THEPSYCHOLOGYTURKEY

Researchers demonstrate in animal models that water enriched with hydrogen molecules (H2) improves the symptomatology of neuropathic pain and related emotional disturbances. http://dlvr.it/Sg9ygM

Although people are generally predisposed to perceive interactions to be social even in unlikely contexts, they don't always agree on exactly which information is social, according to a new study. The findings show that much of the brain responds more strongly to information that is interpreted as social versus non-social. http://dlvr.it/Sg9Dck

Comparing models of working memory with real-world data, researchers found that information resides not in persistent neural activity, but in the pattern of their connections. http://dlvr.it/Sg6RJ0

New insights into the opposing actions of serotonin-producing nerve fibers in mice could lead to drugs for treating addictions and major depression. http://dlvr.it/Sg3vKB

A remote fear memory is a memory of traumatic events that occurred in the distant past -- a few months to decades ago. A mouse study has now spelled out the fundamental mechanisms by which the brain consolidates remote fear memories. The study demonstrates that remote fear memories formed in the distant past are permanently stored in connections between memory neurons in the prefrontal cortex. http://dlvr.it/SfyxqQ

When the Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry makes a free throw, his brain draws on motor memory. Now researchers have shown how this type of memory is consolidated during sleep, when the brain processes the day's learning to make the physical act of doing something subconscious. http://dlvr.it/SflxDg

Researchers have revealed a brain mechanism that mice use to instinctively escape to shelter when faced with a threat. This is the first time that neuroscientists have been able to find such a clear link between spatial goals and actions. http://dlvr.it/SflfFG

Antidepressant use during pregnancy may combine with inflammation to heighten the risk of lifelong neurodevelopmental changes in babies' brains, new research suggests. http://dlvr.it/SfjB6Y

A new study reveals that a long-lived Chilean rodent, called Octodon degus (degu), is a useful and practical model of natural sporadic Alzheimer's Disease. http://dlvr.it/SfhxZv

Scientists have labored for decades to understand how brain structure and functional connectivity drive intelligence. A new analysis offers the clearest picture yet of how various brain regions and neural networks contribute to a person's problem-solving ability in a variety of contexts, a trait known as general intelligence, researchers report. http://dlvr.it/SfhGx8

A collaborative study reveals a new gene associated with obesity and maladaptive behavior. The evidence shows that rare mutations in the gene for the serotonin 2C receptor play a role in the development of obesity and dysfunctional behaviors in humans and animal models. http://dlvr.it/Sff731

Craving is known to be a key factor in substance use disorders and can increase the likelihood of future drug use or relapse. Yet its neural basis -- or, how the brain gives rise to craving -- is not well understood. In a new study, researchers from have identified a stable brain pattern, or neuromarker, for drug and food craving. http://dlvr.it/SfdbNm

Since the 1960s, researchers have postulated that major depression stems from disruptions in the serotonin neurotransmitter system, but the evidence for that idea, though plentiful, was indirect. In fact, a recent comprehensive analysis of existing studies concluded that there was not strong evidence to support the 'serotonin hypothesis.' In its wake, some in the field have called for a reexamination of the hypothesis. Not so fast, says a new study that provides direct evidence of disrupted serotonin release in the brains of individuals with depression. http://dlvr.it/SfRkVj

Researchers have identified a signaling pathway that regulates sleep. By studying genetic mutations in mice, they were able to show that an enzyme called histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), which is known to suppress gene expression, plays a key role in regulating the amount and depth of sleep. Further experiments revealed that this regulatory signaling in the excitatory neurons of the cortex and hypothalamus regulates sleep quantity and quality, respectively. http://dlvr.it/SfNZc4

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the fifth leading cause of death in adults over 65 years old. While many potential treatments for the neurodegenerative disease focus on developing drugs to target key culprits, a relatively new approach aims to more directly treat the brain. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical technique of electrically exciting brain circuits to alleviate symptoms of disorders such as Parkinson's disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder. http://dlvr.it/SfMTzt

Cerebrospinal fluid, the brain's immune system, becomes dysregulated as we age and plays a newly discovered role in cognitive impairment in diseases such as Alzheimer's, a new study has found. http://dlvr.it/SfKkFc

