Chemical Messenger Dopamine Moves Mice Into 'Dreamy Stage' of Sleep, What Does It Mean for Human's Behavior?

Medicine & Technology Mar 04, 2022

In new research, chemical messenger dopamine was able to move mice into a dreamy stage of sleep. Discover how this chemical affects human mood and behavior.

Dopamine Impulses Can Be Controlled in the Brain of Mice in Anticipation of Rewards

Jul 24, 2021

Scientists from UC San Diego showed that mice can willfully control dopamine impulses, the "feel-good" brain chemical, for rewards.

Explaining Nerdiness: An Uncommon Reward System

Oct 26, 2020

Some people find excitement in knowing new things. There is something about studying everything about a topic - from the technical to the literary - identifying its nuances and pouring hours upon hours of reading and studying. This habit is commonly known as being a nerd.

Study Shows How the Brain Works While Speaking To Someone of a Different Social Class

Oct 05, 2020

The human brain responds in various ways whenever we talk to someone of a different socioeconomic background from our own, compared to when we speak to someone we perceive to be from a similar background, according to a new study.

Researchers Offer Insight on the Mechanics of Split-Second Decisions

Sep 01, 2020

According to a new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, a small part of the cerebellum plays an integral role in making split-second "go or no go" decisions.

Scientists Develop an Ultra-Sensitive Dopamine Detector

Aug 09, 2020

Dopamine detection is important in diagnosing a number of disorders resulting from lack or excess of the neurotransmitter - and a new detector has been developed.

Scientists Have Identified the Brain Signal Responsible for REM

Aug 07, 2020

Researchers have identified a signal from the brain noise that uniquely characterizes dreaming or REM Sleep, a new study suggests.

COVID-19: Cells Causing Loss of Smell Identified

Jul 25, 2020

An international research team led by Harvard Medical School neuroscientists has found the mechanism behind COVID patients temporarily losing their sense of smell.

What Better Way to Inspire New Artificial Intelligence than Natural Intelligence—the Brain

Aug 12, 2019

Scientists look at the underrated relationship neurobiology and machine learning to develop a new type of artificial intelligence.

Healthy Diet May Help Our Brains Age

May 07, 2015

A new study has found that the healthier we eat over the years, the better shape our brains will be in as we age. Researchers from McMaster University found that people from all over the world who kept a Mediterranean style diet in middle age had a reduced risk of cognitive decline as they got older.

‘Lightning Strikes’ in the Process of Learning

Mar 30, 2015

Neurobiology can be quite a difficult to subject to wrap our minds around, especially considering that every individual’s neurochemistry is unique unto itself. But with a bit of persistance, four years to be exact, and a bit of innovative technology in the field of biophotonics researchers with NYU’s Langone Medical Center have finally revealed just how brains sort, store and process information in the process of learning new tasks.

How the Neurons of A Sea Slug Could Change Neurobiology Forever

Mar 26, 2015

It’s a common belief that when you think of neurobiology you often imagine the brain and the central nervous system one neuron at a time. And for many years, that’s exactly how researchers had to approach the larger questions. By tagging in particular neurotransmitters, that would convey the passing of one signal from neuron to neuron, researchers were able to follow the path of a signal back and forth along an axon. But now, with new imaging technology and a new model organism in mind, researchers in neurobiology are seeking new ways in which we study the brain—mapping neural circuits and their functions in great detail, on the large scale.

Intricate Organic Molecules—Yeah, We Can 3D Print That

Mar 13, 2015

Perhaps you’re a neurobiologist looking to isolate endocanibinoids from human brains. Any volunteers to offer their brains up for study? You’re not likely to find any takers, but now thanks to some researchers at the University of Illinois, you may just be able to print your own. That’s right, print. In what the researchers are calling the next step in 3D-printing, with a version specifically designed to tailor to researchers, University of Illinois chemists led by lead researcher Martin Burke have develop a machine that can systematically synthesize thousands of different molecules basically from scratch.