Summary: Scientists have identified the neural circuitry responsible for assigning emotional value, positive or negative, to social encounters. Two key neuromodulators, serotonin and neurotensin, were found to control opposing emotional responses…
Tag: neurobiology
Girls With ADHD Face Higher Risk of Anxiety
Summary: A new study reveals that in girls, symptoms of inattentive-type ADHD significantly increase the likelihood of developing anxiety during adolescence. Inattention and anxiety appear to reinforce each other in…
Negative Expectations Worsen Pain More Than Positive Ones Ease It
Summary: New research shows that negative expectations, known as nocebo effects, exert a stronger and longer-lasting impact on pain perception than positive expectations, or placebo effects. In a two-session study,…
Dopamine Signals Teach the Brain to Unlearn Fear
Summary: A new study reveals that dopamine release along a specific brain circuit helps extinguish fear by activating reward-related neurons in the amygdala. Researchers showed that dopamine from the ventral…