For decades, doctors and scientists have known that exercise is important for older adults -- it can lower risk for cardiac issues, strengthen bones, improve mood and provide other benefits. Likewise, mindfulness training reduces stress, and stress can be bad for the brain, so many have thought that exercise and/or mindfulness training might improve brain function. In a large study, researchers had hypothesized that if older adults exercised regularly, practiced mindfulness or did both, there might be cognitive benefits -- but that's not what they found. http://dlvr.it/SfK9MY

New findings from mechanical engineers could, one day, help doctors screen patients for illnesses like depression or Parkinson's Disease. http://dlvr.it/SfJpYV

Females' propensity to deposit more fat in places like their hips, buttocks and the backs of their arms, so-called subcutaneous fat, is protective against brain inflammation, which can result in problems like dementia and stroke, at least until menopause, scientists report. http://dlvr.it/SfJMC5

Research has revealed how a pathway in the brain that typically provides signals to stop eating may be altered by early life trauma. The discovery, obtained from studies in mice adds new perspective to binge eating and obesity. http://dlvr.it/SfGd3N

For decades, doctors have treated kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with methylphenidate, a stimulant drug sold as Ritalin and Concerta, making it one of the most widely prescribed medications aimed at the central nervous system. One might expect that researchers would know how methylphenidate works in the brain by now, but little is known about the drug's mechanism of action. Now, a new study seeks to close this gap and understand how methylphenidate interacts with cognitive control networks and attentional behavior. http://dlvr.it/Sf4zRl

Researchers are learning more about how traumatic events may physically change our brains. Neurologists have revealed changes to a brain mechanism used for learning and survival may play a role in how someone responds to a threat following a traumatic experience. Another study found that another mechanism responsible for emotion and memory is impacted and may make it difficult for someone with PTSD to discriminate between safety, danger, or reward. It overgeneralizes towards danger. These findings could significantly advance future treatments. http://dlvr.it/Sf21p5

Laser light therapy has been shown to be effective in improving short term memory, according to a new study. Scientists demonstrated that the therapy, which is non-invasive, could improve short term, or working memory, in people by up to 25 per cent. http://dlvr.it/Sf17Hr

A recent study details the neuronal response to excessive iron accumulation, which is associated with age-related neurodegenerative diseases. http://dlvr.it/Sdvb0z

An interdisciplinary research team has found important clues about the functioning of the sensorimotor cortex. The new findings on neuronal activities in this brain area could be helpful for the further development and use of so-called neuroprostheses. These have an interface with the nervous system and are intended to help compensate for neuronal dysfunctions. http://dlvr.it/SdvKw2

Women with prolonged mental health problems up to three years after childbirth may be suffering from irregular immune system responses, according to new research. http://dlvr.it/Sdv3Jd

The neurotransmitter serotonin plays a key role in both the onset and in the unlearning of fear and anxiety. A research team has been investigating the underlying mechanisms. The researchers showed that mice lacking a specific serotonin receptor unlearn fear much faster than the wild type. The results of the study provide a viable explanation how drugs that are typically used for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alter our brain activity. The ability to unlearn fear is often impaired in PTSD patients, making it more difficult to carry out therapies. http://dlvr.it/SdtjVW

Does stress during pregnancy impact children's cell aging, and does race matter? The answer is yes, according to a new study. http://dlvr.it/SdqtMp

A research team has discovered the underlying neural mechanism that allows us to feel empathy. The group's study on mice hinted that empathy is induced by the synchronized neural oscillations in the right hemisphere of the brain, which allows the animals to perceive and share each other's fear. http://dlvr.it/SdqbtC

Researchers have discovered that removal of cilia from the brain's striatum region impaired time perception and judgment, revealing possible new therapeutic targets for mental and neurological conditions including schizophrenia, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, autism spectrum disorder, and Tourette syndrome. http://dlvr.it/Sdmcc0

The surprising findings point to another possible role for oligodendrocyte precursor cells. http://dlvr.it/SdlYVj

'How many fingers am I holding up?' For vision-sensing brain cells in a monkey's visual cortex, that answer depends on whether the digits are next to each other or partially overlapping. A new study finds that single neurons conveying visual information about two separate objects in sight do so by alternating signals about one or the other. When two objects overlap, however, the brain cells sense them as a single entity. http://dlvr.it/Sdl7Cn

A low-cost, prenatal intervention benefits mothers' mental health up to eight years later, a new study finds. http://dlvr.it/SdjlxW

A team of engineers and scientists has developed a new method for remote automation of the growth of cerebral organoids -- miniature, three-dimensional models of brain tissue grown from stem cells. http://dlvr.it/Sdfgxm