Tag

Striatum

All articles tagged with #striatum

health1 month ago•5 min saved

Long COVID Linked to 18% Drop in Brain Dopamine Nerve Endings, PET Study Finds

A small PET study (24 long COVID patients and 24 controls) found about an 18% reduction in dopamine nerve endings in the striatum of people with long COVID, with ventral striatum changes linked to lower motivation and dorsal striatum changes tied to slower movement and memory issues. The alterations persisted for up to 4.6 years after infection, suggesting the dopaminergic system as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and a target for treatment. The study’s sample is small, but researchers plan a clinical trial repurposing a dopamine-influencing drug, highlighting the need for validated long COVID therapies and better access to care.

via sciencealert.com|

#dopamine #health #long-covid

science1 month ago•37 min saved

Long COVID linked to dopamine nerve loss in the brain

A new eBioMedicine study finds long COVID patients show an average 18% reduction in dopamine-releasing nerve terminals in the striatum, measured by VMAT2 binding, with lower dopamine cell density correlating with apathy, slower motor speed, and memory issues; blood biomarkers did not reflect these brain changes. The authors suggest dopamine-enhancing treatments could help some patients, but note the study’s small, associative design and call for larger, longitudinal research to confirm causality and guide therapy.

via psypost.org|

#brain-imaging #dopamine #long-covid

science4 months ago•7 min saved

X-Chromosome Long Non-Coding RNA Emerges as a New Route to Autism Traits in Males

Researchers identify PTCHD1-AS, a long non-coding RNA on the X chromosome, as a male-specific autism-susceptibility gene. Deletions skew social interaction and repetitive behaviors without impairing learning or memory; mouse models show similar behavioral changes. Disruption affects striatal circuits, synaptic plasticity, and myelination via reduced protein kinase C activity, offering a new entry point for targeted therapeutics—though no treatments are yet in trials.

via Neuroscience News|

#autism #genetics #long-non-coding-rna

health-and-medicine6 months ago•5 min saved

Inflamed brains may turn compulsions into deliberate choices

A rat study from the University of Technology Sydney links inflammation in the striatum, driven by astrocytes, to more deliberate, goal-directed compulsive actions—challenging the view that compulsions are automatic habits and pointing to anti-inflammatory treatments as potential therapies.

via ScienceDaily|

#astrocytes #brain-inflammation #compulsive-behavior

science10 months ago•5 min saved

Scientists Identify Biological Marker Differentiating Psychopaths from Normals

Scientists have discovered that psychopaths have a 10% larger striatum in the brain, which is linked to impulsivity and a craving for stimulation, providing insights into the neurobiological basis of antisocial behavior and its developmental roots.

via SciTechDaily|

#brain-structure #mri-scans #neurodevelopment

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Brain Imaging Reveals Dopamine's Main Action in the Striatum

A brain imaging study in mice shows that dopamine is predominantly concentrated in the striatum rather than the cortex, challenging previous assumptions and highlighting the importance of the striatum in movement and psychiatric disorders like Parkinson's and schizophrenia.

via PsyPost|

#brain-imaging #cortex #dopamine

neuroscience2 years ago•3 min saved

The Harmonious Rhythm of Acetylcholine and Dopamine in the Striatum

Researchers have discovered wave-like patterns of the neurochemical acetylcholine in the striatum, a region crucial for motivating actions. This follows previous findings of similar patterns in dopamine in the same region. The study proposes a new mathematical model explaining the simultaneous generation of both acetylcholine and dopamine waves, challenging traditional beliefs about neuronal interactions. The research provides insights into the delicate balance between these neurochemicals and may have implications for understanding movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

via Neuroscience News|

#acetylcholine #dopamine #movement-disorders

neuroscience3 years ago•2 min saved

Unraveling the Mysteries of Time Perception: Insights from Brain Studies and Rat Experiments

Scientists have identified a specific region in the brain, called the striatum, that is involved in the perception of time in rodents. By manipulating the neural activity in this brain region through changes in temperature, researchers found that the rats' perception of time changed. A warmer, faster striatum made time appear to pass more slowly, while a cooler, slower striatum made time appear to pass more quickly. This study sheds light on the inner brain mechanisms involved in the perception of time and raises questions about the role of other brain areas in timing behavior.

via ScienceAlert|

#brain #neuroscience #perception-of-time

neuroscience3 years ago•4 min saved

The Link Between Rats, Perception of Time, and Heartbeats Revealed

Scientists have artificially manipulated patterns of neural activity in rats to understand how the brain perceives and measures time. By slowing down or speeding up the activity in the striatum, a deep brain region, researchers were able to alter the rats' judgment of time duration. This study provides compelling evidence for the causal relationship between neural activity and timing behavior. The findings could have implications for the development of therapeutic targets for diseases like Parkinson's and Huntington's, as well as influence algorithmic frameworks used in robotics and learning.

via The Jerusalem Post|

#causal-relationship #neural-activity #neuroscience

neuroscience3 years ago•8 min saved

The Brain's Inner Clock: A Key to Behavior

Researchers have discovered a causal link between neural activity and our perception of time. By artificially altering neural activity in rats, they were able to distort the rats' sense of time duration, providing insights into how the brain's inner clockwork influences behavior. The study focused on the striatum, a brain region that correlates with time-related decisions, and found that the speed at which neural activity patterns evolve in the striatum affects the rats' judgment of time intervals. This research sheds light on how the brain measures time beyond the circadian rhythm, on the scale of seconds to minutes, and may have implications for understanding and treating time-related symptoms in diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntington's.

via Neuroscience News|

#behavior #causal-link #neural-activity

neuroscience3 years ago•4 min saved

The Impact of Coffee on the Brain's Striatum Volume.

A study from China using MRI data reported that heavier coffee drinkers, based on the number of cups consumed daily, have a lower volume of the striatum, a brain region affected in Parkinson’s disease, whether or not they have Parkinson’s. Regular coffee consumption, without an emphasis on cups per day, also was tied to a significantly reduced volume in this brain region, but only among healthy adults rather than patients. The study provides evidence for the effect of chronic coffee consumption on striatal volume in a living human brain.

via Parkinson's News Today|

#coffee-consumption #mri-scans #neurodegeneration