Neuroscience News

Researchers Identify Brain Cells that Control Our Appetite

Tanycyte cells reacting to a puff of the amino acid lysine. Scale bar - 20 μm. Image credit: Nicholas Dale / Greta Lazutkaite.
Sep 29, 2017 by News Staff

Tanycytes — cells found in part of the brain that controls energy levels — detect two key amino acids in food and tell the brain directly that we feel full, according to new research from the University of Warwick. Tanycyte cells reacting to a puff of the amino acid lysine. Scale bar – 20 μm. Image credit: Nicholas Dale / Greta Lazutkaite. “Tanycytes in the brain respond to amino acids found in foods, via the same receptors that...

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Migraines take a toll on around 1 billion people. This work by Baksa et al. indicates that individuals with certain gene variants in the CLOCK gene, which is involved in circadian rhythms, are at a higher risk of migraines when they are exposed to financial hardship. Image credit: Sasha Wolff / CC BY 2.0.

Study: Circadian Rhythm Gene Variants Increase Risk of Migraines from Financial Hardship

Sep 5, 2017 by Zvi Cramer

Researchers have shown that financial stress may cause more migraines in individuals with variants in the circadian rhythm gene CLOCK, suggesting that...

Eating both bland (left panel) and delicious (right panel) meals triggered significant opioid release in the brain. Image credit: University of Turku.

Eating Triggers Release of Endogenous Opioids in Human Brain, Study Reveals

Aug 29, 2017 by News Staff

A recent study conducted at the University of Turku, Finland, has revealed that eating leads to the widespread opioid release in the human brain, likely...

Dr. Gustafson with a mother-to-be in the fetal biomagnetometer. Image credit: University of Kansas.

Research Provides First Evidence for Fetal Language Discrimination

Aug 10, 2017 by News Staff

According to new research published in the journal NeuroReport, a month before they are born, fetuses can distinguish between someone speaking to them...

3D surface and midsagittal images illustrating regional sex differences in rCBF (regional cerebral blood flow). Image credit: Daniel G. Amen et al, doi: 10.3233/JAD-170432.

Study: Women Have More Active Brains than Men

Aug 8, 2017 by News Staff

In the largest functional brain imaging study to date, researchers have identified specific differences between the brains of females and males. 3D surface...

The encephalophone is a musical instrument that can be played by the mind alone. Image credit: University of Washington.

Encephalophone: Novel Thought-Controlled Musical Instrument Allows People to Make Music with Their Minds

Jul 13, 2017 by News Staff

An international group of researchers has created a hands-free, thought-controlled musical instrument, the encephalophone. The encephalophone is a musical...

Palaus et al collected and summarized studies looking at how video games can shape our brains and behavior. Image credit: Olichel Adamovich.

Video Games May Change Brain and Behavior, Review Finds

Jun 23, 2017 by News Staff

Playing video games may cause changes in many brain regions, according to a new review of previous research. Palaus et al collected and summarized studies...

According to Siu et al, vision keeps maturing until mid-life. Image credit: Pexels.

Vision Keeps Maturing until 30s – Early 40s, Study Finds

May 30, 2017 by News Staff

The human primary visual cortex — the brain’s vision-processing center that was previously thought to mature within the first few years of life...

Experiencing beauty requires thought, New York University neuroscientists find.

Immanuel Kant was Right: Beauty Requires Thought

May 11, 2017 by News Staff

Experiencing beauty requires thought, neuroscientists have found in a study that confirms a claim by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804),...

According to Leitao-Goncalves et al, gut bacteria control food choice and egg laying in Drosophila melanogaster. Image credit: Leitao-Goncalves et al, doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2000862.

Gut Bacteria ‘Speak’ to Brain to Control Food Choices in Animals

May 2, 2017 by News Staff

In a study published recently in the journal PLOS Biology, neuroscientists identified three gut bacteria species — Acetobacter pomorum, Lactobacillus...

The thickness of the cerebral cortex is correlated with the epigenetic profile of immune-related genes. Image credit: University of Basel.

Scientists Find Link between Immune System, Memory and Structure of Brain

Apr 27, 2017 by News Staff

In two separate studies, researchers have demonstrated that both the structure of the brain and several memory functions are linked to immune-related genes. The...

Drinking a beetroot juice before exercise makes the aging brain perform more efficiently. Image credit: Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University.

Beetroot Juice before Exercise Keeps Aging Brain Sharp

Apr 19, 2017 by News Staff

According to a study published recently in the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, drinking a beetroot juice before exercise makes the brain of...

