Summary: A new study highlights the significant role of imagination in evoking empathy and driving prosocial behavior. While empathy is multifaceted, this research focuses on two aspects: personal distress and compassionate concern. The study reveals that vividly imagining someone else’s problems increases personal distress, motivating individuals to offer help. These findings break new ground in … Read more
Summary: Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, plays a vital role in encoding both reward and punishment prediction errors in the human brain. This study suggests that dopamine is essential for learning from both positive and negative experiences, enabling the brain to adapt behavior based on outcomes. Using electrochemical techniques and machine learning, scientists measured dopamine levels in … Read more
Summary: Alcohol, the world’s most common addictive substance, leads to $249 billion in annual costs and 88,000 deaths in the U.S. Alcohol use disorder affects millions but is under-treated. Researchers discovered a key player in alcohol addiction: pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP). This peptide, found in the “bed nucleus of the stria terminalis” (BNST), … Read more
Summary: Researchers have revealed a groundbreaking role of RNA in fear-related learning and memory. Their study shows how noncoding RNA Gas5 influences neuronal excitability, impacting learning and memory processes. Another study identified m6A-modified RNAs that regulate synaptic plasticity, crucial for fear extinction memory, a key factor in PTSD. These findings offer new insights into RNA’s … Read more
Summary: Researchers have discovered the significant role of Lactobacillus, a bacterium in fermented foods and yogurt, in managing stress and potentially preventing depression and anxiety. This research is crucial for its specific focus on Lactobacillus, distinguishing it from other microbiota. The study found that Lactobacillus maintains interferon gamma levels, crucial for stress response and mental … Read more
Summary: Recent studies reveal effects of cannabis and alcohol co-use on adolescent rats, simulating human behavior. Rats voluntarily consumed THC-infused treats and alcohol, allowing researchers to observe changes in brain structure and behavior. Notably, co-use led to reduced synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex, with effects more pronounced in female rats. The studies aim to … Read more
Summary: A recent study replicates and extends Solomon Asch’s famous conformity experiments, revealing intriguing insights about human behavior. The research demonstrates that monetary incentives reduce conformity errors in line-judging tasks, though social influence remains a factor. It also extends Asch’s findings to political opinions, showing a significant rate of conformity. Interestingly, the study finds that … Read more
Summary: A new study reveals distinct differences in brain activity between traumatic memories in PTSD patients and regular sad autobiographical memories. This research, the first of its kind to examine real-life personal memories, found that traumatic memories do not activate typical memory-related brain regions like the hippocampus, suggesting they’re not processed as regular memories. Instead, … Read more
Summary: Researchers have modified transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), significantly improving its effectiveness in treating hard-to-treat depression. In a recent study, this novel TMS protocol achieved a 66% response rate and 42% acute remission in patients with major depressive disorder, surpassing the standard FDA-approved protocol’s 29% response rate. The new approach combines traditional left-brain stimulation with … Read more
I have yet to send out my Christmas cards this year, but the various steps necessary to complete this task have been weaving through my mind for months. I booked a session with a photographer at the end of August. I picked out and shopped for outfits for the entire family in October. In November, … Read more