Amygdala News and Research

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Study determines how the emotional hub of the brain contributes to negative feelings

Tucked into the temporal lobe, near the base of our brain, sits a small, almond-shaped region called the amygdala that processes our emotions.

7 Jul 2022

Alcohol alters synchronized brain activity differently for male and female mice

Alcohol alters synchronized brain activity in the amygdala of mice, but differently for male and female mice, according to new research published in eNeuro.

4 Jul 2022

Researchers discover electrical wave patterns in the brain related to social behavior

Researchers at Tohoku University and the University of Tokyo have discovered electrical wave patterns in the brain related to social behavior in mice.

27 Jun 2022

Basolateral amygdala may play a larger, overarching role during naturalistic events

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a region of the brain that has been almost exclusively studied in the context of fear and emotion.

7 Jun 2022

Activating a specific brain circuit attenuates pain, decreases rats' defensive behaviors

Activating a circuit between the amygdala and brainstem relieves pain and reduces defensive behaviors in rats, according to research recently published in JNeurosci.

7 Jun 2022

Neuroscientists study the formation of fear memories in the brain's emotional hub

Experiencing a frightening event is likely something you'll never forget. But why does it stay with you when other kinds of occurrences become increasingly difficult to recall with the passage of time?

1 Jun 2022

Study reveals how the brain volume changes in Parkinson's patients

Researchers of the Human Brain Project (HBP) found that in Parkinson’s disease the volumes of certain brain regions decrease over time in a specific pattern that is associated with clinical symptoms and largely coincides with the pattern described in Braak’s famous staging theory.

17 May 2022

Acoustic holograms enable efficient, selective opening of the blood brain barrier

The holograms designed by the team of researchers from UPV and CSIC allow the opening of the blood brain barrier selectively, efficiently and in a highly focused manner, facilitating the administration of therapeutic drugs to treat pathologies that affect the central nervous system.

17 May 2022

Discovery could lead to new treatments to minimize cravings in people with addictions

For some people with alcohol use disorder, it might be the sight of a familiar bar or a favorite bottle; for others, it might be the feeling of leaving the office after a stressful day at work or stepping into a crowded party. Most people who struggle with drug or alcohol addiction have particular cues that set off their cravings.

4 May 2022

Study finds brain circuit controlling drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement

New research from the University of California, Irvine, finds that drug withdrawal-induced anxiety and reinstatement of drug seeking behaviors are controlled by a single pathway in the brain and centered around dopamine cells.

4 May 2022

Social connections predict the brain structure of primates

What's the link between social life and brain structure? Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute at Inserm, and elsewhere are now one step closer to understanding this connection for rhesus macaques.

13 Apr 2022

Study suggests severe neuroinvasion by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals with alcohol use disorder

Researchers investigated the effect of repeated alcohol exposure and withdrawal on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane serine protease 2 expression, putative regulators of SARS-CoV-2 entry, in discrete brain regions.

4 Apr 2022

Chronic low back pain associated with regional brain atrophy

Chronic low back pain is associated with reductions in brain volume in areas involved in pain processing, reports a study in PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

29 Mar 2022

Amygdala in children diagnosed with autism begins its accelerated growth during infancy

The amygdala- a brain structure enlarged in two-year-old children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)- begins its accelerated growth between 6 and 12 months of age, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

25 Mar 2022

A psychedelic drug plus psychotherapy could help improve PTSD symptoms

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects millions of people each year, mostly survivors and witnesses of terrifying or shocking events, such as warfare, assaults or disasters. Because existing treatments don't work for everyone, new therapies are urgently needed.

22 Mar 2022

Study provides new understanding of how memory works when the brain sees a familiar face

In a study led by Cedars-Sinai, researchers have uncovered new information about how the area of the brain responsible for memory is triggered when the eyes come to rest on a face versus another object or image.

18 Mar 2022

Temporary increase in dopamine levels initiates sleep state transitions

Historically, the neurological mechanisms underlying sleep-cycle generation have been elusive. But now, researchers from Japan have uncovered new information about how the brain transitions from one sleep state to another.

15 Mar 2022

Current evidence that vitamin D is effective against COVID-19 neurological sequelae

Researchers analyze the available scientific evidence supporting vitamin D as a neuroprotective agent against the neurological sequelae of COVID-19.

14 Mar 2022

COVID-19 may cause brain shrinkage in some people

In a recent study posted to the journal Nature as an unedited manuscript, researchers assessed the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-associated brain changes among United Kingdom (UK) Biobank patients.

8 Mar 2022

Study offers insight into molecular biology of the brain in bipolar disorder patients

In a comprehensive study involving one of the largest-ever samples of post-mortem brains, scientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, in collaboration with researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, have pinpointed significant differences in gene expression in two specific regions of the brains of hundreds of patients who had bipolar disorder.

7 Mar 2022