Lobes of the human cerebrum

Neuroscientists Identify New Neural Pathway that Controls Hand Movements

Apr 5, 2017 by News Staff

A new neural pathway has been identified by a group of neuroscientists that could underlie our ability to make the coordinated hand movements needed to...

Dopaminergic system and reward processing: dopaminergic neurons are located in the midbrain structures substantia nigra (SNc) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA); their axons project to the striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen and ventral striatum including nucleus accumbens), the dorsal and ventral prefrontal cortex; the mesolimbic dopamine pathway mediates the psychopharmacology of reward, whether that is a natural high or a drug-induced high, and is sometimes referred to as the pleasure center of the brain, with dopamine as the pleasure neurotransmitter. Image credit: Oscar Arias-Carrion et al, doi: 10.1186/1755-7682-7-29.

Study: Neurotransmitter Dopamine Plays Role in Human Bonding

Feb 20, 2017 by News Staff

Researchers have found for the first time that dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter in the brain, is involved in human bonding. The results appear in the...

Morrissey et al found that there are specific groups of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex of a rat’s brain - the region most associated with long-term memory; these neurons develop codes to help store relevant, general information from multiple experiences while, over time, losing the more irrelevant, minor details unique to each experience. This image shows a rat hippocampal neuron. Image credit: ZEISS Microscopy / CC BY 2.0.

Neuroscientists Uncover How Brain Maintains Useful Memories

Feb 15, 2017 by News Staff

A team of neuroscientists at the University of Toronto in Canada has discovered a reason why we often struggle to remember small details of past experiences....

This image shows an ON Delayed retinal ganglion cell. Image credit: Adam Mani & Gregory W. Schwartz, Northwestern University.

Researchers Find Myopia-Causing Cells in Retina

Feb 13, 2017 by News Staff

A team of researchers at Northwestern University has discovered a type of retinal ganglion cell that may cause myopia when it dysfunctions. The study is...

Model depicting the FLP-7/NPR-22 neuroendocrine axis that underlies the 5-HTergic control of body fat loss. In the nervous system, an integrated 5-HT and octopaminergic circuit stimulates body fat loss. In this study, we report the discovery of a tachykinin signalling system that underlies the 5-HTergic control of body fat loss in C. elegans. The FLP-7 neuroendocrine peptide is secreted from the ASI neurons in response to 5-HT and Oct-mediated signalling. The nutrient sensor AAK-2/AMPK acts in the ASI neurons via the CREB co-regulator CRTC-1 to regulate FLP-7 release in response to 5-HT-encoded signals of food availability. Upon release, FLP-7 acts in the intestine via the NPR-22/NK2R receptor to stimulate the ATGL-1 lipase, which drives fat loss. The identification of FLP-7 and NPR-22 addresses a long-standing question about the molecular basis of the central effects of 5-HT on fat loss in peripheral tissues. Image credit: Lavinia Palamiuc et al, doi: 10.1038/ncomms14237.

Scientists Identify Brain-Signaling Molecule that Triggers Fat Burning

Feb 8, 2017 by News Staff

A research team led by Scripps Research Institute scientist Dr. Supriya Srinivasan has identified a brain hormone that appears to trigger fat burning in...

Mathieu Quesnel-Vallières et al induced autistic-like behavior in mice by lowering the levels of nSR100 protein, which is important for normal brain development. Image credit: Mathieu Quesnel-Vallières et al, doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2016.11.033.

Study: Drop in nSR100 Protein Levels Causes Autistic-Like Behavior in Mice

Dec 16, 2016 by News Staff

As many as 33% of autism cases could be explained by a scarcity of a protein called nSR100 in the brain, a new study in the journal Molecular Cell has...

Running may affect the structure and function of the brain in ways similar to complex tasks like playing a musical instrument. Image credit: Pete Linforth / Skeeze.

Runners Have Better Connected Brains, Study Finds

Dec 15, 2016 by News Staff

New research published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience reveals that endurance runners’ brains have greater functional connectivity —...

Sofia Soares et al investigated midbrain dopamine neurons during timing behavior in mice; when measuring and manipulating mouse activity, the team observed that dopamine neurons controlled temporal judgments on a time scale of seconds. Image credit: Geralt.

Neuroscientists Identify Neurons that Control Judgment of Time

Dec 13, 2016 by News Staff

A new study in mice shows that dopamine neuron activity plays a key role in judgment of time, slowing down the internal clock. Sofia Soares et al investigated...

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