The brain may use dopamine to bend time and shape memory
Ever heard of getting a "dopamine hit" from something you enjoy? These exciting moments also appear to influence memory, although perhaps not in the way you'd expect.
May 4, 2026
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Body Part, Organ, or Organ Component: Ventral Tegmental Area
Medical news and research articles
PV inhibitory neurons, not overall prefrontal cortex decline, linked to cocaine-seeking relapse
Drug addiction carries an extremely high risk of relapse, as cravings can be reignited by minor stimuli even long after one has stopped using. Previously, this phenomenon was attributed to a decline in the function of the ...
Mar 10, 2026
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Not all memories are created equal: How motivation shapes memory
Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and Duke University have proposed a neuroscience framework explaining how different types of motivation fundamentally reshape ...
Jan 21, 2026
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Can training your brain boost immune response? Vaccination study highlights power of positive thinking
Training people to activate a part of the brain linked to reward and positive expectations may be associated with an increase in the body's immune response to a vaccine. The findings from a study involving 85 participants, ...
Jan 19, 2026
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Meth inflames and stimulates the brain through similar pathways—research offers potential avenue to treat addiction
Methamphetamine doesn't just spike levels of the pleasure-inducing hormone dopamine in the reward pathways of the brain—it also provokes damaging brain inflammation through similar mechanisms.
Jan 18, 2026
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Schizophrenia: The cerebellum's unexpected role
Apathy, social withdrawal, and loss of motivation—the so-called ''negative'' symptoms of schizophrenia—are among the most disabling and hardest to treat. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has uncovered the unexpected ...
Jan 13, 2026
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Brain mechanisms in acute and chronic depression vary, according to new research
A new study investigating neuroinflammation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, a small, midbrain dopaminergic region, has found that acute and chronic depression are associated with distinct pathophysiological ...
Nov 18, 2025
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Lasting neurological damage caused by repeated stress may explain addiction risk patterns
Extreme instances of stress can cause lasting changes to the brain itself. This could leave some people more vulnerable to addiction, a University of Mississippi study concludes.
Sep 29, 2025
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Despite recovery from depression, the brain retains sensitivity to negative cues
Researchers have found that even after recovery, individuals who previously experienced depression may retain a heightened sensitivity to negative cues and face challenges in regulating responses to potential punishment.
Jun 26, 2025
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Algorithm reveals how a small region in our brain plays a key role in motivation
A small region of the brain, known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), plays a key role in how we process rewards. It produces dopamine, a neuromodulator that helps predict future rewards based on contextual cues. A team ...
Jun 5, 2025
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