Search results
Medical Xpress / Alpha-2 receptor drugs reduce heavy alcohol drinking, study finds
Alcohol use is widespread and alcohol use disorder (AUD) causes substantial harm. AUD affects 29 million individuals and causes more than 140,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone. Individuals with AUD also often struggle ...
Medical Xpress / Mapping gene disruptions in sporadic early onset Alzheimer's disease across key brain regions
A new study led by researchers at UTHealth Houston investigated both gene expression and regulation at single cell levels to reveal disruptions in gene function in three brain regions of patients with sporadic early onset ...
Medical Xpress / Brain neurons process salience, valence and value separately to understand what is important—and what isn't
The sound of a fire alarm tells us to get out quickly to not get hurt, while the sight of a gas station sign can signal a chance to refuel. In everyday life, we learn to link cues we sense with what they mean, helping us ...
Medical Xpress / A new tool could tell us how consciousness works
Consciousness is famously a "hard problem" of science: We don't precisely know how the physical matter in our brains translates into thoughts, sensations, and feelings. But an emerging research tool called transcranial focused ...
Medical Xpress / Dry January, T-breaks and the myth of willpower: An alternative reset in the New Year
Many Canadians start the new year with attempts to abstain from alcohol and cannabis for the month of January. However, this all-or-nothing approach to a healthier lifestyle may be unsustainable for many due to complex biological ...
Medical Xpress / Research reveals how children's play links to social skills and brain activity
A new study has uncovered the ways different types of play are linked to children's social abilities and brain activity. The research, conducted by researchers at King's College London and Cardiff University, has uncovered ...
Medical Xpress / Brain-inspired AI: Human brain separates goals and uncertainty to enable adaptive decision-making
Humans possess a remarkable balance between stability and flexibility, enabling them to quickly establish new plans and adjust goals even in the face of sudden changes. However, "model-free reinforcement learning," which ...
Medical Xpress / Why the human brain matures slower than its primate relatives
The human brain is a fascinating and complex organ that supports numerous sophisticated behaviors and abilities that are observed in no other animal species. For centuries, scientists have been trying to understand what is ...
Medical Xpress / To flexibly organize thought, the brain makes use of space
Our thoughts are specified by our knowledge and plans, yet our cognition can also be fast and flexible in handling new information. How does the well-controlled and yet highly nimble nature of cognition emerge from the brain's ...
Medical Xpress / Gut bacteria may play role in bipolar depression by directly influencing brain connectivity
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by extreme mood changes. Individuals diagnosed with BD typically alternate between periods of high energy, euphoria, irritability and/or impulsivity (i.e., manic ...
Medical Xpress / Homer1 gene calms the mind and improves attention in mice
Attention disorders such as ADHD involve a breakdown in our ability to separate signal from noise. The brain is constantly bombarded with information, and focus depends on its ability to filter out distractions and detect ...
Medical Xpress / Scientists unravel neural networks that guide guilt and shame-driven behaviors
Feelings of guilt and shame can lead us to behave in a variety of different ways, including trying to make amends or save face, cooperating more with others or avoiding people altogether. Now, researchers have shed light ...
