Neuroscience

Researchers learn how the brain decides what to learn

In order to learn about the world, an animal needs to do more than just pay attention to its surroundings. It also needs to learn which sights, sounds and sensations in its environment are the most important and monitor how ...

Medical research

A classic instinct -- salt appetite -- is linked to drug addiction

A team of Duke University Medical Center and Australian scientists has found that addictive drugs may have hijacked the same nerve cells and connections in the brain that serve a powerful, ancient instinct: the appetite for ...

Medical research

'Optogenetics' used to control reward-seeking behavior

Using a combination of genetic engineering and laser technology, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have manipulated brain wiring responsible for reward-seeking behaviors, such as drug addiction. ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Your attention please: 'Rewarding' objects can't be ignored

The world is a dazzling array of people, objects, sounds, smells and events: far too much for us to fully experience at any moment. So our attention may automatically be snagged by something startling, such as a slamming ...

Neuroscience

Research uncovers mechanism behind stubborn memories

Researchers from the Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences have identified a novel mechanism by which the brain produces powerful, ...

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