THEPSYCHOLOGYTURKEY

Researchers show that powerful hierarchical situations make it easier to commit harmful actions, as agency and empathy are split across multiple individuals. http://dlvr.it/SZJBnY

Since their discovery over 100 years ago, neurons in the brain's olfactory bulb, called tufted cells, have been difficult to study. By leveraging new technology, neuroscientists were able to precisely dissect the neural activity of these tufted cells for the first time. They discovered the tufted cells were better at recognizing smells than mitral cells, their neighboring neurons in the olfactory bulb. Their findings offer new explanations for how the brain processes sensory information. http://dlvr.it/SZHplL

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is associated with a greater capacity for selective and sustained attention in adolescents, while alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is associated with lower impulsivity, according to a new study. The results confirm the importance of having a diet that provides sufficient amounts of these polyunsaturated fatty acids for a healthy brain development. http://dlvr.it/SZ7x8g

Simple computer-based neurocognitive training -- using positive words and pictures designed to boost self-worth -- prolongs the antidepressant effects of ketamine in people with treatment-resistant depression, researchers report. http://dlvr.it/SZ5XwS

Rendering the invisible visible is among scientists' favorite challenges. In their efforts to uncover how the olfactory system makes sense of thousands of otherwise invisible odors, scientists now have uncovered more of the cellular and molecular steps by which the high-precision neural circuitry of smell gets wired up in the nose and brain. http://dlvr.it/SZ4Vyt

Women who experience anxiety about their pregnancies give birth earlier on average than those who don't, according to new research. http://dlvr.it/SZ3CQY

Scientists have explored new techniques that may help distinguish between two different neurological conditions in patients with severe brain damage and or in a coma. http://dlvr.it/SYzlqY

Social avoidance is a common symptom of PTSD, and scientists working to better understand why have laboratory evidence that while stress hormone levels consistently increase in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, there can be polar opposite consequences in parts of the brain down the line. http://dlvr.it/SYvf66

Researchers have found regions in the woodpecker forebrain that show characteristics that until now have only been associated with vocal learning in animals and language in humans. The study shows that instead of being related to vocalization, activity in these brain regions is related to the characteristic tree drumming that gives woodpeckers their name. http://dlvr.it/SYrRTz

Deep learning models represent 'an entirely new paradigm for studying dementia.' http://dlvr.it/SYn0Fg

A study of moles reveals that cold weather -- not lack of food -- drives the rare phenomenon of reversible brain shrinkage in mammals. http://dlvr.it/SYjVWN

Monkeypox can sometimes lead to neurological complications such as encephalitis (brain inflammation), confusion or seizures, finds a new review of evidence. http://dlvr.it/SYgVQD

A type of brain cell that can renew itself is regulated by circadian rhythms, providing significant insights into how the body's internal clock may promote healing after traumatic brain injuries (TBI), according to new research. http://dlvr.it/SYczG5

Spinal cerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6) is an inherited neurological condition which has a debilitating impact on motor coordination. Affecting around 1 in 100,000 people, the rarity of SCA6 has seen it attract only limited attention from medical researchers. To date, there is no known cure and only limited treatment options exist. Now, a team of researchers specializing in SCA6 and other forms of ataxia, have published findings that not only offer hope for SCA6 sufferers but may also open the way to developing treatments for other movement disorders. http://dlvr.it/SYcZW8

During development, the cells of an embryo divide until a fully functional organism emerges. One component of the cell is especially important during this process: the cell cortex. This fine network of hair-like filament structures (called actin) just below the cell membrane is the main determinant of cell shape and is involved in almost everything a cell does, such as moving, dividing, or sensing its environment. Yet, the cortex must first be built from single molecules, and if it is not built just right, the cells of an organism would never get to the right place to perform their functions. http://dlvr.it/SYSvpm

Human beings and fruit flies have very little in common -- at first sight. However, studying these flies it is in fact possible to find out more about human nature, particularly when it comes to depressive disorders. It is on this basis that scientists are attempting to gain a better understanding of depression-like states and thus improve means of treating them. http://dlvr.it/SYSW3Z

Although the brain is divided into two halves, it is not exactly a mirror image. Some functions are processed more on the left side, others more on the right. Scientists have now discovered heritable underpinnings of brain asymmetry and how much we share with monkeys. http://dlvr.it/SYPrpD

A study assessed resident physicians' perceptions, coping strategies and self-reported levels of depression, anxiety and stress experienced during the early phase of the pandemic. http://dlvr.it/SYPTSJ

The study suggests a previously unobserved relationship between body temperature and REM sleep, with REM sleep appearing to act like a 'thermostatically controlled brain heater.' http://dlvr.it/SYLQGz

The memory system alternates between periods of learning and remembering. These two functions are controlled by different neural circuits. Using an animal model, scientists recently identified a neural signal in the hippocampus, a brain region essential for forming and recalling memories, that enables the brain to alternate between remembering and learning modes. http://dlvr.it/SYL6H6

