Different people can have varying perceptions of the same scents and odors, for instance perceiving the same perfume as "fruity" or "musky." Studies have suggested that the ways in which the same odors are mapped in the brain of different individuals are highly...
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Exploring the activity patterns of distinct hippocampal interneuron types during odor-guided spatial navigation
The hippocampus is a crucial brain region known to support the processing and storage of higher-level information, in the form of memories. In addition to allowing humans and animals to recall events that happened in the past, it plays a part in learning and...
Study shows that eye movements decrease while effortfully listening to speech
After a certain age, approximately 40% of people experience some degree of hearing loss. While age-related hearing loss is most prevalent in adults over the age of 65, it can start occurring far earlier than that, when people are in their 40s or 50s.
Activating astrocytes in the basal forebrain keeps mice awake without any signs of sleepiness
Sleep is known to support the proper functioning of body, including the brain, allowing it to rest, recover, and recharge. While countless neuroscientists and medical researchers have been trying to better understand this vital biological process, much of its neural...
Study unveils new mechanical and neural processes underpinning proprioception in fruit flies
Drosophila, commonly known as fruit flies, have been the focus of numerous biomedical and neuroscientific studies, as they can be easily bred, examined and experimented on. Over the years, studies on Drosophila have led to numerous exciting discoveries, paving the way...
Study shows that astrocytes in the cortex modulate the dominant behavior of male mice
The social behavior of animals has been the key focus of extensive neuroscience and biomedical studies, as it is often aligned with behaviors observed in humans. Better understanding these behaviors and the neural processes underpinning them could ultimately also have...
New findings show how the brain prepares to make choices during decision-making
Neuroscientists and psychologists have been trying for decades to better understand how humans make decisions, in the hope to devise more effective interventions to promote healthy and beneficial lifestyle choices. Two brain regions that have been linked to...
Study shows medial preoptic area mediates depressive-like behaviors associated with ovarian hormone fluctuations
Fluctuations in the hormones secreted by women's ovaries, namely estrogen and progesterone, are known to cause mood swings. For instance, at different points of the menstrual cycle, during or after pregnancy and while reaching menopause, women can experience lethargy,...
Study unveils an adaptive neural mechanism that supports robust and flexible learning
For decades, neuroscientists have been trying to better understand how humans learn behaviors and flexibly adapt to new situations or real-world challenges. While humans and other mammals are acquiring new behaviors, neural circuits in their brain are known to...
Study identifies sex differences in the brain cell types responding to stress
High levels of stress are known to contribute to the development of many psychiatric and medical conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, hypertension, and heart disease. Past case studies suggest that psychiatric disorders linked to stress exposure can...