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

Summary: A medical wristband and a machine learning model detected disrupted sleep patterns roughly 24 hours before participants began shedding the influenza virus. Although the original study focused on influenza, the researchers suggest the same approach could help flag the onset of other infections, potentially including COVID-19. This wristband-based monitoring is not a diagnostic tool, … Read more

Summary: Researchers found that modern high-potency cannabis products do not appear to impair decision-making in experienced users but do produce specific memory effects, including reduced free recall, impaired source memory, and increased false memories. Source: Washington State University Researchers at Washington State University used videoconferencing to study the real-world effects of high-potency cannabis products—specifically the … Read more

Summary: By inducing hot-flash–like responses in both male and female mice, researchers found that activation of Kiss1 neurons triggers a rapid rise in skin temperature followed by a decline in core body temperature, suggesting a neural mechanism linking sex-hormone changes to hot flashes. Source: Cell Press. Activation of Kiss1 Neurons Produces Hot-Flash–Like Responses in Mice … Read more