Summary: Researchers have shown that astrocytes in the lateral hypothalamus play a pivotal role in how stress shapes behavior, particularly after early-life adversity. In mice, stress led to smaller, less…
Category: Neuroscience
AI Robots Learn Touch and Vision to Handle Objects Like Humans
Summary: A new breakthrough shows how robots can now integrate both sight and touch to handle objects with greater accuracy, similar to humans. Researchers developed TactileAloha, a system that combines…
Sex Shapes the Course of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia
Summary: A large multicenter study has revealed that sex influences the course and characteristics of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Women with schizophrenia tended to begin treatment later, while men with…
Chronic Stress Sends Immune Cells to Brain, Driving Depression
Summary: A new study shows that chronic stress causes immune cells called neutrophils to leave bone marrow in the skull and collect in the brain’s protective membranes, where they contribute…
Shrews Shrink and Regrow Brains, Offering Clues for Human Diseases
Summary: Scientists used non-invasive MRI to study shrews that seasonally shrink and regrow their brains, uncovering water loss as the key driver of this rare phenomenon. Despite losing about nine…
Depression Disrupts Learning to Avoid Unpleasant Events
Summary: Depression specifically impairs the ability to learn how to actively avoid unpleasant events, though it does not affect avoidance behavior once learned. Researchers tested 465 participants across a range…
Extreme Heat Makes People More Negative
Summary: A large-scale global study shows that extreme heat affects not just our bodies, but also our emotions. Researchers analyzed over a billion social media posts and found that when…
AI Tool Flags Predatory Journals, Building a Firewall for Science
Summary: A new AI system developed by computer scientists automatically screens open-access journals to identify potentially predatory publications. These journals often charge high fees to publish without proper peer review,…
Hormonal Contraceptives Influence Memory of Emotional Events
Summary: A new study reveals that hormonal contraceptives may shape both emotional responses and memory processing in women. Compared with naturally cycling women, users of hormonal birth control had stronger…
