How dopamine helps us avoid bad outcomes
Dopamine is the brain's motivational spark, driving us to chase what feels good, say scrolling another reel on social media, and steer clear of what doesn't, like touching a hot stove.
Apr 22, 2025
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Nervous System: News and Research on Nucleus Accumbens
MeSH tree: A08.186.211.200.885.287.249.487.775.500
Cancer hijacks your brain and steals your motivation—new research in mice suggests potential avenues for treatment
A cruel consequence of advanced cancer is the profound apathy many patients experience as they lose interest in once-cherished activities. This symptom is part of a syndrome called cachexia, which affects about 80% of late-stage ...
Apr 13, 2025
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Brain pathway links inflammation to loss of motivation and energy in advanced cancer
The fatigue and lack of motivation that many cancer patients experience near the end of life have been seen as the unavoidable consequences of their declining physical health and extreme weight loss. But new research from ...
Apr 10, 2025
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Real-time tracking shows how the brain responds to positive and negative stimuli
The human brain contains billions of neurons that continuously receive information and stimuli from the outside. To make decisions, neurons assess at every moment whether the stimulus is positive or negative. If it is positive, ...
Mar 26, 2025
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Deep brain stimulation may reduce severe self-injurious behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder
Severe self-injurious behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses a significant risk of permanent physical injury. Not all children respond to behavioral therapies. Findings from a pilot trial show that ...
Mar 20, 2025
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What happens in the male mouse brain during sex
To uncover what drives sexual behavior in animals, researchers studied the brain activity of male mice throughout the series of actions involved in sex leading up to ejaculation. Their results, published in Neuron, show that ...
Mar 19, 2025
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Study uncovers developmentally distinct neural architectures controlling avoidant behaviors
Over the course of their lives, humans and other animals typically learn to avoid situations and stimuli that are dangerous or are perceived as threatening. Past neuroscience studies have gathered evidence suggesting that ...
Neuroforecasting—using brain scans to forecast human choice at scale
Neuroimaging can capture brain activity in response to stimuli before a person decides how to respond. Initial affective responses—broadly good or bad feelings about a stimulus—have been associated with activity in evolutionarily ...
Feb 25, 2025
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A history of isolation and alcohol use may impact depression treatment
Ketamine can effectively treat depression, but whether depressed patients with alcohol use disorder can safely use ketamine repeatedly remains unclear clinically.
Feb 24, 2025
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The overlooked astrocyte: Star-shaped brain cells may form specialized networks for reward learning
Most neuroscience research carried out up to date has primarily focused on neurons, the most renowned type of cell in the human brain. As a result, the unique functions of other brain cell types are less understood and have ...
