Summary: A new study identifies two distinct neural circuits that govern whether an animal approaches or avoids social interaction. Reduced activity in the infralimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala (IL→BLA) pathway disrupts normal social approach, while increased activity in the prelimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala (PL→BLA) pathway produces a similar social avoidance effect. Source: Scripps Research … Read more

Summary: Researchers explain how the language we speak and our cultural experiences can shape the way we perceive color. Source: The Conversation. The human eye can physically perceive millions of colours, but we do not all recognise them the same way The human retina contains photoreceptor cells called cones that allow us to detect a … Read more

Summary: People who are more accurate at reading another person’s emotions also tend to be better at interpreting the emotions musicians communicate in their compositions. Likewise, individuals with stronger affect sharing report feeling the emotions conveyed by music more intensely. These findings point to a link between social empathy and musical emotion perception. Source: Southern … Read more

Summary: Researchers have mapped how specific brain circuits process empathy, demonstrating that observing another’s pain engages many of the same neural pathways as experiencing pain yourself. Using advanced imaging in mice, the team identified neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that respond both to personal pain and to observed pain, and they traced a … Read more

Summary: The MeCP2 gene regulates key molecular and synaptic mechanisms that shape ketamine’s long-term antidepressant effects, enhancing synaptic strength and plasticity and contributing to cumulative behavioral benefits over time. Source: Vanderbilt University New research from Professor Lisa Monteggia and colleagues builds on recent findings about ketamine’s rapid antidepressant action to demonstrate how the MeCP2 gene … Read more

Summary: Trained musicians demonstrated stronger ability to predict rhythmic patterns than non-musicians. Differences between musicians trained in Japanese classical music and those trained in Western classical music were present but more subtle. Source: University of Tokyo Researchers at the University of Tokyo compared brain responses in Japanese classical musicians, Western classical musicians, and nonmusicians to … Read more

The brain is astonishingly complex, containing roughly 86 billion nerve cells. Reproducing lab-grown brain tissue that faithfully reflects this complexity remains a major scientific challenge. Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) have moved closer to that goal by creating a 3D-printed, layered structure that integrates neural cells and replicates key … Read more

Summary: A new computational model helps clinicians and caregivers understand how abusive head trauma (AHT) — including shaken baby syndrome — affects an infant’s brain and why repeated shaking can quickly overwhelm the brain’s natural protections. Source: New York Institute of Technology Abusive head trauma (AHT) — commonly associated with shaken baby syndrome — is … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that the sequence in which visual and olfactory cues reach the senses affects how much people enjoy and consume food and drink. Source: USF New research from the University of South Florida (USF) finds that the order in which you encounter sensory cues—specifically sight and smell—can meaningfully change how a food or … Read more

Summary: A new clinical trial finds that one-on-one musical activities such as singing and instrument play can significantly improve social communication skills and family quality of life for school-age children with autism, and are associated with altered brain connectivity in networks involved in auditory and motor processing. Source: University of Montreal One-on-one musical activities—singing, rhythmic … Read more