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Neuroscience news

Psychology & Psychiatry

Mice's sex-based social preferences shift under stress: Dopamine circuits play crucial role

Researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong University and collaborating institutions in China have identified sexually dimorphic dopamine (DA) circuits in the brain that influence sociosexual preferences in mice. They found innate preferences ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Why do we prefer curves over straight edges? Researchers probe brain for clues

For over 100 years, psychologists have known that most people prefer curviness over angularity in practically everything—from lines and shapes to faces, paintings and interior spaces. Moreover, the phenomenon has been observed ...

Neuroscience

Epilepsy associated with poor brain health

Epilepsy is associated with poor brain health, with a consistent deleterious effect seen on cognitive and motor function and mental health, according to a study published online Dec. 31 in the Journal of Translational Medicine.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Spike mutations that help SARS-CoV-2 infect the brain discovered

Scientists have discovered a mutation in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, that plays a key role in its ability to infect the central nervous system. The findings may help scientists understand its neurological ...

Genetics

Faulty gene makes the brain too big—or too small

A gene called ZNRF3, known to be involved in cancer, also messes with the mind. The human brain relies on two copies of this gene to build a correctly sized brain. If one of the copies is defective, the brain will be either ...

Neuroscience

Multiple sclerosis appears to protect against Alzheimer's disease

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are far less likely than those without the condition to have the molecular hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. ...