Summary: Applying transcranial magnetic stimulation to brain networks responsible for memory improved recall of complex, realistic events. Source: Northwestern University You may remember eating cereal this morning but forget the color of the bowl. Or you might recall watching someone put milk away but not remember which shelf they used. A new study from Northwestern … Read more

Summary: Women with postpartum depression show normal basic smell detection but altered perception of scent intensity and pleasantness, while people with a genetic predisposition to major depressive disorder often show reduced olfactory sensitivity. Source: University of Otago New research from the University of Otago indicates that women experiencing postpartum depression perceive smells differently from healthy … Read more

Time-Dependent Brain Reorganization Supports Motor Recovery After Focal Brain Injury Researchers from RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies and the AIST Human Technology Research Institute in Japan report a time-dependent interaction between distant and local brain regions that supports motor recovery after focal brain damage, such as stroke. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, their … Read more

Summary: A new study shows that older adults can generate as many new hippocampal neurons from progenitor cells as younger people, providing strong evidence that hippocampal neurogenesis continues into older age. Source: Cell Press. Researchers have debated whether adult humans produce new neurons, and some earlier work suggested the adult brain was largely fixed and … Read more

Summary: A recent study challenges prevailing views about dopamine’s immediate influence on striatal neural activity. Using a novel optical neural chip that records electrical and chemical signals simultaneously, researchers found that dopamine fluctuations within normal physiological ranges produce little effect on rapid, subsecond neural processing in the striatum. Only when dopamine was driven to abnormally … Read more

Summary: Women who pursued higher education reported better overall psychological well-being, greater positive affect, and lower psychological distress. Source: PLOS Higher levels of education are associated with better mental well-being among Australian women, according to a study published March 24, 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Dai Binh Tran and colleagues at Vietnamese-German … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that spending time in nature supports mental and emotional wellbeing across cultures, with benefits observed regardless of country. Source: University of Connecticut Having trouble coping with COVID? Try stepping outside. Time in nature—whether a walk through a neighborhood park, a hike in the woods, or simply sitting near trees—appears to help people … Read more

Summary: Limerence is an overwhelming, involuntary preoccupation with another person, characterized by intrusive thoughts, intense emotional dependence, and a constant focus on perceived signs of interest or rejection. First named by psychologist Dorothy Tennov in 1979, limerence is distinct from mutual, stable love because it is often compulsive, obsessive, and one-sided. Although limerence is not … Read more

In the first study to compare all available IVF treatments and the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, researchers found that certain IVF procedures used for severe male infertility are associated with a higher risk of intellectual disability and autism in offspring. Autism and intellectual disability after IVF remain rare outcomes. Although part of the … Read more

Summary: Using mouse models, researchers induced alpha-synuclein aggregates in gut neurons and found these clumps can travel to brain neurons, with spread and symptoms strongly influenced by age. Source: CalTech Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impairs motor control in millions of people worldwide. Non-motor symptoms—including chronic constipation and other gastrointestinal disturbances—often … Read more