Tag

Prefrontal Cortex

All articles tagged with #prefrontal cortex

neuroscience18 days ago•20 min saved

Psilocybin’s 5-HT2A activation linked to lasting brain plasticity in mice

A mouse study shows psilocybin dose-dependently activates the brain’s 5-HT2A receptors in the prefrontal cortex, with an inverted-U relationship for acute behaviors. The following day, moderate doses reduced anxiety-like exploration and higher doses decreased depression-like immobility, coinciding with changes in microtubule dynamics and increased synaptic plasticity proteins—primarily in the prefrontal cortex, not the amygdala—suggesting a neural mechanism for lasting antidepressant effects, though results in animals may not directly translate to humans.

via PsyPost|

#5-ht2a #amygdala #neuroplasticity

science22 days ago•6 min saved

Brains as a Team: Mice Show Collective Survival Through Huddling

A UCLA study finds mice facing cold organize into adaptive huddles that stabilize core temperature. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex tracks others’ choices as if simulating the group; silencing it makes some mice passive while others compensate, keeping overall huddle time and body temperature unchanged. Larger groups exhibit stronger collective behavior, highlighting neural circuits for social resilience with potential implications for conditions like depression and schizophrenia.

via Neuroscience News|

#group-dynamics #huddling #neuroscience

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Relapse Switch: PV Neurons Regulate Addiction Circuits

New findings show relapse in addiction results from a circuit-level imbalance in the prefrontal cortex: parvalbumin-positive (PV) inhibitory neurons act as a gate on the PFC-to-VTA reward pathway. Suppressing PV cells reduced cocaine-seeking in mice, while activating them sustained drug-seeking after withdrawal; the effect is specific to drug rewards, not sugar, and not observed in other inhibitory cells. This reveals a targetable mechanism for relapse and suggests precision therapies to rebalance this circuit.

via Neuroscience News|

#addiction #neural-circuits #parvalbumin-neurons

cognitive-science1 month ago•27 min saved

Your workouts may prime your brain chemistry, not just your muscles

A 12-week aerobic training program in sedentary adults increased the acute release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) after hard workouts and altered activity in the prefrontal cortex during attention and inhibition tasks. While participants improved their cardiovascular endurance and showed brain signaling changes linked to efficiency, there was no significant improvement in cognitive test scores. The study highlights a potential mechanism by which fitness supports brain function, though it relies on small sample size and maximum-exertion exercise, with serum vs plasma measurements providing different perspectives on BDNF delivery.

via psypost.org|

#aerobic-training #bdnf #cognitive-function

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Fit Bodies, Sharper Brains: Bigger BDNF Boosts With Exercise

A 12-week cycling program increases aerobic fitness and makes the brain release more BDNF in response to a single 15-minute workout; fitter participants show larger BDNF spikes and stronger prefrontal cortex activity during attention and inhibition tasks, with the boost tracking with VO2max gains, suggesting fitness amplifies the brain’s response to exercise.

via Neuroscience News|

#bdnf #exercise #neuroscience

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Fizz, Not Sugar: Sparkling Water May Sharpen Esports Focus

A University of Tsukuba study finds unsweetened, highly carbonated water during three-hour esports sessions helps players maintain mental focus and reduce cognitive fatigue compared with plain water, boosting executive function and enjoyment while also reducing fouls. The effect is achieved without sugar or caffeine, likely via the throat sensation that stimulates brainstem-to-prefrontal pathways, and heart rate and glucose levels remained unchanged.

via Neuroscience News|

#cognitive-fatigue #esports #executive-function

neuroscience3 months ago•25 min saved

Prefrontal Neural Geometry Shapes Motivated Behaviors

This study investigates how the neural geometry of learned cues in the prefrontal cortex guides motivated behaviors, utilizing datasets available on GitHub and analyzing neural activity related to cue processing and decision-making in animals.

