ADHD. Source: NYU Langone Clinical testing of the stimulant lisdexamfetamine has shown promising results in easing symptoms of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) in adults living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). … Read more

Summary: Living within roughly 50 meters of a major road or within 150 meters of a highway is associated with higher risks of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, likely driven by increased exposure to traffic-related air pollution. By contrast, proximity to green space appears to offer a protective effect against some of … Read more

Summary: Researchers have revealed how the thalamus, specifically the paraventricular nucleus (PVT), translates hunger into motivated behavior. Using innovative experiments in mice, the team identified two distinct PVT neuronal populations that exert opposite influences on goal-directed actions such as foraging. These findings clarify how internal states like hunger shape pursuit and termination of actions and … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a lightweight, wearable microscope that captures high-resolution, real-time images of neuronal and glial activity in previously inaccessible regions of the mouse spinal cord. Source: Salk Institute The spinal cord is the main conduit for signals between the brain and the rest of the body, controlling breathing, movement, and the relay of … Read more

Summary: Researchers used MRI scans together with cheek temperature measurements to probe the neural basis of blushing, revealing brain activity linked to arousal and sensory processing rather than higher-order social cognition. Blushing—marked by facial reddening and a warm sensation—often accompanies emotions like embarrassment, shyness, shame, or pride. While famously described by Charles Darwin as “the … Read more

Summary: Researchers clarify changes in cortical neural circuits that may underlie disrupted neurodevelopment and cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. Source: Elsevier New insights into GABAergic microcircuit alterations in schizophrenia Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh report detailed postmortem findings that refine our understanding of how cortical GABAergic microcircuits are altered in schizophrenia. Published in Biological Psychiatry, … Read more