Summary: A new study has identified a specific brain circuit that can push behavior into a compulsive “repeat mode,” forcing mice to continue digging and sniffing even when rewards are…
Category: brain research
Thrill Fatigue: How Dopamine Devalues Repeated Rewards
Summary: New research shows that the same dopamine receptor mechanism responsible for drug addiction also governs the natural decline in motivation when we repeat rewarding behaviors. By studying male fruit…
Shocking Disparities: Women Face Higher Risk of ECT
Summary: A large international survey of 858 electroconvulsive therapy recipients found that women are twice as likely as men to receive ECT and experience more adverse effects. Women reported higher…
Maternal Stress Speeds Up Baby Teething
Summary: New research shows that infants whose mothers had higher cortisol levels during late pregnancy experience significantly earlier eruption of primary teeth. Babies of mothers with the highest cortisol levels…
Genetic Roots of Depression Reveal Strong Suicide Risk Signals
Summary: New research shows that depression beginning before age 25 has a much stronger hereditary component than depression that emerges later in life. By analyzing genetic data from over 150,000…
No Evidence the Gut Microbiome Causes Autism
Summary: Experts reviewing decades of research conclude there is no scientific evidence that the gut microbiome causes autism. They highlight major flaws in observational studies, mouse experiments, and clinical trials,…
The Hidden Risks You Make Every Day
Summary: Researchers surveyed more than 4,300 people to create the first large-scale inventory of modern real-life risky choices, revealing which decisions people actually struggle with in daily life. The most…
Rivalry Rewires the Brain: Why Fans Lose Control in an Instant
Summary: New brain-imaging research shows that soccer fans experience rapid shifts in reward and self-control circuits when their team wins or loses against a rival. Victories trigger heightened reward responses,…
