Fear, reward, motivation, social life and the choices we make.
Neuroscience News
Words vs. numbers: A University of Tokyo study reveals that adults with autism spectrum disorder are strongly influenced by positive or negative verbal framing—such as "possible" versus "unlikely"—rather than underlying percentages when making medical decisions.
Development and aging
Science News
What determines which moments are remembered? The amygdala, typically associated with regulating fear and aggression, may play a major role
Memory and learning
ScienceDaily
Crows may be even smarter than we thought, and their brains are astonishingly fast. Researchers at the University of Tübingen discovered that crows can make visual decisions twice as quickly as humans and monkeys, taking just 235 milliseconds on average to identify the direction of moving dots while maintaining remarkable accuracy.
Emotion and behavior
ScienceDaily
Scientists have uncovered a hidden gut-to-brain dopamine pathway that helps explain why bitter coffee and other initially unpleasant flavors can become favorites over time. The discovery reveals how the brain learns to crave certain foods and could eventually lead to new ways of reshaping eating habits and food preferences.
Memory and learning
ScienceDaily
Scientists have discovered that sleep disorders are associated with structural changes in brain regions that control attention, decision-making, and emotions, potentially explaining why disrupted sleep can affect everyday thinking and behavior. The findings, drawn from 57 brain imaging studies, reveal both shared and disorder-specific patterns that could lead to more targeted treatments.
Sleep and dreams
ScienceDaily
A surprising new discovery suggests that fear may cause the brain to blur the line between danger and safety rather than distinguish them more clearly. By observing brain activity in mice using augmented reality, scientists found that memories of threatening and harmless environments began to overlap, potentially allowing faster responses to danger. This "better safe than sorry" survival mechanism could help explain…
Mental health
ScienceDaily
A major 24-year study involving more than 8,200 adults suggests that excess body weight may accelerate brain aging, leading to faster declines in memory, concentration, and decision-making skills. The connection was particularly strong among people over 65, raising concerns about the long-term effects of obesity on brain health.
Development and aging
ScienceDaily
Eating too much salt may do more than raise blood pressure. It could also harm memory and social behavior. In a new study, Japanese researchers discovered that a soy-derived compound called LPC70 helped protect mice from several damaging effects of a high-salt diet. Mice given the supplement had lower blood pressure, better memory, and improved social interactions compared with mice consuming excess salt alone.
Memory and learning
ScienceDaily
Yale scientists have uncovered how the stress hormone cortisol helps the brain turn emotional experiences into stronger, longer-lasting memories. The discovery reveals that stress can reshape communication between brain networks involved in emotion and memory, potentially explaining why certain moments are so difficult to forget.
Memory and learning
MIT News
Making a decision requires juggling a set of options without getting them confused or losing track of them. A new MIT study shows how neurons encode information to maximize clarity throughout the process.
Emotion and behavior
MIT News
MIT scientists create a detailed map of exactly what happens in the brains of C. elegans worms when they “follow their nose” to savor attractive odors or avoid unappealing ones.
Emotion and behavior
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