A fungus that is a common cause of fungal meningitis undergoes a remarkable transformation once it enters the body, allowing it to infect the brain, according to new research. The discovery could lead to new strategies for blocking Cryptococcus neoformans infection and preventing detrimental effects on the host. C. neoformans is the leading cause of a rare but deadly swelling of the brain that occurs in people with weakened immune systems. http://dlvr.it/SYHNkS

Researchers have found that kids who experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI), even a mild one, have more emotional and behavioral problems than kids who do not. http://dlvr.it/SYH754

A new rodent study shows that even small quantities of alcohol can trigger epigenomic and transciptomic changes in brain circuitry in an area that is crucial in the development of addiction. http://dlvr.it/SYGNqg

Neuroscientists have revealed the precise connections between sensory neurons inside the retina and the superior colliculus, a structure in the midbrain. Neuropixels probes are a relatively recent development, representing the next generation of electrodes. Densely packed with recording points, Neuropixels probes are used to record the activity of nerve cells, and have facilitated these recent insights into neuronal circuits. The researchers describe a fundamental principle which is common to the visual systems of mammals and birds. http://dlvr.it/SYCQQD

Investigators have designed a study that simulated night work and then tested the effects of daytime and nighttime eating versus daytime eating only. The team found that, among participants in the daytime and nighttime eating group, depression-like mood levels increased by 26 percent and anxiety-like mood levels by 16 percent. Participants in the daytime-only eating group did not experience this increase, suggesting that meal timing may influence mood vulnerability. http://dlvr.it/SYCQGk

Researcher-clinicians are conducting a multi-site study to establish that music intervention can reduce the likelihood of critically ill, mechanically ventilated older adults in a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) developing delirium and can also improve their post-ICU brain health. The study is one of the first to measure dosage of music exposure as the researchers continue their pioneering exploration of the potential of music to decrease or even prevent delirium. http://dlvr.it/SYC239

One of the most upsetting aspects of age-related memory decline is not being able to remember the face that accompanies the name of a person you just talked with hours earlier. While researchers don't understand why this dysfunction occurs, a new study has provided some important new clues. http://dlvr.it/SY8rCF

In a multidisciplinary study that combines molecular biology with neuroscience, researchers have found that Tob gene plays an important role in reducing depression, fear, and anxiety. http://dlvr.it/SY3Yx6

Birds have impressive cognitive abilities and show a high level of intelligence. Compared to mammals of about the same size, the brains of birds also contain many more neurons. Now a new study helps to explain how birds can afford to maintain more brain cells: their neurons get by on less fuel in the form of glucose. http://dlvr.it/SY18PK

A new study reveals how mechanical forces and tissue mechanics influence the morphology of the developing brain, and establishes a direct link in neural stem cells between Piezo1, a mechanically-activated ion channel, and intracellular cholesterol levels during neural development. http://dlvr.it/SXxsqR

If you spend 30 minutes less on social media every day and engage in physical activity instead, you do a lot to improve your mental health, according to a new study. Participants who followed this advice for two weeks felt happier, more satisfied, less stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic and less depressed than a control group. These effects lasted even six months after the study had ended. http://dlvr.it/SXxsjj

A new neuroscience study shows how stimuli and states such as smells, stressors and satiety converge in an olfactory neuron to guide food-seeking behavior in the model organism C. elegans. http://dlvr.it/SXxXZM

Depression, anxiety, worry, perceived stress, and loneliness measured early in the pandemic, before infection with COVID-19, were associated with up to 45% increased risk of developing long COVID. Distress was more strongly associated with developing long COVID than physical health risk factors such as obesity, asthma, and hypertension. The increased risk associated with distress was not explained by health behaviors, such as smoking, or by physical health conditions, like asthma. http://dlvr.it/SXx6Zf

When holding information in mind, neural activity is more focused when and where there are bursts of gamma frequency rhythms, according to a new study. http://dlvr.it/SXsv0k

Investigators have developed an investigational therapy using support cells and a protective protein that can be delivered past the blood-brain barrier. This combined stem cell and gene therapy can potentially protect diseased motor neurons in the spinal cord of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurological disorder known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. http://dlvr.it/SXqjCC

Though many of us may seek a quiet place in which to study, 'noise' may play a key role in helping some people improve their learning potential. http://dlvr.it/SXpTYq

A new study suggests that therapeutic interventions to treat neurodevelopmental disorders may be more effective if done during the early stages of brain development. http://dlvr.it/SXdQry

Scientists have tested the efficacy of GnRH injection therapy in order to improve the cognitive functions of a small group of patients with Down syndrome. First the scientists revealed a dysfunction of the GnRH neurons in an animal model of Down syndrome and its impacts on the cognitive function impairment associated with the condition. Then a pilot study testing GnRH pulsatile injection therapy was conducted in seven patients. The results were promising: the therapy led to improved cognitive function and brain connectivity. http://dlvr.it/SXd5R1