Monthly Archives: February 2016

“The brain is the central organ for adaptation to experiences, including stressors, which are capable of changing brain architecture as well as altering systemic function through neuroendocrine, autonomic, immune, and metabolic systems. Because the brain is the master regulator of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Resilience: stress, epigenetics, and brain plasticity

Motor dysfunction has been found to be predictive of cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease and to occur earlier than cognitive impairments. While apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) has been associated with cognitive impairments, it is unclear whether it also increases risk for … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Exercise, but not antioxidants, reversed ApoE4-associated motor impairments in adult GFAP-ApoE mice

“The motivation to seek social contact may arise from either positive or negative emotional states, as social interaction can be rewarding and social isolation can be aversive. While ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons may mediate social reward, a cellular … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation

A clinical trial inspired and guided by optogenetics experiments in rodents has reported positive results from targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients suffering from cocaine addiction. The specific clinical hypothesis arose directly from an experiment in rats by Chen and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Illuminating next-generation brain therapies

The longitudinal course of bipolar disorder is heterogeneous, and is moderated by the presence of general medical comorbidities. The authors of this study investigated the moderating effects of impaired glucose metabolism on variables of illness course and severity in a … Continue reading

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“Individuals who have Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) are able to recall, with considerable accuracy, details of daily experiences that occurred over many previous decades. The present study parametrically investigates the quantity and quality of details of autobiographical memories acquired … Continue reading

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“Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States, and use during adolescence-when the brain is still developing-has been proposed as a cause of poorer neurocognitive outcome. Nonetheless, research on this topic is scarce and often … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Impact of adolescent marijuana use on intelligence: Results from two longitudinal twin studies