Summary: A new study shows that people rate empathic responses as more supportive and emotionally satisfying when they believe they come from a human—even if the same response is AI-generated.…
Category: Neuroscience
Brain Criticality May Hold Key to Learning, Memory, and Alzheimer’s
Summary: New research proposes a unified theory of brain function based on criticality—a state where the brain teeters between order and chaos, allowing it to learn, adapt, and process information…
One Gene Rewires Fear Circuits and Fuels Anxiety
Summary: Researchers have uncovered how losing the autism-linked gene PTEN in a specific set of inhibitory neurons reshapes brain circuits tied to fear and anxiety. Using advanced circuit-mapping techniques, they…
Exercise Proven to Boost Kids’ Mental Health
Summary: A massive analysis of over 375 trials shows that structured exercise significantly reduces depression and anxiety in children and teens. Low-intensity resistance activities like light weights were most effective…
How the Brain Forms Indirect Associations to Guide Complex Decisions
Summary: A new study reveals how the brain can make decisions based not only on direct experiences, but also on indirect associations between seemingly unrelated stimuli. In experiments with mice,…
Death Isn’t the End: AI Brings Lost Voices Back to Life
Summary: A new paper explores how generative AI is transforming the way we interact with the dead, from virtual reality reunions to lifelike digital avatars. These “generative ghosts” can remember,…
Brain Injury Could Explain Sudden Criminal Behavior
Summary: A new study has found that damage to a specific white matter pathway in the brain—the right uncinate fasciculus—may increase the likelihood of criminal or violent behavior following brain…
How Brain Cells Coordinate to Make Complex Decisions
Summary: Every decision begins subtly, as the brain weighs options long before action. Researchers have now shown that, despite individual differences in neuron activity, a shared underlying structure guides the…
Grip Strength Reveals Brain Clues Behind Early Psychosis
Summary: Psychosis may start not with hallucinations, but with subtle motor changes like reduced grip strength. A new study reveals that lower grip strength in people with early psychosis is…
