Neuroscience

Synapses of the reward system at stake in autistic disorders

Autism spectrum disorders are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders, one of the main characteristics of which is impaired social communication. But what happens in patients' brains that disrupts their social ...

Neuroscience

Monkey studies reveal possible origin of human speech

Most animals, including our primate cousins, communicate: they gesture, grimace, grunt, and sing. As a rule, however, they do not speak. So how, exactly, did humans acquire their unique talent for verbal discourse? And how ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Oxytocin turns up the volume of your social environment

Before you shop for the "cuddle" hormone oxytocin to relieve stress and enhance your social life, read this: a new study from the University of California, Davis, suggests that sometimes, blocking the action of oxytocin in ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Molecular mechanism underlies anxiety, autism

A calcium-dependent molecular mechanism discovered in the brain cells of mice by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators may underlie the impaired social interactions and anxiety found in neuropsychiatric disorders – including ...

Neuroscience

Newly discovered brain network offers clues to social cognition

Scientists call our ability to understand another person's thoughts—to intuit their desires, read their intentions, and predict their behavior—theory of mind. It's an essential human trait, one that is crucial to effective ...

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