Category: Neuroscience

Two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain have been identified by researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Opening the way to potential advances in pain treatment, the molecules also look to have a role in causing uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain when a nearby…

Even though infants use their memories to learn new information, few adults can recall events in their lives that happened prior to the age of three. Psychologists at Emory University have now shown that age seven is when these earliest memories tend to fade into oblivion, a phenomenon known as childhood amnesia. The research involved…

Suppose you heard the sound of skidding tires, followed by a car crash. The next time you heard such a skid, you might cringe in fear, expecting a crash to follow — suggesting that somehow, your brain had linked those two memories so that a fairly innocuous sound provokes dread. MIT neuroscientists have now discovered…

A new study by scientists at McGill University and the University of Zurich shows a direct link between metabolism in brain cells and their ability to signal information. The research may explain why the seizures of many epilepsy patients can be controlled by a specially formulated diet. The findings show that metabolism controls the processes…

New findings from an international research collaboration confirms the importance of the brain system known as the nociceptin system, as a prospective target for therapies to treat stress-related conditions such as anxiety disorders. “We were able to demonstrate the ability of this nociceptin anti-stress system to prevent and even reverse some of the cellular effects…

After you read a novel, actual changes linger in your brain, at least for a few days, say researchers. Said lead author and neuroscientist Gregory Berns, director of Emory University’s Center for Neuropolicy: “Stories shape our lives and in some cases help define a person. We want to understand how stories get into your brain,…

Ovaries are not the only source of estrogen, a new study reports. The discovery may lead to a clearer understanding of hormonal changes from before birth through the aging process. New research from University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that the hypothalamus can directly control reproductive function in rhesus monkeys and very likely performs the same action…

The latest neuroscience study of sex differences to hit the popular press has inspired some familiar headlines. The Independent, for example, proclaims that: The hardwired difference between male and female brains could explain why men are “better at map reading” (And why women are “better at remembering a conversation”). The study in question, published in…