Neuroscience

Lipid epoxides target pain, inflammatory pathways in neurons

When modified using a process known as epoxidation, two naturally occurring lipids are converted into potent agents that target multiple cannabinoid receptors in neurons, interrupting pathways that promote pain and inflammation, ...

Neuroscience

Chinese spice helps unravel the mysteries of human touch

New insight into how human brains detect and perceive different types of touch, such as fluttery vibrations and steady pressures, has been revealed by UCL scientists with the help of the ancient Chinese cooking ingredient, ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Happiness and the evolution of brain size

During human evolution, the size of the brain increased, especially in a particular part called the neocortex. The neocortex enables us to speak, dream and think. In search of the causes underlying neocortex expansion, researchers ...

Medical research

Newly discovered memory process influences decision-making

Learned connections between stimuli and reward—like the positive emotions associated with popular brands—have a powerful influence over our future decisions. Scientists have started to discover why.

Neuroscience

Researchers gain new insights into pain signaling in the brain

Fast communication between our brain cells—or neurotransmission as it is called—is hugely important for our brain to work properly. Some of the messengers involved in this form of communication are neuropeptides, which ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Antibodies: The body's own antidepressants

If the immune system attacks its own body, it can often have devastating consequences: autoantibodies bind to the body's structures, triggering functional disorders. The receptors for glutamate, a neurotransmitter, can also ...

Medical research

Scientists aim to learn how serotonin modulates behavior

In popular experience the story of how serotonin modulates the brain might seem simple: pop an antidepressant, serotonin levels go up, mood improves. But neuroscientists acknowledge how little they know about how the neurotransmitter ...

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