Why Some Individuals Adapt to Fear Faster Than Others

Summary: A new study has uncovered the brain circuits responsible for individual differences in how animals adapt to repeated visual threats. Using advanced neural recording and manipulation tools, researchers identified…

Color Knowledge Tied to Language-Visual Brain Circuitry

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.…

Psychedelics Linked to Visual Echoes

Summary: As psychedelics gain traction in mental health treatment, questions remain about their long-term effects. A new study followed individuals self-administering psychedelics and found that while some experienced lingering visual…

Study Links Schizophrenia to Visual Contrast Sensitivity Deficits

Summary: People with schizophrenia experience impaired contrast perception, affecting their ability to differentiate light intensity and recognize shapes and textures. This deficit may stem from disruptions in glutamate neurotransmission, a…

Study Ties Visual Errors to Paranoid Beliefs

Summary: A new study suggests complex beliefs like paranoia may have roots in visual misperception. Participants prone to paranoia or teleological thinking were more likely to wrongly identify one moving…

Targeted or Broadcast? How the Brain Processes Visual Information

Summary: Researchers have uncovered how visual information is processed across the brain’s complex and flexible networks. One study showed visual signals are selectively targeted or broadly broadcast, challenging the idea…

Being Watched Changes How Your Brain Processes Faces

Summary: A new study shows that knowing you’re under surveillance triggers a faster, automatic brain response to detect faces and gaze direction. Researchers found that participants monitored via CCTV became…

Visual Silence: Exploring Aphantasia – Neuroscience News

Summary: A new study reveals that aphantasics, people unable to visualize, are more resistant to involuntary visual thoughts, such as imagining a pink elephant. While vivid visual imaginations often lead…

Reduced Brain Response to Visual Cues Linked to Psychosis in Parkinson’s

Summary: People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who experience visual hallucinations have reduced brain responses to unexpected visual changes, a marker known as visual mismatch negativity (vMMN). Using EEG, researchers compared…

Serotonin Receptor Dampens Visual Input to Enhance Internal Processes

Summary: The 5-HT2A receptor in the brain reduces incoming visual information, allowing more space for internal thought processes. Researchers found that this receptor, when overactivated, suppresses sensory input, potentially explaining…