All articles tagged with #brain circuitry
A study from UC Berkeley reveals how specific brain circuits regulate growth hormone release during sleep, which is crucial for body repair and metabolic health. The findings could lead to new treatments for sleep-related conditions and improve understanding of how sleep impacts overall health, though further research in humans is needed.
Researchers have identified a crucial brain circuit connecting the medial prefrontal cortex and the lateral hypothalamus that plays a pivotal role in socially subjective reward valuation. By temporarily blocking this circuit in monkeys, the researchers found that the monkeys became less sensitive to the prospect of others receiving rewards. This finding improves our understanding of social behaviors and may assist in diagnosing and treating injuries or alterations to these brain regions.
A new study suggests that depression following a head injury may be a distinct condition separate from traditional major depressive disorder. Researchers found that individuals with post-concussion depression exhibited a unique pattern of brain circuitry activity associated with depression, different from those with unrelated depression or individuals who had suffered a concussion but did not experience depression symptoms. The findings highlight the brain basis for post-concussion depression and emphasize the importance of recognizing that mental health symptoms after a head injury are not solely psychological. The study aims to refine treatment for this form of depression, with researchers exploring the potential effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a non-invasive technique for stimulating nerve cells in the brain.