All articles tagged with #brain mechanism
Originally Published 3 months ago — by SciTechDaily
Scientists have discovered that the protein MRAP2 helps transport the hunger receptor MC4R to the cell surface, enhancing its ability to send satiety signals, which could lead to new obesity therapies.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Futurism
Scientists at UC San Diego have discovered a neural mechanism in the brain that sustains fear in individuals with PTSD, leading to a generalized feeling of fear even in safe environments. By studying lab mice and postmortem human brains, they identified a neurotransmitter switch in the brainstem that allows for this generalized fear to persist. Injecting mice with a harmless virus to stop this switch and administering Prozac after a stressful event both appeared to halt the fear response. This research provides insights into potential interventions for PTSD and related disorders.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Yahoo! Voices
Scientists at UC San Diego have discovered a neural "switch" in the brain that causes fear generalization in individuals with PTSD, leading to prolonged fear and anxiety even in safe environments. By studying lab mice and postmortem human brains, they found that a neurotransmitter switch in the brainstem sustains this generalized fear response. Injecting mice with a virus to stop this switch and administering Prozac after a stressful event effectively curtailed the fear reaction. This research provides insights into potential interventions for PTSD and related disorders.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Neuroscience News
Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital have uncovered the brain mechanism responsible for transitioning from daydreaming to alertness and memory formation, centered around activity in the dentate gyrus. This mechanism helps the brain realign cognitive focus to immediate realities and process new information, potentially offering insights into neuropsychiatric disorders such as ADHD, PTSD, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which analyzed mouse models, found that dentate spikes in the hippocampus play a crucial role in this shift and in associating memories with sensory stimuli, opening new avenues for targeted treatments.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Neuroscience News
Researchers at the University of Oxford have identified a novel brain mechanism that underpins the formation of powerful, enduring memories, particularly related to drug experiences such as cocaine. The study demonstrates how distributed nerve cell activity across multiple brain regions contributes to the persistence of these memories, offering crucial insights into understanding addiction and memory-related disorders. The findings suggest potential therapeutic approaches for modulating heightened neural activity to restore more appropriate behavioral responses.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by News-Medical.Net
Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine have discovered that learning in the brain occurs through the constant ebb and flow of dopamine and acetylcholine, even in the absence of immediate rewards. These two hormones compete with each other, and rewards were previously thought to promote learning by triggering an increase in dopamine and a decrease in acetylcholine. However, the study found that dopamine and acetylcholine levels naturally fluctuate in the brain, creating favorable conditions for continual learning. The findings challenge the current understanding of how these hormones work together and may provide insights into neuropsychiatric conditions related to dopamine imbalances.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by SciTechDaily
A new study from the University of Utah Health reveals the role of microglia, a type of brain cell, in controlling anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Contrary to previous beliefs that only neurons control behavior, this research shows that specific populations of microglia activate or dampen anxiety and OCD behaviors, and communicate with neurons to invoke these behaviors. The findings could lead to new targeted therapies for anxiety-related disorders.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Neuroscience News
A recent study has identified a mid-brain region, the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTpr), as a trigger for infanticide in female mice. Blocking this region chemically prevented infanticide almost completely, while artificially activating it led to killings in nearly all instances. The study also revealed the BNSTpr’s antagonistic relationship with the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a brain region known to promote maternal behavior. The findings could play a similar role in better understanding infanticide by women, as the BNSTpr region is also present in humans.