Summary: New UC Berkeley research reveals how the brain replays and organizes memories, compressing long experiences into short, fixed-length neural sequences. By recording hundreds of hippocampal neurons in freely flying bats, scientists observed neural replay and theta-like sequences outside the rodent model, offering fresh insights into memory formation, navigation, and planning. The team found that … Read more
Summary: For years, researchers have concentrated on how psychedelics change neuronal connections. A new study identifies a critical missing piece in long-term recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): myelin remodeling. The researchers report that psilocybin and MDMA do more than shift brain activity temporarily—they promote physical repair of myelin, the insulating sheath surrounding nerve fibers … Read more
Summary: A large behavioral and EEG study reports that men who score high on social dominance make faster decisions across a range of tasks, and this promptness is linked to a distinct brain signal. Source: EPFL. Study Overview Social hierarchies are a common feature of human and animal groups, and dominance helps determine priority access … Read more
Summary: Men diagnosed with hypersexual disorder (also referred to as compulsive sexual behavior disorder or sex addiction) show higher circulating oxytocin levels compared with men without the condition. Source: The Endocrine Society New research indicates that men with hypersexual disorder have elevated blood oxytocin compared with healthy men, and that successful psychological treatment is associated … Read more
Summary: The protein CaMKII, central to brain and heart function, can be modulated by three distinct classes of inhibitors. These pharmacological tools allow researchers to probe CaMKII’s roles with greater precision and may help reduce some harmful effects linked to Alzheimer’s disease and heart dysfunction. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reviewed … Read more
Summary: Researchers have mapped specific brain network connections linked to anosognosia — the condition in which individuals are unaware of their own neurological or psychiatric impairments. Using lesion network mapping, the team distinguished separate networks connected to visual and motor forms of anosognosia and identified a shared memory-related network that appears central to awareness of … Read more
Summary: Researchers describe the brain mechanisms that explain why some people do not find music pleasurable. Source: IDIBELL-UB. New research reveals brain mechanisms linked to a reduced sensitivity to music Researchers from the Cognition and Cerebral Plasticity group at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Barcelona (IDIBELL-UB), together with collaborators from McGill … Read more
Summary: Researchers report that neuregulin 3, a protein found at elevated levels in people with schizophrenia, suppresses the assembly of a protein complex essential for efficient neural communication, impairing glutamate release. Source: Case Western Reserve. An international team identifies how neuregulin 3 disrupts glutamate signaling in schizophrenia Researchers led by scientists at Case Western Reserve … Read more
Summary: Thirty years ago, Robin Dunbar proposed that humans naturally maintain a core social group of about 150 people, including roughly five very close friendships. Despite repeated challenges, Dunbar’s Number remains supported by a growing body of evidence from anthropology, social data and neuroscience. Robin Dunbar explains why this pattern persists and how misunderstandings about … Read more
Summary: A new study finds that specific microRNAs in the blood change after prolonged sleep loss and psychological stress. These microRNA alterations can serve as biomarkers to predict individual cognitive performance following sleep deprivation. Source: University of Pennsylvania Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report that microRNAs (miRNAs) circulating … Read more