Many neuroscientists believe the loss of the brain region known as the amygdala would result in the brain's inability to form new memories with emotional content. New research indicates this is not so, and suggests that when one brain region is damaged, other brain regions can compensate.
11 Vote(s)
August 3, 2010
July 29, 2010
Aging and longevity tied to specific brain region in mice
The protein SIRT1 in the brain is tied into a mechanism that allows animals to survive when food is scarce, according to a new study. The research suggests that SIRT1 may be involved with the life span-increasing effect of low-calorie diets, they report.
13 Vote(s)
13 Vote(s)
Comments Off
June 10, 2010
Frontal cortex dysfunction may contribute to compulsive sexual behavior, study suggests
Sex "addiction" is a concept that has had particularly high visibility recently with the publicity associated with Tiger Woods. Persons with addictive or compulsive disorders frequently display an inability to inhibit behaviors once they become maladaptive, despite adverse consequences of their behavior. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a brain region involved in decision-making and behavio
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
Comments Off
March 2, 2010
Don’t make that face at me! Prefrontal cortex may help regulate emotions
A new study suggests that the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is a brain region that may help people to control their emotional reactions to negative facial expressions from their romantic partners.
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
Comments Off
February 21, 2010
University Of Queensland Research Uncovers How Antidepressants Actually Work
Researchers at UQ's Queensland Brain Institute have uncovered how antidepressants stimulate the brain to improve a person's mood. They have discovered the class of drugs that increase levels of a neurotransmitter known as 'norepinephrine' triggers neurogenesis - the growth of new neurons - in a brain region called the hippocampus...
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
Comments Off
January 29, 2010
Losing Sleep, Losing Brain?
Chronic and severely stressful situations, like those connected to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, have been associated with smaller volumes in "stress sensitive" brain regions, such as the cingulate region of the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory formation...
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
Comments Off
December 11, 2009
Connectivity And Function In The Brain Improved By Behavioral Training
Children with poor reading skills who underwent an intensive, six-month training program to improve their reading ability showed increased connectivity in a particular brain region, in addition to making significant gains in reading, according to a study funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the Dec. 10, 2009, issue of Neuron...
5 Vote(s)
5 Vote(s)
Comments Off
November 12, 2009
To Make Memories, New Neurons Must Erase Older Ones
Short-term memory may depend in a surprising way on the ability of newly formed neurons to erase older connections. A new article provides some of the first evidence in mice and rats that new neurons sprouted in the hippocampus cause the decay of short-term fear memories in that brain region, without an overall memory loss.
13 Vote(s)
13 Vote(s)
Comments Off
October 22, 2009
Regulating Emotion After Experiencing A Sexual Assault
After exposure to extreme life stresses, what distinguishes the individuals who do and do not develop post-traumatic stress disorder? A new study suggests that it has something to do with the way that we control the activity of the prefrontal cortex, a brain region thought to orchestrate our thoughts and actions.
5 Vote(s)
5 Vote(s)
Comments Off
September 9, 2009
MU Researchers Better Understand The Brain Circuit That Controls Binge Eating
Scientists led a rat to the fatty food, but they couldn't make it eat. Using an animal model of binge eating, University of Missouri researchers discovered that deactivating the basolateral amygdala, a brain region involved in regulating emotion, specifically blocked consumption of a fatty diet. Surprisingly, it had no effect on the rat wanting to look for the food repeatedly.
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
Comments Off