via Nature|

#cue-learning #motivated-behavior #neural-coding

science4 months ago•4 min saved

Prefrontal Cortex Shapes Vision and Behavior Through Hidden Brain Circuits

MIT researchers discovered that the prefrontal cortex in mice sends targeted signals to visual and motor regions, influencing how visual information is processed based on arousal and movement, revealing a sophisticated feedback system that dynamically rewires vision.

via ScienceDaily|

#brain-circuit #mit #neuroscience

science5 months ago•5 min saved

Brain Wave Rotation Enhances Focus After Distractions

Neuroscientists discovered that rotating neural waves in the prefrontal cortex help the brain recover focus after distraction, with full rotations correlating with correct task performance and incomplete ones predicting errors, suggesting the brain uses energy-efficient traveling waves for concentration restoration.

via Neuroscience News|

#brain-waves #cognitive-focus #distraction

science9 months ago•6 min saved

Hormones Influence Love and Lust Differently in Men and Women

Research reveals that a specific brain circuit in mice, influenced by hormones like oxytocin and ovarian hormones, governs sex-specific mating behaviors, promoting receptivity in females during estrus and reducing interest in males, with the same neurons having opposite effects in males, highlighting how hormonal states and sex shape social and sexual behaviors.

via Neuroscience News|

#brain-circuits #hormones #prefrontal-cortex

psychology9 months ago•5 min saved

Four Key Psychological Signs of Ideological Extremism

The article explores four psychological markers—cognitive rigidity, emotional volatility, amygdala size, and prefrontal cortex structure—that correlate with ideological extremism, suggesting that understanding and addressing these factors could help mitigate extremism.

via Big Think|

#amygdala #cognitive-rigidity #emotional-volatility

science1 year ago•4 min saved

Scientists Identify Brain Cells Key to Empathy

Researchers have identified a mechanism in the prefrontal cortex involving corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons that modulate empathetic responses based on past emotional experiences. This discovery, highlighting how animals respond to others' emotions when they mirror their own past experiences, offers insights into empathy's evolutionary conservation and potential therapeutic targets for conditions like PTSD, autism, and schizophrenia.

via Neuroscience News|

#emotional-memory #empathy #neuroscience

neuroscience1 year ago•6 min saved

Decoding the Brain's Decision to Persist or Quit

Research from the University of Pennsylvania reveals how different regions of the prefrontal cortex influence decisions to persist or quit in uncertain situations. Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex reduces persistence, while other areas affect learning from feedback. These findings have implications for understanding conditions like anxiety and addiction, where reward processing is altered. The study highlights the brain's complex calculations in evaluating rewards and persistence, with future research focusing on neurotransmitter roles in these processes.

via Neuroscience News|

#brain #decision-making #neuroscience

neuroscience1 year ago•5 min saved

Decoding the Brain Circuits Behind Psychedelics' Anti-Anxiety Effects

Researchers at UC Davis have identified distinct neural circuits responsible for the anti-anxiety effects of psychedelics, separate from those causing hallucinations. Using the psychedelic DOI in mice, they found that anxiety reduction persists after hallucinatory effects fade. By mapping and reactivating specific neurons in the prefrontal cortex, they demonstrated potential for developing psychedelics-based treatments that alleviate anxiety without inducing hallucinations. This study highlights the complexity of psychedelic effects, involving both direct and downstream neural networks.

via Neuroscience News|

#anxiety #neural-circuits #neuroscience

neuroscience2 years ago•4 min saved

"Decoding the Brain's Fear Circuitry for Survival"

Scientists have discovered a new neural pathway connecting the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala that regulates the brain's transition to high-intensity fear responses, crucial for survival. Dysregulation of this pathway can lead to psychiatric illnesses like PTSD and anxiety disorders. The study utilized advanced techniques in mice to uncover and manipulate this pathway, offering potential for therapeutic interventions and a better understanding of fear response mechanisms.

via Neuroscience News|

#amygdala #fear-circuitry #neural-pathway