Summary: A new study shows that our ability to recall details about familiar objects, like a banana’s typical color, depends on strong connections between visual and language-processing areas of the brain.…
Category: Neuroscience
Depression May Signal Chronic Pain Years Before It Starts
Summary: Middle-aged and older adults who experience chronic pain often show worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain begins. A large-scale study found that depressive symptoms…
Inflammation Triggers Repetitive Behaviors in ASD and OCD
Summary: New research reveals that chronic brain inflammation can directly lead to repetitive behaviors, often seen in conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In mice with…
Vitamin B1 Derivative Sparks Dopamine, Boosts Wakefulness
Summary: Thiamine derivatives, once developed to treat nutrient deficiencies, are now being explored for their potential effects on brain function and energy. A new study shows that TTFD, a thiamine…
How Music Can Emotionally Reshape Your Memories
Summary: A new neuroscience study reveals that music can alter the emotional content of our memories when played during recollection. Participants who listened to emotionally charged music while recalling neutral…
Inflammation Tied to Motivation Loss in Schizophrenia
Summary: A new study has uncovered a biological link between inflammation and motivational deficits in people with schizophrenia, identifying a promising treatment target for symptoms that current medications fail to…
Clues in Spinal Fluid Could Unlock Early FTD Diagnosis
Summary: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a common form of early-onset dementia, is often misdiagnosed due to its overlapping symptoms with psychiatric and neurological disorders. In a new NIH-funded study, researchers identified…
Psychedelics May Shift Brain Power to the Right Hemisphere
Summary: A new theory suggests that psychedelics promote empathy, insight, and psychological flexibility by making the brain’s right hemisphere temporarily dominant over the left. Known as HEALS—Hemispheric Annealing and Lateralization…
Early Bonding Buffers Kids from Lasting Effects of Maternal Depression
Summary: A new study highlights the lasting impact of postpartum maternal depression and mother-to-infant bonding on children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes. Researchers found that early bonding can partially offset the…
Tiny Gene Fragment Key to Memory Revealed
Summary: Researchers have discovered that a nine–amino acid microexon spliced into the DAAM1 gene is critical for memory formation, functioning exclusively in neurons. Deleting this microexon in mice resulted in…
